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You’re driving down the interstate and hoping to find a quick bite. You see the yellow arches of McDonald’s up ahead and quickly decide that you’ll have a Big Mac for lunch.
Everyone identifies McDonald’s by its arches. The shape is especially recognizable because of its color—a bright, attention-grabbing yellow that is noticeable from a distance.
Whether its the yellow of McDonald’s arches or the green of Starbucks’ logo, color has a psychological impact that is essential to consider when designing a brand. As Vyond’s creative design lead, I regularly apply the fundamentals of color perception to help our company connect with our target audience. In this post, I’ll explain the effects of color on perception and help you find a palette that best conveys your company’s personality and attracts your core audience.
The Psychological Impact of Color
Humans are visual creatures. Through evolution, our ancestors developed the ability to detect and interpret color, which allowed them to survive. For example, early humans who could recognize the red of fire could understand that the color signaled scorching heat.
In our need to survive, we developed shared responses to colors that still exist today. In a 1994 UCLA study, researchers found that colors impacted peoples’ emotions in similar ways. Blues and blue-greens inspired pleasant reactions while yellow and yellow-greens caused unpleasant reactions.
At the same time, humans have developed unique associations with colors, depending on their environment. Colors, for example, are often interpreted differently across cultures. A 1997 study found that Germans associated envy with yellow, while Americans associated envy with black, green, and red.
Taking into account both universal and unique color perceptions, you can use color to make your audience feel a certain way about your brand. To do this, you should understand common emotional responses to color and how the context of your industry may impact color interpretations. Applying this knowledge, you can predict how your target audience will perceive different colors and find the right hues and shades to connect with your audience.
20 Color Palettes for Brand Design by Company Type
You don’t need to spend hours researching color theory to find the right palette for your brand. To help you save time, we’ve provided color recommendations for different industries with explanations of why these colors are effective choices. Review these 20 color palettes for brand design, and you’ll be set to find one that best conveys your company’s personality.
If you’d like to use any of the color palettes below in your next Vyond video, sign in to your account or 14-day free trial and click here to access each color palette as a Vyond scene template.
The caretaker companies: Blues and pinks
Organizations that serve patients—hospitals, dental offices, clinics—must craft brand images that feel trustworthy. By using colors that feel stable in their logos and advertisements, companies can show that they are reliable.
Many healthcare companies feature blue as a brand color because it drives feelings of trust and stability. Pink is also often used by these organizations because it provides feelings of warmth and comfort for patients.
The all-natural companies: Earthy tones
To build a following, eco-friendly organizations must cultivate a brand image that conveys their kindness and their connection to nature. If it’s clear that a company is helping the planet, environmentally conscious people will jump to support it.
Eco-friendly organizations should use earthy tones to communicate their positive impact on the planet. Green and brown are both commonly used because they reflect natural elements, such as grass and dirt. Some organizations may opt to use yellow as well to emulate sunshine and invoke feelings of happiness.
The showstopper tech companies: Reds, yellow, and orange
Tech companies want their audiences to see them as visionary organizations that will create the next big thing. To build excitement around their businesses, the brand designs of these companies must reflect their innovation.
Red is a popular brand color across tech companies because it creates a sense of speed, and these businesses want to be seen as fast-moving. These companies may also use shades of yellow and orange to convey their fun, exciting startup energy.
The dreamer companies: Vibrant shades
Artistic organizations, such as design firms or film production companies, thrive by producing unique, well-crafted work. Their brand imagery should reflect this creativity to strengthen support for the organization.
Vibrant shades communicate the excitement that drives creative projects. Orange conveys this energy especially well, while green reflects the ability to create and grow projects.
The planner companies: Blue, black, and brown
Financial organizations and consultancies handle high-stakes services for clients, such as making large investments or restructuring businesses. Given the importance of their services, these brands must appear strong and steady to their audience.
Blue typically gives feelings of trust and security, so it is frequently used by companies. These brands will also use black and brown to communicate their formality and seriousness to clients. Adding accents of yellows and reds can help to evoke a contemporary vibe.
Color psychology isn’t a precise science, so there is no guarantee for how people will feel when they view your brand color palette. With that said, brands can and should make informed color decisions by considering common emotional reactions to color, as outlined in this section. By applying an understanding of color perceptions to your brand, you’re more likely to elicit positive responses to your company and connect with your target audience.
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How to Use a Color Palette in Vyond
Once you’ve selected your brand palette, you can begin creating content—images, logos, videos—that reflect your color selection.
For Vyond customers, it’s simple to create branded videos in Vyond Studio. Our Contemporary animation style is 100% color-customizable. Simply enter the HEX codes for each color in your brand palette and our product will find the exact shade you’re looking for and then apply it to your video.
You can also copy the video below into your Vyond account to automatically access each color every time you begin a video project.
Follow these steps:
Show Your Brand Personality with Color Palette Design
A brand’s color palette isn’t arbitrary; research indicates that colors can affect the way we view a company by influencing our emotions. Ensure that your target audience responds positively to your company content by mindfully selecting your brand colors. Considering the fundamentals of color perception—as covered in this article—you can create a brand color palette that attracts your audience and makes them comfortable doing business with you.
Read and watch more about how to brand your videos from our creative design lead, Brittany Bailey.
