The impact of colors in an Organization’s branding efforts

How does color affect a website or conversion rate or invoke customers?

Research suggests that people make up their minds within 90 seconds of interaction either people or product. With 60-90% of assessment being done on the basis of colors alone.

So, the use of colors not only contributes to stand out from the competitors but also influence the emotions of the customer, depicts competence, sophistication and reliability. A mix between the depiction of two traits might happen, but it is generally one feeling that is likely to be communicated.  

Studies show that colored images bind our attention for more than two seconds. Missing out on using color as part of your strategy is leaving out on the chance of getting in touch with the potential customers.

While colors like Red imply danger or energy. It is also related to stir up one’s appetite.  This explains why restaurant apps chose the color.  

Another example is the green color which is used when a company looks to lay stress on organic and naturally grown food.

Choosing the colors

The first step is to understand the power of color which affects both the conscious and subconscious mind. Out of million of products in the market vying a customer’s attention, it is via the application of right color which can serve as the game changer in boosting the brand’s perception and recognition. Every color whether its black or white has its own implications.

Selecting a specific color can make your brand appear intriguing, interesting or dubious, greedy in some case. There can be Multiple colors which might look difficult to work on but take a look at Internet giants like Google and Ebay who have successfully managed to work on multi-coloured logos putting out maximum impact.  It is better to understand your product or service and then choose the colors accordingly. For a global company, culture barriers might come in the way. Red, yellow and green are considered as lucky colors. Red is considered as luckiest color in China being widely used during the festive season.

Camouflage or lay stress on information

Colors can help you lay stress on the information.   You can highlight or camouflage the area where you want the readers to focus.

Similar to increasing the conversion rate on a landing page, a striking color can subtly cover over the information you look to conceal. Colors are important for your brand to support its personality instead of inaccurate associations. You need to setup clear cut of guidelines keeping in mind the context and background in which you have been working. But be careful of not drawing your product with overuse of color. You wouldn’t want a color that’s irritating.

Attract the audience

A color which may appeal more to women won’t be necessarily attractive for men. For example, the color pink might attract more women than men. Similarly, children also react to colors differently.

An important aspect here is the understanding of color properties appealing the target audience. Since colors have a lasting impact on memory, exploring the power of color can help you create a strong brand image. So, if a Bike owner looks to purchase a leather jacket, you can assume that he won’t be attracted to a pink and glittery one, as the colors which align with ruggedness include brown.

Turning visitors into buyers

You can tell your story with colors. It is more effective to choose colors which represent your concept and capture the essence of what you look to convey, making customers stick around longer.

For example, when Adrianne decided to choose a theme for her antique gardens, it prompted her to find colors which resembled an open garden, so rather than picking up random paints, she took a celery green along with brick red for the garden pots.

Brands who have been successful

1)Target

America’s supermarket chain has been taking on its rival Walmart with the shade of red across its logo.

2) Orange

The French telecommunication company has the name after the color. The company has received accolades for User’s Choice award as a result of highest customer satisfaction index.

3) Home Depot

The US retail chain focuses on home improvement supplies, painting orange on ads and other signage.

4) Caterpillar

Yellow, the eye-catchy color has been used by Caterpillar vehicles for the distinctive construction equipment manufacturer.

5) Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg originally chose the logo based on his green-red color blindness, which now dominates the Facebook mobile and web app.

Colors convey meaning both on the conscious and sub-conscious levels, and use of color can be leveraged to accentuate your brand messaging.  Don’t overlook this design aspect, try and find out what works for you to align your branding efforts.