The psychology of color: how does the choice of color palette affect perception?

All marketers are well aware that a person first perceives a visual presentation, and only then creates a conscious representation of the brand. This is how the human brain works – it perceives visual pictures as the main information and, on a subconscious level, does a lot of interesting things with the information received. For example, it sorts the colors, determines what the image belongs to – food or a dangerous object, if the picture is pleasant, then he categorizes it, if, on the contrary, it is unpleasant, then it belongs to another category, etc. There are a lot of processes in which we cannot consciously join. Therefore, let’s look at how colors affect perception in order to better understand why manufacturers choose certain solutions for themselves.

List of base colors used in design

Below is a list of colors used by designers from all over the world:

1. Red.
2. Orange.
3. Yellow.
4. Green.
5. Blue.
6. Purple.
7. Pink (Fuchsia).
8. Black.
9. White, silver.

One way or another, the variation of these colors is applied everywhere, we can see them almost everywhere. To better understand how these colors affect human perception, it is necessary to dwell on each of them in detail.

How are colors perceived by the viewer?

Let’s go through the list of the most popular and basic colors in order to better understand how they are perceived by the viewer:

1. Red – this color carries both positive

 and often negative energy. This is a rather bold choice, because it can cause both a storm of pleasant emotions and create associations with something negative. For example, this shade can simultaneously symbolize strength, passion and fearlessness, or it can evoke associations with pain and danger. If you take the YouTube logo as an example, you can easily track how skillfully the designers approached its creation – it fits perfectly into the context and always evokes only positive emotions.

2. Yellow – many viewers associate it with warmth and optimism. But like any other color, it can have the opposite effect – for many, it is yellow that means cowardice and frustration, so you need to be extremely careful when using this color.
3. Blue is one of the most popular colors that symbolizes trust, consistency and security. For this reason, it is so favored by businessmen. But in a negative context, it can be perceived as coldness or unattractiveness.
4. Green is one of the most beloved colors of man, which is perceived by the brain as a unity with nature. Therefore, it can cause both calmness and relaxation, and stimulate the growth of energy. But dull green tones can cause melancholy and suppress mood, and excessively bright ones can cause associations with something unpleasant.
5. Black is the color of luxury and elegance. A person who chooses black is distinguished by courage and delicate taste. And at the same time, this color is able to raise a gloomy mood, if its choice is not approached very competently.
6. White, silver – purity and freshness. White is the base color that can sometimes symbolize sterility.

Based on the above information, it becomes clear why most electric motorcycle companies tend to choose green, white and blue colors in their work. Sometimes they can use red or its shades to remind of energy, but in general, the message is always the same – cleanliness, ecology and reliability. Using this simple information, you can create a brand for yourself and choose the optimal palette that will satisfy your requirements.