Colour psychology and its affect on sales
I’ve read an awful lot of articles on branding and picking colours but it was only when I met Bernay Laity, Creative Director of in:colour that I felt I truly understood colour psychology. Until then I’d understood the significance of colour for branding, but what I hadn’t grasped was actually how much colour psychology influenced sales.
So now I fee stupid!
But I ask you, how many of you have ever considered how colour psychology affects your brand? Or whether it can turn off prospective customers and clients to your product or service? Or even how it affects your romance and dating, or the place where you work, chill out or think!!! Probably only a few of you have.
The big retail brands certainly know this and that's why they play to it – strategically. They often spend years surveying their market to discover their values, beliefs and attitudes towards colour. And, they design their retail outlets with this in mind. Recently I heard of an international hairdressing brand that took two years to find out about colour psychology and how it affected their customers buying attitudes. They then went on to launch and sell with increased success – as you'd expect!
So how does colour affect our buying decisions? How can understanding colour psychology help us to sell more? Well as someone who loves selling, these are questions I had to find the answers to. Thankfully, Bernay Laity from in:colour, a consultancy that specialises in colour psychology was there to help me. She took the time to answer my questions on colour psychology, human behaviour and buying. And, as a former textile designer I was loving it!
She started with an explanation of the application of colour psychology in our world. Science informs us that colour is a vibration of light but that it's more than just visual. Colour affects us on all levels, even if we appear unaware of it. Our life may be ‘coloured’ by pleasant and unpleasant experiences creating strong likes and dislikes of colour, but there is actually much more to it than casual preference.
According to Carl Jung, colour is the mother tongue of the subconscious.
Unbeknown to me, we use the language of colour to interpret what we see, and we relate to it at an instinctual level. In our natural environment colour signals to us the changes of season; what foods are safe to eat, and warns us of any likely danger.
The key to colour psychology is harmony i.e. everything has a relationship. In the natural world we see harmony and organisation in the variation of colour from season-to-season. Each season has its own specific qualities and characteristics of colour. It has distinct hues and tones that operate ‘in harmony.'
Our sense of colour is strongly linked to our emotions, and like a language we use colour to express how we feel – whether consciously or unconsciously. Colour psychology teaches us how to understand the effects of colour on the personality and then how to use it to enhance the interior environment and improve communications. It goes far beyond “use red to convey passion, or aggression or creativity.” It looks at the tones, the hues and the colour families all in accordance with personal beliefs of the individual or brands values of the business.
Bernay Laity discusses colour psychology
Look out for the advice on colours to wear for dating and the out-takes at the end!
Click the link to learn more about finding your perfect brand colour.
Now I want to hear from you…
So finally, my questions to you are:
- How are you using colour psychology in your branding, workspace and home?
- Have you ever changed a colour in your home or workspace and seen a difference to the way you approach work, think or relax.
- Have you noticed how your mood is affected by colour? If so, what colours turn you on or off?
- Or have you ever considered seeking an expert colour psychologist for this or to improve sales?
Please let me know as I'd love to hear.
Thank you, as always for reading, watching and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!
With love and gratitude – as always,
Interesting! I’m so fascinated by this topic, thanks for the info.
My pleasure Caitlin. I’m like you – I find it fascinating. I’ll be getting another 2 blogs out on this shortly. One will be on taking you through the process of determining your true colours & the other will be translating this through to your brand. Excited!
Sounds fantastic!!! I am all about my favorite color!
Can’t wait!