The Psychology of Colors

Hospitals are blue, fast food joints are red, and Ma & Pop’s organic fish market is green. We see these patterns of colors repeating themselves based off of the type of services a company offers, but why is this so? It’s a little something called the psychology of colors. 

Why Do Colors Affect Us? 

No one is sure why colors can affect our moods so drastically, but there are a few theories out there. Most scientists believe colors aren’t in our DNA, but rather have learned attributes. Phrases like “I’m seeing red” when angry or “I’m feeling blue” when sad could be part of why we associate moods to colors. Another example is associating green and blue with a feeling of tranquility because being outside on a nice day is peaceful.

However, if we dive deeper into the science behind it we can find some other interesting things. For example we may associate red with romance or aggressiveness because a person’s face will get flushed when they are angry or, well… you know. 

Additionally, colors we find peaceful like blue and purple tend to have shorter wavelengths, while colors with high energy like red, yellow, and orange have longer wavelengths.

Cutting Through the Psychology of Colors

I know what you’re thinking “Okay, I get it, science is cool. But how does this help me?”

Colors are a crucial weapon in your marketing arsenal. They speak to a deeper part of the mind than words do. If you want to elicit a specific mood or emotion from your audience, the first thing you need to look at is the colors you use to communicate your message— whether it’s the colors of an ad, your brand logo, or your animated video. 

For your convenience, we’ve put together a nifty (and colorful) chart of which colors evoke what emotions:

Creative juices flowing? No? According the to psychology of colors, you may need more orange in your life. Or, maybe you just need a quick chat with the marketing experts over here at Digital Brew. We’d love to hear what this colorful blog evoked from the depths of your subconscious, and help you brew up an amazing animated video! 

Let’s brew this!