what-colors-to-use

Have you ever been strategic with the colors you include in your printed documents? According to psychologists, the color(s) you use will have a direct effect on how the recipient feels about what they see.

Selecting the appropriate colors for your communication can have positive business benefits such as:

  • Faster Payment
  • Improved Memory Recall
  • Enhanced Quality Perception
  • Reader Focus
  • Likeability of Message

To help you make your color documents more compelling, we thought you might like to know which colors you should use to get the “physiological edge” that suits your message.

Here’s how colors translate to most people:

RED is a very strong color that is often used to gain reader attention and urge them to take action. Using the color red also tends to exude warmth, love, anger, danger, boldness, excitement, speed, strength, energy, determination, desire, passion and courage.

ORANGE is formed by combining yellow and red together creating a bright and warm color. For many, orange represents fire, the sun, fun, warmth and produces feelings of cheerfulness, low cost, affordability, enthusiasm, stimulation, creativity, aggression, food and Hallowe’en.

YELLOW can be a very effective color to use if you at looking for an attention-grabbing effect. It also communicates feelings of comfort, liveliness, cowardice, hunger, optimism, overwhelm, summer, liveliness, intellect, happiness and energy!

PINK tends to be a color often associated with feminine audiences. This color is very popular with younger children and conjures feelings of love, caring and nurture.

GREEN has become more and more popular in business with connections to recycling and other environmental sustainability initiatives. Using green will also convey durability, reliability, luxuriousness, optimism, well-being, nature, calm, relaxation, springtime, safety, honesty, optimism, harmony and, of course, freshness.

BLUE will communicate feelings of peace, professionalism, loyalty, reliability, honor and trust. The latter few being the reasons why so many large organizations have selected a blue logo. Using blue can also convey coldness, winter, depth, stability and professionalism to audiences.

PURPLE is another color you can use as an alternative to black to communicate feelings of power, royalty, nobility, elegance, luxury and sophistication. Additionally, the color purple will also convey to your reader feelings of mystery and magic!

GRAY can be an effective choice to convey feelings of traditionalism, intelligence and seriousness. Conversely, gray can also be used to minimize text to make it appear dull and uninteresting compared to stronger colors.

BROWN is viewed as a wholesome color that resonates with many people as relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring, natural, earthy, solid, reliable, genuine and endurable. The color brown tends to be connected with fall and autumn.

BLACK has always been a popular color in printed documents when looking to convey feelings of elegance, sophistication, formality, power and strength.

WHITE is a core color that creates a feeling of cleanliness, purity, newness, peace, innocence, simplicity and sterility. The color white is also a popular choice to summon thoughts of snow, ice and cold.

Printing in color can make your message more interesting and can help grab your reader’s attention or compel them to take further action. The key is to select the right color to go with your unique message!