If you think colors don’t have anything to do with your marketing here is a great example. McDonald’s changed their colors by converting to red and yellow after a university published findings that they were the most agitating colors.  McDonald’s doesn’t want you to miss their signs when driving. You may have noticed that Wendy’s, Pizza Hut and many others have since copied them. But, McDonald’s continues testing every  detail so they continue to beat competitors! Do you know why fire trucks are red and taxi cabs are yellow? Studies have shown the first two colors processed by the eye and sent to the brain are red and yellow.

So what does each color represent? Here are some of the associations:

  • Red:
    stimulates appetite, commands attention, alerts us, creates sense of urgency, considered sexiest, symbolizes heat, fire, blood, love, warmth, power, excitement, energy, strength, passion, vitality, risk, danger and aggressiveness, associated with debt
  • Orange:
    associated with vibrancy, tropics, warmth, contentment, instills sense of fun and excitement, implies health, suggests pleasure, cheer, endurance, generosity and ambition, makes product seem more affordable, appeals to a wide range of people, both male and female
  • Yellow:
    sunshine hue, spiritual color, represents warning, happiness, warmth, creamy and warm shades most preferred, bright shades can be irritable to the eye in large quantities, speeds metabolism, often used to highlight or draw attention
  • Green:
    money, nature, olive shades with health and freshness, environmental concerns, suggests fertility, freedom, healing and tranquility, represents jealousy, businesses use to communicate status and wealth, is calming, refreshing, easy on the eyes
  • Blue:
    favorite color of businesses, suggests sanctuary and fiscal responsibility, inspires confidence, most popular and second most powerful
    color, darker shades are authoritative, dark and bright shades represent trust, security, faithfulness and dignity, paler shades imply freshness and cleanliness, although they can imply weakness
  • Purple:
    represents royalty and luxury, darker shades wealthy, suggests spirituality and sophistication, paler shades, such as lavender, feminine
    and romantic
  • Pink:
    very feminine, represents gentleness, romance, well-being and innocence
  • White:
    associated with innocence, purity, peace and contentment, considered clean and sterile, cool and refreshing, can have a calming, stabilizing influence
  • Black:
    ultimate power color, suggests strength, potency, authority, boldness, seriousness, stability and elegance, distinguished and classic, great for creating drama, more weight than other colors, too much can be ominous
  • Gold:
    suggests wealth, considered very classy
  • Gray or Silver:
    associated with conservative qualities and considered traditional, business-wise symbolizes high-tech and suggests authority, practicality, earnestness and creativity
  • Brown:
    associated with nature and the earth, dark shades represent wood or leather, associated with warmth and coziness, suggests richness,
    politeness, helpfulness and effectiveness, solid, credible, mature and reliable, light shades imply genuineness

As you can see, there are many ways to look at colors. Keep these in mind when designing your campaigns and have fun with it!

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

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