If you have ever looked at a color wheel, you have probably noticed that half the wheel is "warm" and half the wheel is "cool," yet all together it is a harmonious blending of complementary colors.
In North America colors are generally associated with different feelings or emotions:
- Red: excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger
- Blue: trust, reliability, belonging, coolness
- Yellow: warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness
- Orange: playfulness, warmth, vibrant
- Green: nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance
- Purple: royal, spirituality, dignity
- Pink: soft, sweet, nurture, security
- White: pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild
- Black: sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery
- Gold: prestige, expensive
- Silver: prestige, cold, scientific
So it’s only natural that when you design your marketing materials you should consider how the colors you choose will affect your intended audience. That means reviewing several factors about your target audience:
- Demographics (i.e. age, gender, socio-economics, culture)
- Geographic location
- Intended reaction
In addition, depending on the season, you’ll want to consider any current color trends that might influence your marketing campaign.
Other Factors to Consider
While experts seem to agree that there are color preferences based on personal differences, individual choice is not definitive.
For instance, gender may influence color choice. Some believe that men prefer blue over red, and women prefer red over blue. Still others indicate that men and women generally do not differ between dark or light colors. However, in a study conducted several years ago, 56 percent of men and 76 percent of women preferred cool colors, and 51 percent men and 45 percent women liked bright colors.
Culture also has an impact on color attitudes and preferences. For instance, death is represented by white in Chinese culture and purple in Brazil. Yellow signifies sadness in Greece and jealousy in France. In American culture white is purity and green is jealousy. So you can quite easily find conflict in trying to select a color palette to please everyone and every market.
While there is no perfect color palette for every situation, you can identify the ideal colors, subtle shades and variations that work best for your marketing campaign by understanding what you want your campaign to communicate.
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