I have to admit, as a person, I’m not into colourful things. I always love black and black is the only colour I love. However, in the business world, it doesn’t work like that. Colour is the face of a business that represents its “personality” and “uniqueness”. If you are a business owner, I’m sure you know the meaning of colour for your business, especially when it comes to web design or logo design. Colour is the characteristic of your business that can differentiate you from other companies in the same industry. The set of colours used in business may be the same and identical; however, there is the psychology behind the meaning of colours and depending on what you choose; it can determine your business success. For that reason, if you are just starting out a business and building your website, you should make use of this colour psychology that can help you attract more customers and increase sales. How? Keep reading this article to find out!
What is colour psychology?
Before we dive deep into more information about colour psychology, let’s start with the definition first. Colour psychology is the science of how colour affects human behaviour. Although this lacks scientific evidence to back up the theory that colours affect human behaviour, there are key facts of colour theory that cannot be denied. In a peer reviewed journal article, Satyendra Singh determined that it takes a mere 90 seconds for a customer to form an opinion about a product and 62-90% of that interaction is determined by the colour of the product alone.
Where should you use colour?
Colours are omnipresent. They are used everywhere. For that reason, you need to understand where you should use the colours for your business and since we are talking about colour use in web design; you should use the colour scheme of your website that includes the tint of headline type, backgrounds, popups, borders, hero graphics and buttons.
Use the right colour in the proper way
Colour is tricky sometimes. Each colour has different meanings and effects. That’s why you should use it properly, at the right time for the right purpose and the right audience. For example, your business is selling toys for kids, your ideal colour scheme would be bright yellow, bright green, bright blue and a little bit of a red for some important part like contact details to make sure the buyers find them easily. If you are selling beauty products focused for women (yes, skincare stuff can also work for men, but that’s not the point in this example), then the colour scheme that works well for your products is a set of purple, soft pink, light purple and a little bit of white for the text can work too. However, keep in mind that it also depends on your products. If your beauty products are from the same brand with the same colour and let’s say the product packaging’s main colour is blue, then you can’t use colours like pink or purple. Use blue and expand its colour scheme with blue as the main focus colour so you can adjust your product well to the design. If blue is the main colour, you can use a set of dark blue, light blue and white. Doing this will help you maintain consistency for your brand and help your audience recognise you.
Colour and its effects
Now we get to the part where colour has its meaning and effects on other people. Colours have direct or indirect impacts on each person who sees that. These are the meanings of colours in general:
- Black means mystery, elegance, death, evil, power, mourning
- Blue means sadness, calm, loyalty
- Green means abundance, nature, freshness
- Yellow means happiness, concentration, hope
- Red means passion, anger, danger, love
- White means purity, cleanness, innocence
- Purple means royalty, luxury, wealth, sophistication
- Cream means elegance, purity
- Grey means conservative, formality
Ever came into a room and immediately felt relaxed? Maybe a place like Spa can remind you of the feeling of relaxation and freshness. Perhaps the place is coloured in green, blue and a little bit of white? Yes, colour has THAT kind of effect on people. For that reason, business owners make use of colour psychology to determine which colour is suitable for their business and values. Remember, colour matters because your business matters; therefore, choose wisely.