In a sea of colors, using the right hues for your branding, design and marketing can provide a beacon of light to your audience. Color provides an emotional cue that helps people perceive your brand in the light in which you intend and to feel the emotions that drive buying decisions. Color affects usability and readability. But in order to use color psychology, you need a solid understanding of color theory. In this post, we’re going to look at the most important reasons to apply color theory to your branding and marketing for the best results.

Why Is Color Theory So Important in Branding?

When it comes to coming up with a brand concept, we all have visions of what would look nice, but experts warn that you should base your color scheme on how you want your brand to be perceived, rather than on what looks nice.

Here are some of the reasons why color is so important in branding:

1. Brand Recognition

Consistent use of colors increases brand recognition by as much as 80%, according to a study by the University of Loyola, Maryland.

2. Snap Judgments

According to the Institute for Color Research, people make subconscious judgments about products within seconds of first sight. Up to 90% of their assessment is based on color alone. Satyendra Singh found that it takes only 90 seconds for a customer to form an opinion about a product, and up to 90% of that interaction is based on color alone.

3. Color Catches Eyes

Two of the most important aspects of successful selling lie in conveying information about the product effectively and catching buyers’ eyes. Colour can help you do that, since it physically draws the buyer’s attention, and provides emotional cues to help convey the feelings you want the buyer to have about your brand.

4. Color Increases Memory

According to a study, entitled Learning, Memory, and Cognition, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology by the American Psychological Association, color helps humans to process and store images in such a way that we better remember them later on. Likewise, pictures with natural colors appeal to the senses and boosts our memory of scenes.

5. Color Engages Participation

A study entitled Color for Impact, which compared the readership of color ads to the same ads in monochrome, found that colorful ads were read 42% more often. Another study found that color may improve learning from 55% to 78%, and comprehension by as much as 73%.

6. It Works for Big Brands

Apple was the first company to introduce color into an otherwise dull-industry when they introduced colorful iMacs, after suffering $1.8 worth of losses in just two years.

Heinz factories had to run 24/7 to keep up the demand of over 10 million bottles in just 7 months when they introduced their Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin’ Green ketchup. The company attributed $23 million in sales to the simple color change.

Color can sometimes be a complicated aspect of your branding process since you have to use the right shade correctly and timeously for the right purpose and the appropriate audience. That’s why it is important to work with a branding consultant who understands color theory.