Colour

psychology

in branding

Colour psychology in branding

By: Angela Wright

Scientifically, colour is the principle cue to composition, i.e. it is the first thing we

instinctively register when confronted by anything. This is a throwback to more

primitive times, when we used nature’s own signalling system (colour) constantly

to orient ourselves: where am I? What time is it? What time of year? what is the

weather going to do? Colour would tell us if something we were considering

eating was likely to poison us or if a creature coming towards us was likely to

attack (if it was coloured black and yellow, the chances were that it might). These

instincts, which contributed greatly to our survival, still drive our mood and

behaviour as powerfully as ever today, but since we are only ever actually

conscious of about 20% of this, it tends to be overlooked.

My own interest began in the family hotel where I grew up. We recognised that

colour schemes had a noticeable effect on the guests’ behaviour. We knew, for

example, that a little red in the bar encouraged conviviality, but too much of it,

and there could be difficulties; blue never worked in the restaurant (in my

experience, it never does); too much yellow in a bedroom produced irritable

guests; and green seemed to work just about anywhere. When the hotel was

sold, I became interested in formally studying colour psychology, although at the

time I was advised that: response to colour is too subjective to teach or to

predict, and it is all determined by culture, gender, age, etc. That was over thirty

years ago and I have been exploring the mysteries of colour ever since. Whatever

else I have discovered, it certainly seems clear that neither of the above

statements is correct.

There are universal, psychophysical reactions to colour that are common to us all,

and they can be predicted. It is a complicated business, naturally – when was

colour ever simple? - but I have been testing the Wright theory since 1984, both

empirically in corporate consulting, and in recent years, academically at the

highest levels of colour science. So far, it has held true consistently.

A moment’s thought will confirm that the implications of colour psychology for

branding are obvious: if colour is the principal cue to composition, it will not

matter how beautiful the other design elements in your brand are – layout and

typography or glamorous interior design, cleverly designed livery or expensive

uniforms – if the colours are a turn-off, all those other factors will have to work

much harder to overcome initial negative response.

The great majority of people (including colour scientists) tend to talk about colour

in terms of hue. ‘Should our logo be red or blue?’ In practice however, these

terms are relatively meaningless. Whilst it is certainly true that there are

universal characteristics attached to each of the main hues, the problem is that

every one of them, without exception, has the potential for positive or negative

perceptions of that characteristic. For example, red is always physically

stimulating but this can be perceived as exhilarating and exciting, or as

aggressive and a strain. Blue always activates the mind, encouraging clear

thought and, in its softer tones, aiding concentration – but your blue brand colour

can potentially communicate reliability, efficiency and thoughtfulness, or it could

come across as cold, unfriendly and totally bureaucratic.

Thelonious Monk, the famous jazz pianist, once stated ‘There are no wrong

notes.’ Equally, there are no wrong colours – just like music, it is all about how

they are combined. There is no such thing as a universally attractive colour – but

there are universally attractive colour combinations. We do not respond to just

one colour in isolation (even when we are consciously focusing on it) but to all the

colours around us. Consequently, the factor that determines whether your red

and blue present an exciting and efficient brand, or an aggressive and

bureaucratic one, is a matter of the precise hue, value and chroma of each hue.

How you put them together is the crucial factor.

Often, when a new brand is being considered, someone will say, ‘If this brand

were an animal, what it would be?’ Or it might be a car they use to define the

essence of the proposition. Designing a brand palette with the Colour Affects

system works in a similar way, in that it is essential to understand the exact

nature of the brand before attempting to communicate it. It is rather like

composing a piece of music: first it is essential to establish the appropriate ‘key’.

The Wright theory classifies every hue, shade, tone or tint into four colour

groups, defined by permutations of hue, value and chroma and, provided all the

colours in any palette are drawn from the same colour group, the positive

perceptions of each individual colour in the palette will be protected. Furthermore,

the colour group you choose will communicate a distinct personality, whose

general characteristics underpin the whole design.

One example of a perfect piece of colour psychology was McDonalds (the burger

chain). Apparently, they never thought of colour psychology in the 1950s when

they designed their brand colours. However, bright warm red has the property of

appearing closer than it is - although red is not technically the most visible colour,

it does grab the attention first. Then the warm yellow, bordering on orange, can

serve to remind you that you might be hungry; orange activates considerations of

food, warmth, shelter and physical comfort, so seeing it outside, you are

encouraged to go in and eat. Once inside, however, another

property of red takes over: it also creates an overestimation of

the speed at which time is passing – so you won’t linger. It will

be interesting to see, now that McDonalds is clearly keen to

change its image, what they will do with these iconic colours.

Compare this use of warm red with another: the German Third Reich. This was

probably the most accurate piece of colour branding in the twentieth century

(although I doubt that they realised it). They used a similar warm red, but they

used it with black and white – communicating menace and aggression!

If you think of your brand colours simply in terms of hue, it is always advisable to

use black with great caution. If, as many do, you consider it to be neutral, you

probably will not realise that it can negate your whole brand. It is not neutral;

both psychologically and visually, black can have a very negative effect on the

other colours around it.

Another example of very effective use of colour psychology is the

financial group Norwich Union. When they rebranded, a few years ago,

they adopted colours which communicated a warm, friendly, but at the

same time solid, reliable and substantial brand, with strong traditional

values. More recently, they have adopted the ‘make me happy’

concept, with colours that are still warm and friendly, but younger and livelier -

using plenty of a light warm yellow, very effectively, to capture the word ‘happy’.

The blue is right too – reminding us that all serious thought has not disappeared

from the brand. If they had got it wrong, all that yellow could have evoked

anxiety and caution (not ideal for a brand communication!)

Remember – colour is the principle cue! Don’t relegate it to further

along the design process. Get it right first and you will find that the

rest of the design falls into place far more readily.

About the Author

Angela Wright is known through out the world as a leading colour

psychologist and for her ground breaking work on colour harmonies.

She was involved with the development of a prototype software

system, Ultracolour, which enable designers to apply the latest

discoveries about both colour psychology and colour harmony for

themselves. Angela runs courses on colour psychology and she has also

published books on the subject.

Copyright © Society of Dyers and Colourists 2005