Let’s pause for a second before we get too far into this piece and appreciate this article’s headline. Pallette-able? That’s comedy gold.
Speaking of gold, you might be considering such a color for your latest rebrand, or a nice yellow to help your logo pop off the page. Yellow actually evokes positive reactions like optimism, confidence, friendliness and creativity, but can instill fear, anxiety or depression as an opposite and likely undesired effect.
Online retailer Furniture Wholesalers detailed the psychology behind each color and its associated emotions and effects on others.
I’m a sucker for a Shamrock Shake as much as the next guy, but the iconic McDonald’s logo above doesn’t quite evoke a sense of fear or anxiety, though its suspect “chicken” nuggets certainly do.
Still, color scheme can have as much of an impact on a brand strategy’s success as graphic design, copywriting, or video production. A great way to identify color trends or popular combinations is through Adobe Kuler, a color pallette generator. This site is constantly updated as new color pallettes are generated and new favorites are picked from the crowd of thousands.
Often, the Kuler website will have a series of top-5 pallettes that are hot among the design crowd but not yet implemented by magazines, publishers, retail chains, grocery stores etc. For a great overview of different color palettes and the emotions they evoke, check out this great analysis by Furniture Wholesalers.
Morning Light
These colors – yellow, blue, green, red, purple and beige) are characteristic of springtime and include warm hue, high value (little black), and mid- to low-chroma (color intensity). The personalities that work well with this color scheme are motivated extrinsically, youthful and vibrant, and are very light in spirit. The major challenges that Morninglight individuals face are single-mindedness and fragile emotions.
Dream Light
These colors are characteristic of summer and include cool hue, mid-range value (grey tones), and low chroma (intensity). These colors include light/golden yellow and multiple muted colors like navy, maroon, pink, forst green, etc. The personalities that respond well to a summer “Dreamlight” color scheme are calm, intrinsically motivated, and empathetic with others. They typically have subtle, dry humor and are witty. Challenges for these individuals is appearing unfriendly and closed off.
Fire Light
Colors are characteristic of autumn and include warm hue, mid to low value, and low to high chroma (intensity). Firelight personalities are intense, extrinsically motivated, and sometimes flamboyant. The main challenge for Firelight individuals is to “keep their wish to save the world in proportion,” as well as being perceived as bossy or tedious.
Starlight
Colors are characteristic of winter and include cold hue, extreme value with no mid tones, and high chroma (intensity). Starlight people are respected, intrinsically motivated, and are good managers. Starlights are not easily diverted from their goal, and they are efficient and detail-oriented. The challenge of the Starlight personality is to empathize with other people’s feelings and needs – they are often perceived as cold and uncaring. In a commercial context, Starlight colors are excellent choices for innovative designs and products and convey sophistication, status, and commitment to excellence.
