It’s a proven fact that colours evoke emotional and physical reactions. Ever wonder why fast food restaurants use red in their designs? The colour red has been proven to stimulate appetite. Or why celebrities wait in ‘green rooms’ before an interview? Green is seen as calming and relaxing.
Colours have an inescapable power to convey authority or weakness, excite or relax, cheer or depress; therefore, careful consideration needs to be made when choosing the colour palate for your business to ensure you are conveying the image you intend.
As humans we take less than 5 seconds to react to something and make a snap decision about it, this suggests that we need very little information or knowledge about something to make a decision, putting this into context this shows that the first few seconds are seen as the most essential when converting any website visitor into a customer.
It is easy to fall into the trap of choosing colours to ‘dress up’ your website without any regard to your objectives. If you want your visitor to stay, and continue to come back, you website needs to feel inviting.
While individual colour preferences vary, and different shades of a colour can alter the connotations behind it, the following are generally accepted as the emotions and reactions different colours suggest:
- BLACK – authority, power, sophistication, contemporary, night
- WHITE – innocence, cleanliness, truth, peace, coldness and sterility
- GREY – authority, practicality, effectiveness
- BLUE – loyalty, security, authority, faithfulness, dignity, tranquillity, coldness, sadness
- BROWN – affluence, effectiveness
- PINK – femininity, well-being, innocence
- YELLOW – optimism, cheerfulness, brightness, illumination, an attention-getter if used sparingly
- GREEN – health, freedom, tranquillity, nature, fertility, growth, envy, wealth, value
- ORANGE – excitement, ambition
- PURPLE – luxury, wealth, sophistication, creativity, mystery, royalty, rarity
- RED – excitement, strength, aggressiveness, intensity, passion, romance, fire, violence, aggression, warning
Once you’ve chosen your colour palate for your website, consistency is key. All other materials you create for your business should follow the same colour pattern.
Simply put, the influence of colour is inescapable. It’s what draws us in or tunes us out. It can have a real impact on your business and your customers’ perceptions. If visitors stay on your website for longer just because of an attractive colour palate, it is worth spending the time making sure the colours you choose are sending the right message.
To find out more about other aspects needed to create your brand visit our Sales and Marketing page.
