The Psychology of Color in Business

The Psychology of Color in Business

What do the colors in your company’s branding tell customers?

Today’s infographic, by the Masters in Psychology Guide, is on the psychology of color in business. It analyzes the colors used by major tech startups as well as by prominent consumer brands in their advertising.

Unicorn Colors

Out of the largest 50 unicorns, tech startups that have achieved valuations of $1 billion or more, the most common primary branding color was black or grey. A total of 38% of companies, including stalwarts like Uber, Vice, and WeWork, rely on these hues for their outward appearance.

Blue is well-known as a strong business color, and it is no surprise that 20% of the top 50 unicorns focus on blue as their primary branding color. Dropbox and SpaceX are among the companies that are following in IBM’s “Big Blue” branding path here.

The red end of the spectrum makes up 16% of companies (including Pinterest and Airbnb), with yellow at 12% (including Snapchat), and green at just 6%. A green palette was least used for primary branding by unicorns, with Spotify being a rare exception.

The Psychology of Color in Branding and Ads

It’s not just tech startups that key in on color to help differentiate their brands. Companies, including some of the best-known consumer brands, have focused on color in their branding, advertisements, and communications for years.

Red is a color that allegedly stimulates appetite. That may explain why fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, and Popeye’s all heavily use red in their brands.

Black is all about the feeling of sophistication. Some of the largest luxury brands in the world use black as a primary branding color, including Chanel, Michael Kors, Prada, Dior, or Georgio Armani.

Blue is viewed as productive, but not invasive. It has been the color of choice for large corporate brands like IBM, AT&T, and Forbes.

Lastly, green is a symbol of fertility, and pink is chosen for a feminine feel.