Color Theory: Discover how color symbology affects your business and How to increase conversions
Have you ever thought about what emotions generate the colors of your brand and what sensations do they transmit? If you have taken into account the theory of color, surely you know. Or at least you have chosen the colors depending on what you want to communicate.
Beyond personal tastes, when deciding on the chromatic range that will define your brand, it is important to know what impact it has on the subconscious of your potential customers and what ideas and messages it can evoke.
In this article, we will delve into it.
I propose to immerse ourselves in the symbology of colors so that from today you use them strategically and even help you improve the results of your business.
Are you transmitting the right message? Generating the emotions you want?
Let’s find out!
What exactly is the theory of color?
The theory of color is a discipline within the design that studies the emotions and mental images that awaken colors in the minds of people.
I am convinced that more than once you have seen a certain color and it has transferred you to a memory, it has evoked a thought or it has altered you and you have gotten on your nerves.
You are not the only one who happens: the colors, apart from looking pretty or ugly, have the power to calm, raise blood pressure or even increase appetite. They can also stimulate a sale. Or paralyze it.
With this information, it is easy to deduce that colors play an important role in brands and businesses (regardless of their size), both in the offline and online world and that is why it is an essential aspect of branding.
Now, if we focus on the digital environment, taking into account that users are subject to a multitude of impacts and that customer attention is difficult to achieve, learning to use colors is a way to help us communicate a message of visual and unconscious form.
And for that, what better than having certain notions about color theory.
So let’s see what it means and how you can use color to increase your business conversions if you use it strategically. Keep in Mind that – without Brand Awareness nothing is possible.
The meaning of colors according to the theory of color
Blue
The color of Facebook. Chance? I bet no.
Blue transmits security, trust, stability, loyalty, wisdom, knowledge, kindness, courage, science and protection.
In addition, in light tones, blue is associated with tranquility and serenity, while in darker ranges it symbolizes authority and tradition.
By the way, Ants in the Cloud also uses blue. In the anthill we are pretty Zen … Is it a coincidence the choice of this color? Not again.
Green
Most likely you associate it with nature, the environment and life. But it is not the only thing that evokes: health, tranquility, ambition, generosity, protection, resistance, growth, energy and renewal.
Green is a relaxing color and can help reduce anxiety, stress and nerves.
Brands that use it in their image? Starbucks or Spotify, for example. And although I have not spoken directly with their designers, it is easy to think that good coffee and good music help you relax and have a good time, do not you think?
Red
To speak of this color is to refer to energy, power, vigor, leadership, courage, passion, activity and enjoyment. Able to alter and raise blood pressure, red is intensity and fire. It is also the color of danger, passion and desire.
Red also arouses hunger and attracts attention. Is that why it is also a frequent color among brands? Think of Netflix, for example; or Cocacola. Or McDonald’s.
Purple
The color of royalty, nobility, luxury, creativity, wisdom, dignity and magic.
Purple is associated with wealth because it is a rare color in nature and it was traditionally expensive to create it, so only the most affluent could access it.
But it is not only luxury, since this color can also symbolize calmness and relaxation. And depending on the intensity, it can be associated with masculinity (in its darker tones) or femininity (in lighter tones).
Yellow
Optimism, childhood, freshness, education and arrogance are its most common meanings.
Yellow is the quintessential color of happiness, and it is interesting to know that it activates memory and can help strengthen trust.
However, above all, it is associated with childhood, which is why it is a very common color in brands and products for children.
Orange
Joy, enthusiasm, fascination, creativity, fun.
It is also associated with determination, strength and renewal.
Pink
The color of beauty, romanticism, youth and sensuality. The color of the girls, traditionally, although curiously according to the studies carried out on color theory, is not by far the favorite color of women (below I tell you more about this).
However, marketing to girls continues to consider this color as one of the essential ones.
Black
Power, mystery, elegance, sophistication. Black is also fear, grief and sadness. It can transmit power and authority, as well as formality and elegance.
In this case we have a color that can be both positive and negative and will depend on how we use it and with what colors it is combined to convey one meaning or another.
Brown
Brown is the color of the earth and according to the theory of colors can mean safety, as well as simplicity, nature, rustic environment, durability and stability.
It is a color that we undoubtedly find in organic products, natural and related to the home, because the brown and wood always generate warmth.
So you have a business with these characteristics, it would be interesting to use the browns range when creating your website.
White
The color of freshness, softness, purity and cleanliness. Also of innocence, kindness and faith.
Golden
According to the theory of colors, gold is the ideal color to transmit elegance, richness, glamor and quality.
A perfect color for a business that sells luxury or exclusive products.
Silver
The color silver symbolizes maturity, balance and calm.
But not only that, since it is also associated with technology, the avant-garde and modernity.
The 5 tricks that will help you improve your conversions with the help of colors
Let’s go to the practical application of color theory. How can it help you improve the results of your business?
According to a study, when using color, consider these 5 factors:
- Women prefer blue, purple and green: and they do not like gray, orange and brown. And the rose (as I told you before) does not fit between your preferences.
- Men do not like purple, orange and brown: they prefer blue, green and black.
- Use blue to generate confidence: blue is one of the most used colors and the reason is that most people like it, perhaps because it transmits tranquility and confidence.
- Use intense primary and secondary colors for calls to action: red, green, orange and yellow are recommended colors to motivate customers on a sales page. Conversely, a black, dark gray, brown or purple purchase button has a lower conversion rate. Think of Amazon. What color is your purchase button? It has not been random!
- The “unsightly” also works: colors that a priori we can think are ugly, can give good results, precisely because its “unsightly” component manages to capture attention.
