2023-11-10 10:43:59
When it comes to color theory, determining what makes your brand stand out from the competition can mean the difference between success and failure. Your company’s marketing, branding, and personality relate to the tones you use and how they impact the consumer’s view of your business.
Learning a little about color science and applying it to promotional efforts can create a stronger brand presence and lead to greater customer loyalty and more conversions. There’s an old unwritten rule of thumb in advertising that people should see and interact with your brand about seven times before they remember it and buy from you.
In the modern world, the number is likely to be slightly higher. People receive a lot of noise from all corners. They see sponsored posts on social media, ads on the search engine of their choice, and messages from brands in their email inbox. They can’t even escape when they leave their desktop computers because companies send offers to their smartphones.
To stand out from all the noise, you must know what your business represents and what colors show the emotions you want to provoke in customers. Here’s how you can apply the concepts and help your brand grow.
Learn color theory
Color theory is not as easy to learn as you might think. It is a complex issue impacted by environmental and personal factors, such as where in the world a person lives, their gender, and their past experiences.
There have been numerous studies on how people respond to color. Unfortunately, the results are not always the same, as study participants and their preferences change from survey to survey.
The best thing you can do is read a lot and know your audience.
Perform tests
The best way to know how color affects your users is to look at the analytics data you have on hand. Start by considering which campaigns were most effective in the past. Make a list of the colors used and in what combination. Was the ad mostly blue with a touch of red? Take note.
Next, survey your customers and ask them for feedback on ads with parallel examples. Which one attracts you more?
Finally, do real-life split testing by running the best options and seeing which one performs best. Once you have an idea of what colors people like, you can create better future marketing materials using those shades.
Create a brand guide
Consistency is important when trying to tie a color to your brand. Think about companies like Coca-Cola, which uses red and white or red and silver in most of its product marketing.
He human eye has more than 2 million parts, all working together to determine what shade of red, blue or gray a person sees. Keeping track of hex codes and showing examples in your style guide ensures that anyone working on marketing materials for your company knows which color theory you adopt and how to implement it in the design.
When you create a brand guide, you can specify the exact shade of red to present a consistent experience no matter where the user finds your product.
Choose colors that tell your story
Does your company belong to a certain niche where specific colors apply? For example, if you own a landscaping business, using green makes sense since the color is often associated with the outdoors.
If you work with preschoolers, you can adopt a pattern of three or four bright colors in your designs. On the other hand, a wedding planner might use soft creams and roses to tell a love story.
Think about the colors you choose for your brand, how they relate to what you do and the image you want to convey to the outside world.
Make a visual hierarchy
Establish coherence and capture attention by creating a visual hierarchy with colors. Most consumers won’t even realize you’ve done it. They will have a sense of trustworthiness and will instantly recognize a post or ad from you.
About 78% of people see logos as art and they see them first as a clue to what the brand is about. Start with logo colors to use in headers and to draw attention. Consider the size and amount of color used for this element.
Then, add another color for accent. You won’t use the secondary tone as often, but it should be bold and eye-catching. Finally, choose a color for the background and negative space that contrasts well with the other two.
Improves contrast
You can choose colors that speak to your audience’s emotions, but you’ll lose them if the combination is illegible. Pay attention to the contrast between the different shades. Step away from your computer and see how it all fits together.
View the design from screens of different sizes, angles and distances. If it is still eye-catching and very readable, the contrast is probably spot on. Sometimes you have to trust your gut when it comes to color combinations. Your audience is probably a lot like you in some ways, so choose the options you like best and adjust them if necessary.
You can also use color contrast checkers online for your palette and make slight adjustments to improve readability and accessibility. If you use a dark background, the body text should be light. If you use a light background, the body text should be dark enough to stand out.
Check the effectiveness
From time to time, you should review how your color options are working to reach and engage users. Run more split tests, send out a survey, and pay attention to the sales numbers.
If a lot of people click on your ads but then leave your page, what you offer and what you promote may not match. People may expect something different from what your brand offers. Changing a few tones can make a difference and help you reach the right target audience.
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