The Psychology of Color

Years ago a client came to me asking for a logo, and told me that the logo needed to be inviting and convey warmth. Just as I was picturing a color palette rich in buttery yellow, chocolate brown and maybe brick red, he said, ". . . and my favorite color is blue."

Now, this is one of those times where I have to muster all the diplomacy I can find. Because here is where clients get tangled in a web of personal taste versus speaking a language their intended audience will understand. Yes, your company's image needs to reflect you. You created it, after all. However, if you try to do business in Brazil without speaking Portuguese, you're not going to get very far.

The psychology of color is all about conveying your message to your desired audience, which means you need to speak their language - literally and figuratively. Sometimes this means putting personal preference aside. I know, I know, it's a hard thing to do. Color is a very emotional thing, and we all get very attached to our own associations with various colors. If you grew up in Washington State, green might symbolize the great outdoors and wonderful memories of camping as a kid. But if you grew up in Southeast Asia, green might symbolize death. You can see how lack of understanding might set your business back, like it did for an airline company back in the 1970s that painted a fleet of airplanes green that flew to Southeast Asia.

Leatrice Eiseman is highly regarded as the queen of color and consultant to the Pantone Institute, the folks who make the notebooks full of little, tiny color swatches with rather large pricetags that graphic designers live by. I once attended a workshop she gave on color forecasting, and was fascinated and impressed by the breadth of knowledge she brings to the task. Not only does she take into account the psychology of color, but of history and how we humans respond to various world events; our need for comfort, or our tolerance for risk and change.

For further reading, there's a great Wiki page about the psychology of color. And, in the words of Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green."