Color Psychology and Design
Industrial psychology has a sub-field called color psychology and it is a topic that you would explore if you took courses in design.
I have taught visual design courses and I include the basic principles of using color in your design work.
Color elicits emotional responses in viewers. Color can help convey a message, both negative and positive. Colors can be calming or incite excitement and action.
Color psychology research has shown that the color of a space can also influence the way you work out, the way you work and even the way you choose what to order in a restaurant.
On the business side, colors can sometimes drive sales by tapping into subconscious human emotions and generating optimal responses. This is where the use of color psychology begins to get both interesting and a bit creepy.
According to color psychology, there are values, emotions, and even physiological reactions closely associated with certain colors.
For example, the color blue often represents dependability, intelligence, trust, safety, and security. This makes it a popular web design color in the business world, especially the financial sector, and for industries that require a high level of trust, such as insurance, banking, and cybersecurity. Certain tones of blue are also calming and peaceful, if that is a quality you want to have associated with your website. For example, the color palette for a yoga studio's physical space and web space should not be the same as the palette used for a martial arts studio.
Of course it is more complicated than just putting qualities to a color. Reactions to colors can vary according to culture, personal experience, and other factors. That is why why knowing your audience demographics when selecting a design palette for a website or a promotional poster is important.
The example of Coca-Cola and Pepsi moving their products into China is sometimes cited as an example. Just the fact that Coke's dominating color is red while Pepsi's is blue was a factor in Coke's greater success. The red color in China symbolizes good luck and happiness. Blue may convey relaxation, exploration, trust, or calmness, but those are not marketing plusses for a soda.
Understanding how each color conveys values, emotions, and attitudes, will help you use colour strategically in your designs.
MORE
forgeandsmith.com/colour-psychology-web-design/
nickkolenda.com/color-psychology/
I have taught visual design courses and I include the basic principles of using color in your design work.
Color elicits emotional responses in viewers. Color can help convey a message, both negative and positive. Colors can be calming or incite excitement and action.
Color psychology research has shown that the color of a space can also influence the way you work out, the way you work and even the way you choose what to order in a restaurant.
On the business side, colors can sometimes drive sales by tapping into subconscious human emotions and generating optimal responses. This is where the use of color psychology begins to get both interesting and a bit creepy.
According to color psychology, there are values, emotions, and even physiological reactions closely associated with certain colors.
For example, the color blue often represents dependability, intelligence, trust, safety, and security. This makes it a popular web design color in the business world, especially the financial sector, and for industries that require a high level of trust, such as insurance, banking, and cybersecurity. Certain tones of blue are also calming and peaceful, if that is a quality you want to have associated with your website. For example, the color palette for a yoga studio's physical space and web space should not be the same as the palette used for a martial arts studio.
Of course it is more complicated than just putting qualities to a color. Reactions to colors can vary according to culture, personal experience, and other factors. That is why why knowing your audience demographics when selecting a design palette for a website or a promotional poster is important.
The example of Coca-Cola and Pepsi moving their products into China is sometimes cited as an example. Just the fact that Coke's dominating color is red while Pepsi's is blue was a factor in Coke's greater success. The red color in China symbolizes good luck and happiness. Blue may convey relaxation, exploration, trust, or calmness, but those are not marketing plusses for a soda.
Understanding how each color conveys values, emotions, and attitudes, will help you use colour strategically in your designs.
MORE
forgeandsmith.com/colour-psychology-web-design/
nickkolenda.com/color-psychology/
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