We want our brands to be an authentic representation of ourselves and our business. And while color choice can certainly be an emotional decision, knowing color psychology will help us make smarter decisions so our brands are strategic too.
How many decisions do you make in ONE day?
You probably realize this number is big. But did you know that you make 35,000 decisions every single day? Why is this significant? Because the majority of those decisions are made behind the scenes by our subconscious minds.
If we are focused on raising up our brands through smart and strategic marketing efforts, this is important. If I were starting a brand today, I would certainly want to know the associations people hold in their subconscious about brand colors.
What Does Your Brand Color Mean?
Here are some popular colors, and the emotions they create…
- Red: Strong, courageous, determined
- Pink: Compassionate, kind, hopeful
- Purple: Visionary, purposeful, truthful
- Grey: Sophisticated, glamorous, efficient
- Blue: Intelligent, trustworthy, serene
- Green: Restful, balanced, abundant
- Brown: Grounded, sincere, honest
- Yellow: Self-confident, optimistic, friendly
- White: Clean, purse, simple
- Orange: Creative, secure, sociable
Within each color palette, there are many tones. For example, emotional connections can vary vastly depending on if it’s a soft blue, electric blue or dark navy blue.
If you are interested in exploring this concept further, I recommend the book “How to Style Your Brand” by Fiona Humberstone. She introduced me to the idea of identifying your brand colors in terms of seasons. By first defining what “season” your brand personality is, (spring, summer, fall or winter), you can then choose your color palette. Keeping all the brand colors within the same “season” will create a more cohesive and harmonious brand.
According to Humberstone, each color can be used in each of the brand seasons (except for black which is strictly a winter personality), but knowing your season will help you decide the TONE to use within that color.
To me, branding is the personality of your business, as well as the emotion that it evokes. If you are looking to elevate your brand through images, I would love to connect and explore your vision for a beautiful professional brand photography session!
