While colour psychology has been around for decades, many small business owners are missing out on the potential benefit it could bring their brand. Instead, they are choosing colours they like, rather than those proven to generate success.
Colours create an emotional reaction in humans, and according to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, how consumers feel about a brand has more sway than what they think about a brand.
By ignoring the implications and effect of their colour choices, small business owners could be stepping off on the wrong foot with potential customers.
Colour not only has an impact on how people feel, their purchasing behaviour is also often affected by how a brand is perceived visually, so colour can have a real impact on your business’s bottom line. Yet so many SMB owners still remain in the dark when it comes to colour psychology.
Indeed, new research by online customer graphic design service, 99designs, discovered 65 per cent of small business owners were missing out on the benefits of colour psychology, while 45 per cent said they had no understanding of the implications of colour psychology at all.
To further understand the dynamic role colour plays in how people identify and engage with a brand, 99designs also analysed 14,000 logos created on their platform as well as the brands of industry leaders. the analysis allowed them to identify the most prevalent colours and attributes in eight key sectors including retail, agriculture, technology and finance.
Speaking of the research Pamela Webber, COO of 99designs commented:
“Research clearly shows consumers are heavily influenced by colour, and yet many entrepreneurs do little to no research when choosing theirs.
“While colour psychology is an inexact science, we are committed to bringing research, resources and now an interactive tool to help small businesses think about what colour best fits their brand personality.”
In response to their findings, 99designs has launched an innovative, interactive logo colour discovery tool that helps users identify the right colour for their brand personality based on their business goals.
The tool is being launched as part of a comprehensive study that includes insights from academics on the psychological effects of colours and an analysis of more than 14,000 logos created on 99designs.
Following the deep dive into their logo database, 99designs shared the following insights on the colours that dominated various industries and the feelings evoked by the colours.
Technology: Blue accounts for around 60% of tech logos both on 99designs and within wider industry leaders. Blue is associated with knowledge, security and trust, and it makes sense that companies breaking new ground and shaking up consumer behaviours want to reflect these traits in their branding.
Retail: Overall, attention-grabbing red is the most prevalent colour in retail. Characteristically, a loud, playful, youthful and modern hue, red makes particular sense in the context of a storefront enticing customers in the door.
Legal: Logos for law firms tend to be simple and minimalist, and among industry leaders, there is a trend to have one dominant colour and either a neutral secondary colour or no secondary colour at all. Shades of blue lead the colour pack, while black and red are also popular choices, as are neutral colours—black, white and grey.
Marketing and Communications: Blue also dominates in marketing and PR, appearing as the dominant hue in nearly half (43%) of logos in this sector created on 99designs. Lighter shades of blue signify friendliness and trust, and darker blues evoke professionalism and security, which reflects the important role these companies play in shaping a client’s public image.
Agriculture: Green dominates both the agriculture logos of industry leaders (60%) as well as 99designs customers in the sector (64%). The top pairing colours are black, white and blue.
You can read the report and find out more about how you can use colour for your small business here
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