Psychology of Color in Marketing and Design Part 1

Red

Red is typically considered the most emotionally intense color, symbolizing importance, excitement, and intensity. This color draws the most attention, and any design elements that use red are likely to draw the eye’s focus and make things more noticeable and important. Using a little bit of red here or there is an effective way to make only the most significant words stand out. Using too much red in your website design will cause it to lose effectiveness, and should be used without going overboard by only pointing out items that are truly important.

For a long time the corporate color of choice was red. Companies such as Vega Fitness Clubs and Johnson & Johnson still all use red in their logo. If you think about the history of these companies and their corporate missions, as well as the emotional effect of red, it seems they made a fitting choice ofmarketing and design.

Brown

Often referred to as “the color of earth” because of its abundance in nature, the color brown is considered reliable, conventional, and strong. In general, when used in web design, it tends to give an “earthy” feel. Sure, it is sometimes considered simple—but if used appropriately it can be meaningful. Think about the UPS logo— it’s a simple brown logo that has become the essence of their entire branding, and has even shaped their tagline, “What can Brown do for you?”

So, what is the right choice for your company?

By focusing on your target audience and establishing what role you want your company to play when it comes to fulfilling their needs, you can begin to determine what color choice may be the best for your web design, branding elements, marketing and design. By thinking about that as well as the foundation of your company and the values it is based around, you can find the best color to convey messages about your brand—without saying a word!