Colour

psychology
in branding
 Colour psychology in branding
By: Angela Wright

Scientifically, colour is the principle cue to composition, i.e. it is the first thing we
instinctively register when confronted by anything. This is a throwback to more
primitive times, when we used nature’s own signalling system (colour) constantly
to orient ourselves: where am I? What time is it? What time of year? what is the
weather going to do? Colour would tell us if something we were considering
eating was likely to poison us or if a creature coming towards us was likely to
attack (if it was coloured black and yellow, the chances were that it might). These
instincts, which contributed greatly to our survival, still drive our mood and
behaviour as powerfully as ever today, but since we are only ever actually
conscious of about 20% of this, it tends to be overlooked.

My own interest began in the family hotel where I grew up. We recognised that
colour schemes had a noticeable effect on the guests’ behaviour. We knew, for
example, that a little red in the bar encouraged conviviality, but too much of it,
and there could be difficulties; blue never worked in the restaurant (in my
experience, it never does); too much yellow in a bedroom produced irritable
guests; and green seemed to work just about anywhere. When the hotel was
sold, I became interested in formally studying colour psychology, although at the
time I was advised that: response to colour is too subjective to teach or to
predict, and it is all determined by culture, gender, age, etc. That was over thirty
years ago and I have been exploring the mysteries of colour ever since. Whatever
else I have discovered, it certainly seems clear that neither of the above
statements is correct.

There are universal, psychophysical reactions to colour that are common to us all,
and they can be predicted. It is a complicated business, naturally – when was
colour ever simple? - but I have been testing the Wright theory since 1984, both
empirically in corporate consulting, and in recent years, academically at the
highest levels of colour science. So far, it has held true consistently.

A moment’s thought will confirm that the implications of colour psychology for
branding are obvious: if colour is the principal cue to composition, it will not
matter how beautiful the other design elements in your brand are – layout and
typography or glamorous interior design, cleverly designed livery or expensive
uniforms – if the colours are a turn-off, all those other factors will have to work
much harder to overcome initial negative response.

The great majority of people (including colour scientists) tend to talk about colour
in terms of hue. ‘Should our logo be red or blue?’ In practice however, these
terms are relatively meaningless. Whilst it is certainly true that there are
universal characteristics attached to each of the main hues, the problem is that
every one of them, without exception, has the potential for positive or negative
perceptions of that characteristic. For example, red is always physically
stimulating but this can be perceived as exhilarating and exciting, or as
aggressive and a strain. Blue always activates the mind, encouraging clear
thought and, in its softer tones, aiding concentration – but your blue brand colour
can potentially communicate reliability, efficiency and thoughtfulness, or it could
come across as cold, unfriendly and totally bureaucratic.

Thelonious Monk, the famous jazz pianist, once stated ‘There are no wrong
notes.’ Equally, there are no wrong colours – just like music, it is all about how
they are combined. There is no such thing as a universally attractive colour – but
there are universally attractive colour combinations. We do not respond to just
one colour in isolation (even when we are consciously focusing on it) but to all the
colours around us. Consequently, the factor that determines whether your red
and blue present an exciting and efficient brand, or an aggressive and
bureaucratic one, is a matter of the precise hue, value and chroma of each hue.
How you put them together is the crucial factor.

Often, when a new brand is being considered, someone will say, ‘If this brand
were an animal, what it would be?’ Or it might be a car they use to define the
essence of the proposition. Designing a brand palette with the Colour Affects
system works in a similar way, in that it is essential to understand the exact
nature of the brand before attempting to communicate it. It is rather like
composing a piece of music: first it is essential to establish the appropriate ‘key’.

The Wright theory classifies every hue, shade, tone or tint into four colour
groups, defined by permutations of hue, value and chroma and, provided all the
colours in any palette are drawn from the same colour group, the positive
perceptions of each individual colour in the palette will be protected. Furthermore,
the colour group you choose will communicate a distinct personality, whose
general characteristics underpin the whole design.

One example of a perfect piece of colour psychology was McDonalds (the burger
chain). Apparently, they never thought of colour psychology in the 1950s when
they designed their brand colours. However, bright warm red has the property of
appearing closer than it is - although red is not technically the most visible colour,
it does grab the attention first. Then the warm yellow, bordering on orange, can
serve to remind you that you might be hungry; orange activates considerations of
food, warmth, shelter and physical comfort, so seeing it outside, you are
encouraged to go in and eat. Once inside, however, another
property of red takes over: it also creates an overestimation of
the speed at which time is passing – so you won’t linger. It will
be interesting to see, now that McDonalds is clearly keen to
change its image, what they will do with these iconic colours.
Compare this use of warm red with another: the German Third Reich. This was
probably the most accurate piece of colour branding in the twentieth century
(although I doubt that they realised it). They used a similar warm red, but they
used it with black and white – communicating menace and aggression!

If you think of your brand colours simply in terms of hue, it is always advisable to
use black with great caution. If, as many do, you consider it to be neutral, you
probably will not realise that it can negate your whole brand. It is not neutral;
both psychologically and visually, black can have a very negative effect on the
other colours around it.

Another example of very effective use of colour psychology is the

financial group Norwich Union. When they rebranded, a few years ago,
they adopted colours which communicated a warm, friendly, but at the
same time solid, reliable and substantial brand, with strong traditional
values. More recently, they have adopted the ‘make me happy’
concept, with colours that are still warm and friendly, but younger and livelier -
using plenty of a light warm yellow, very effectively, to capture the word ‘happy’.
The blue is right too – reminding us that all serious thought has not disappeared
from the brand. If they had got it wrong, all that yellow could have evoked
anxiety and caution (not ideal for a brand communication!)

Remember – colour is the principle cue! Don’t relegate it to further

along the design process. Get it right first and you will find that the
rest of the design falls into place far more readily.

About the Author

Angela Wright is known through out the world as a leading colour
psychologist and for her ground breaking work on colour harmonies.
She was involved with the development of a prototype software
system, Ultracolour, which enable designers to apply the latest
discoveries about both colour psychology and colour harmony for
themselves. Angela runs courses on colour psychology and she has also
published books on the subject.

Copyright © Society of Dyers and Colourists 2005