By Theresa Rose
Color influences our response to the world around us. Marketing research shows that over 80% of our visual information is related to color, making color a powerful element in design. Use it wisely and it can make a huge difference in your branding.
Communicating a message though the use of color is complicated, as color preferences and meanings associated with particular colors can be different cross-culturally.
For example, the color purple conveys mourning in Thailand, and royalty in Europe. Europeans and Americans associate the color white to marriage, angels and peace. However, in Japan it relates to mourning; in China, to death and in India, to unhappiness.
Knowing your target market and using combinations of colors can help overcome these differences. In addition to having emotional influence, colors influence physical reactions. For example, warm colors (reds, yellows, oranges) will attract and hold attention while the cooler colors (blues, greens) grab less attention for themselves.
Here are a few of the associations we have with colors (there are many more):
Pay attention to the colors around you. Notice your reaction to specific colors. Are you attracted to specific combinations of color? Which ones make you feel positive? Negative? Which ones attract your attention?