What Color Communicate

 

Your brain decides in 13 milliseconds if it trusts a brand.

Color drives 85% of that split-second judgment.

Why does color matter this much?

Because your brain judges before conscious thought kicks in.

👉 Humans form trust judgments in 100 milliseconds
👉 Consistent color increases brand recognition by 80%

Here are some of the things that influence how we perceive color:

🎨 SATURATION & TONE
⇢ Brighter, saturated hues = younger, energetic people
⇢ Deeper, richer tones = affluent, serious, premium
⇢ Pastel/muted = soft, approachable, accessible

🇨🇳 CULTURAL CONTEXT
⇢ Red: luck in Chinese culture vs. danger in Western
⇢ White: purity in Western vs. mourning in East Asia
⇢ Yellow: happiness in Western vs. sacred in Asia
⇢ Blue: mourning in Iran vs. trust in Western corporate

🧠 BIOLOGY
⇢ Disharmonious color combos activate the amygdala (threat detection)
⇢ Harmonious colors activate pleasure & reward centers
⇢ Color improves memory by 5-10% vs black & white

WHAT COLORS MEAN TO OUR PSYCHE:

🔴 Red: Energy, urgency, passion
↳ Perfect for bold transformations, breaking barriers
↳ Boosts perceived attractiveness

🔵 Blue: Trust, stability, professionalism
↳ Ideal for expertise-based, security-focused services
↳ Universally associated with high quality

🟢 Green: Growth, harmony, wealth
↳ Great for health, finance, sustainability
↳ Associated with balance and natural renewal

🟡 Yellow: Optimism, creativity, attention
↳ Perfect for creative services, innovation, breakthrough
↳ Grabs attention faster than any other color

🟠 Orange: Enthusiasm, warmth, adventure
↳ Ideal for lifestyle changes, bold pivots, energy shifts
↳ Combines red's energy with yellow's friendliness

🟣 Purple: Luxury, wisdom, creativity
↳ Perfect for premium services, spiritual growth, artists
↳ Strongest gender divergence: 23% women vs 0% men

⚫ Black: Sophistication, authority, elegance
↳ Ideal for high-end services, executive transformations
↳ Signals exclusivity and timeless quality

⚪ White: Purity, simplicity, new beginnings
↳ Perfect for fresh starts, clarity-focused services
↳ Creates breathing room and reduces cognitive load

Don't just choose colors you like for your brand.
Choose colors based on your ideal client.

Your audience is the sun of your brand solar system.

You orbit around them, not the other way around.

Ask yourself:
✓ What does my ideal client need to feel?
✓ What colors resonate with my target demographic?
✓ What transformation am I helping them achieve?
✓ What emotional state supports their journey?

Your color choices should engineer attraction, not just look pretty.

What's one color that always catches your eye in branding?

🔔 Follow Ashley Couto for content strategy insights

Sources: Princeton, Singh, Hynes, Loyola University, Hurlbert & Ling, Leonard, Ikeda et al., Wichmann et al.

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