Color: Psychology vs. Perception

Colors…

Colors tell the story.

Ever noticed how movies use
color palettes to create visual cues? Let's checkout few examples...

The Matrix: Real World vs.
Into the Matrix

The Oz: Real World vs.
The World of Oz

The Sixth Sense: Real World
vs. Contaminated World

The Avatar: Real World vs.
Pandora

This is no happenstance. Neither
movies are the only genre that use color to tell the story.

Colors feature a fantastic ability
to tell stories and infer emotions.

Colors can influence our mind
and thinking.

But do you know how?
Colors affect and shape our perceptions in two ways: Embodied Meaning and Referential Meaning.

1. Embodied Meaning: Embodied Meaning
is inherently inside something and doesn’t rely on our emotions or experiences to have meaning.

1. Embodied Meaning Examples

1. Referential Meaning: Referential meaning
is dependant on the network of associations activated when we are exposed to the stimulus.

Empirical studies show that there
is no one universal meaning for a color i.e. there are no intrinsic or embodied meaning. Only meaning that exist is referential or based on our perceptive data.

Let’s checkout some examples…

Wisdom is purple in Japan
and India, Blue in Eastern Europe and White in Native America.

Love is Green in India,
Red in Eastern Europe, Red in Western America and Yellow in Native America..

Mourning is White in China,
Yellow in Eastern Europe, Black in Western America and Purple in South America..

Peace is White in China,
Yellow in Eastern Europe, Blue in Western America and Silver in South America..

Hence, our sentiments or feelings
for colors come from: Our own perception, Culture we are raised in and past experience.

In essence, some colors can
influence the way we act. But there’s no WAY TO TELL HOW A COLOR WILL effect when each person’s associations are different. THERE's

Research says, the relationship between
brands and color hinges on the perceived appropriateness of the color being used for the brand.

Lets see how some popular
brands nailed their colors... Lets see how some popular brands nailed their logo colors…

Apple’s Logo: Clean. Minimalist. Simple.

Barbie’s Logo: Beauty, joy and
smile.

Fanta's Logo: Cheerful. Fun. Warmth.

BP's Logo: Natural. Soothing. Growth.

McDonalds’ Logo: Appetizing. Happy. Vibrant

The Crux: Color is your
chance to create your own brand story and symbolic meaning. Because color do have power to effect the way people respond to a brand's message.

Fact Check: 62-90% of snap
judgements about products can be based on the color alone.

COLOR SELECTION GUIDE: How to
find a color that makes your brand standout...

Step 1: Choose a color
– Ask yourself what color brings up the associations you want with your brand?

Step 2: Learn Color Theory
– Get acquainted with color science to find the perfect combo for your primary color.

Step 3: Make Highlights Pop–
According to the Isolation Effect elements that stick out are remembered more clearly. Use auxiliary colors to make your CTAs standout.

Step 4: Compliment Colors with
content – Give meaning to your colors, leverage it through content. Just like blue signified PANDORA in Avatar. Set rules and guidelines for color usage.

That’s it. Connect with me
at @AyeshaAmbreen.