Red: the symbol of energy, power, vitality and vigor. However, red also conjures images of death, pain, and suffering, an important thing to know when dealing in online advertising. For a medical practice, red is a color to avoid in most situations for that very reason. Rather, we choose combinations of colors like green for its connotations of health and nature, or blue, for serenity and clarity.
The visual message behind advertising is just as important as the written message, oftentimes even more so. Colors project an image of the product offered—is it warm and family oriented? Is it bright, colorful and directed at children? Is it more edgy or “neon”, directed at teens? All these factors come into play when choosing your hues.
Here are some examples of what some colors represent to us (excerpts from Color Wheel Pro):
RED is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.
ORANGE combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity.
YELLOW is the color of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter .When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning.
GREEN is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance.
BLUE, perhaps the universal favorite in advertising, is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body, and is used most often in medical arenas. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness.
PURPLE combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors.
BLACK is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, ‘black death’). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color.
WHITE is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it’s the color of snow.
Picking your colors can be a daunting task. Be sure to tread carefully, or choose someone with enough experience to make the right choice for your brand!
