Design is one of the primary ways we present and communicate our brands, events, and ideas to customers. That said, it makes sense to learn how our target market thinks and behaves in order create designs that they can identify with or that can influence their actions.
That food companies and restaurants often incorporate the color red into their logo, for example, says that the choice of color is intentional. This springs back to the psychology of color, which explains how red increases the level of appetite in viewers.
There are many more principles of psychology that make a huge impact when applied to designs. Here, we pick the best ones that you can experiment with and integrate into your brand’s visual materials and content.
Image Source: Digital Synopsis
Psychology Principles to Apply For Game-Changing Designs
There’s so much more to a design than a good understanding of the color wheel and choosing which colors go with which. Striking
designs evoke particular emotions of people, and to achieve that, it’s essential to have a grasp of color psychology.
Image Source: Color System – Wibbitz by Filip Justic for Balkan Brothers in Wibbitz on Dribble
Yellow
Optimism, Warmth, Clarity, Energy, Joy, Playful, Confidence
Brands: McDonald’s, Shell, Nikon, DHL, Ferrari, Snapchat
Orange
Friendly, Bold, Youthful, Extroversion, Motivation, Impulse
Brands: Mastercard, Bitly, Nickelodeon, Payless, Blogspot
Red
Excitement, Passion, Youth, Boldness, Action, Power, Urgency
Brands: Coca-Cola, Lay’s, Kellogg’s, Nintendo, CNN, Target
Pink
Sincerity, Compassion, Sweetness, Femininity, Nurture, Love
Brands: Barbie, Victoria’s Secret, Cosmopolitan, Dunkin Donuts
Purple
Imaginative, Creative, Nostalgia, Courage, Fantasy, Glamor, Wealth
Brands: Cadbury, Hallmark, Yahoo!, Milka
Blue
Trustworthiness, Intelligence, Loyalty, Calmness, Security, Honesty
Brands: Dell, Ford, WordPress, Facebook, IBM, PFizer
Green
Peaceful, Freshness, Growth, Safety, Health, Balance, Harmony
Brands: Starbucks, Lacoste, Tic Tac, Tropicana, Whole Foods
Black
Sophistication, Luxury, Authority, Formality, Seduction, Importance
Brands: Chanel, Prada, Audi, Dolce and Gabbana, Playboy
Image Source: Iconosquare – Study of Colors and Styles by Filip Justic on Dribble
Image Source: Lyrics Exploration by Paolo Spazzini on Dribble