Psychology

When you look at this photo, what do you see? What characteristics do you think this car has? Some words that come to mind are powerful, fast, and aggressive.

But why? There’s no text that says this car is fast or powerful. It’s not moving, so we can’t see how aggressively it can drive. The reason we get this impression is because of the color of the car—red.

Not everything that’s red gives off an aggressive vibe. Context, brand colors, and the thoughts and experiences of the viewer all play a part in how we perceive different colors. However, each color does help to portray certain qualities better than others. Below, we explore several common colors, and what traits they tend to portray.

White

• Purity
• Peace
• Innocence
• Cleanliness
• Equality
• Minimalism
• Isolation
• Desolation

Red

• Power
• Energy
• Strength
• Aggression
• Affection
• Love
• Fear

Orange

• Comfort
• Warmth
• Appetite
• Motivation
• Excitement
• Fun

Gold

• Fortune
• Extravagance
• Prosperity
• Confidence
• Friendliness
• Narcissism
• Honor

Yellow

• Happiness
• Joy
• Cheerfulness
• Inspiration
• Confidence

Green

• Reason
• Balance
• Harmony
• Nature
• Peace
• Progress
• Stress Relief
• Greed
• Wealth

Blue

• Trust
• Reliability
• Responsibility
• Serenity
• Cold
• Withdrawal
• Dependableness

Purple

• Luxury
• Imagination
• Spirituality
• Bravery
• Mystery
• Creativity

Pink

• Kindness
• Love
• Soothing
• Caring
• Nurturing
• Romance
• Empathy
• Powerlessness
• Juvenile

Brown

• Earthy
• Structure
• Security
• Reservation
• Dull

Black

• Seriousness
• Individuality
• Elegance
• Evil
• Sadness
• Death

Remember, this is not an all-encompassing list of traits, and different colors can often have different meanings depending on the viewer!

For help with choosing colors for your business’ branding or advertisements, contact Impact Marketing today at 319-232-4332 or visit ImpactMT.com.

Sources:

¹Entrepreneur, 2016.

²CoSchedule, 2019.