In the modern business world, employing an effective marketing strategy is arguably just as important as offering a strong product or service. After all, there’s no use in having the very best product if none of your customers know about it.

There are many aspects to marketing, too. For example, businesses need to know as much as they possibly can about their target audience, in order to be able to shape their strategy accordingly. That involves plenty of research, and then there are multiple avenues to consider as well. These include websites, emails, social media, word of mouth, and plenty more.

But within that marketing content, how important is it to choose the right colors? Whether that’s for the main logo, fonts, images, backgrounds or anything else, the shades we select can have a significant impact on consumers and their decision on whether to make a purchase.

How Do colors Affect Us?

The psychological effects of color can be great and, according to Pantone, “our personal and cultural associations affect our experience of color”. And it has been revealed that different shades not only affect us emotionally but physically too, with scientists finding that physiological reactions occur in the human body when we see certain colors.

Pantone says that “colors can stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite and create a feeling of warmth or coolness” – a phenomenon that’s known as chromodynamics. And it is these strong feelings and emotions that marketers can capitalize upon when promoting their products or services.

What Do Certain colors Mean?

Different colors are likely to hold different meanings for different people, depending on their individual experiences and memories, but there are some general themes associated with some of the more prevalent shades. For example:

• Red: A sense of urgency; encourages appetite; gets the pulses racing
• Blue: Has a calming effect; associated with trust; suppresses the appetite
• Yellow: Associated with sunshine and youth; inspires creativity and optimism
• Green: Relaxing; associated with health; inspires thoughts of nature
• Black: Powerful; associated with luxury and sophistication
• White: Associated with innocence and purity; offers a degree of simplicity

For example, the likes of Coca-Cola (KO) and Kellogg’s (K) use red in their branding to encourage appetite, while most people’s idea of an iconic Ferrari would also be red – a color that gets the adrenaline pumping and stimulates thoughts of an exciting experience.

The Use of colors in Marketing

But of course, choosing colors is not just about the logo itself. A study by instantprint, providers of business cards, flyers, leaflets, posters and other marketing materials, found that yellow or white are the most attractive shades for business card backgrounds.

As previously discussed, white engenders thoughts of purity and innocence, while yellow is often associated with warmth, sunshine and optimism – all positive connotations which perhaps explains why those colors rank so highly amid public opinion.

But of course, the colors you choose will depend on the product you’re selling. For example, a landscape gardener would be expected to include shades of green on his or her business card, whereas a jeweler may be more likely to go for sharp, simplistic schemes including gold, silver and grey.