Color Psychology: A Hoax?

There have always been many theories that specific colors evoke emotions. Such as, yellow makes you want to eat, purple resembles royalty which is why its the primary color for makeup and hair products, blue primarily means a corporate setting. However, in recent years studies show that this isn’t an accurate method when choosing your company colors. Psychologist and Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker States in her 1997 Journal of marketing: “No research has been conducted to develop systematically a reliable, valid, and generalizable scale to measure brand personality.”

You may be asking why the perspective has changed on color theory. Researchers have determined that there are far too many factors that play into how people perceive colors based on their living environment. For example, red might instill fear in some and excitement in others; humans are far too complex to be able to defiantly say this one color evokes this emotion in everyone the same.

So, how do I decide what colors to use for my brand? Research your target audience and their color preference! Different age and genders prefer different styles when it comes to colors. When you are making your decisions on what colors are best for your brand sit down and consider your customers. For example, you start a boutique that carries womans clothing for ages 25+ - you would want to consider pastel colors with hints of white, or soft tan. Or perhaps you start a sporting goods company- you would probably consider a bold color with undertones of black.

Additional research on color perception and color preferences shows that when it comes to shades, tints, and hues, men generally prefer bold colors while women prefer softer colors. Also, men were more likely to select shades of colors as their favorites (colors with black added), whereas women are more receptive to tints of colors (colors with white added).

An array of colors within different tones, hues, and shades has proven to be more effective than picking one color and hoping it evokes an emotion. In the modern world you must stand out against your competitors and give your clients a way to remember your brand apart from your competition.

In conclusion, there are many resources on trends and predicted color trends for every industry, generation, gender, etc. Putting in the time to research your target audience to understand their preferences is the key to successfully choosing your companies new colors and standing out from the crowd.