My husband and I were trying through town recently when he said to me, "Have you ever noticed that all the fast food restaurants' signs are red and yellow?"
It was true. Every restaurant on the street we were driving had red and yellow signs, logos and buildings. This is no coincidence.
The color red stimulates the appetite, grabs attention and creates excitement. Yellow denotes friendless and a welcoming feeling. It is also the most recognizable color in daylight. Research shows it may even raise your metabolism. As a result, a high percentage of fast food restaurants have chose these colors, to the point where the color choice is known as the "ketchup and mustard theory." As the theory goes, red and yellow are a dynamic combo for enticing us to stop and eat.
Color is powerful.
It is something we recognize before we absorb the meaning of words or form opinions. Research shows that people make subconscious judgement about a product within 90 seconds - and that 60 to 90 percent of that judgement is based on color. That means, it could be, before you even have decided to grab a Big Mac, your stomach is already made up your mind for you, just having seen the red and yellow McDonald's sign.
Color sets the mood.
As you establish your brand (or refresh it), it's important to include time and research in deciding your colors. You want to make sure that the colors you select match the story and message you want to tell with your brand. I touched on this a little bit in my post, "Three things you can do right now to improve your brand."
Here is a guide for psychology behind certain colors:
As you select brand colors, don't just pick a pretty color palette you found on Pinterest. Spend some time assessing if those colors say what you want them to say. Because whether you mean for them to or not, your customers will get the message.
Did you know that part of my branding process includes color analysis? I will work to make sure the psychology of colors we select match the message you want to send. Click here to schedule a free branding consultation.
Keep growing,
Alli