The Importance of Colour

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Last week, I was with a client and we were discussing the graphical user interface of one of their products. As with all discussions, we brainstormed about what colours are easy on the eye and what colours make us flinch when we see them.
I got to thinking about it a little further – just how important is the use of the colour? Or what about noticing someone in a brightly coloured suit when all around them are in dark suits?
How many of us notice a red car before they’d notice a black one in the same model?
It’s the strong deep red that attracts the eye…whether it makes a person purchase is a completely different matter and certainly one to consider at another time.
If you put red as the background on your website, what would it do for potential clients? Make them flinch? Put them in the mood for romance?
Similarly, if you used a green background, would a visitor think that you’re very aware of the environment?  If you use blue, does it mean that you are overly corporate and bank-ish!?
When we communicate with others, over 80% of what we communicate is through our body language. It’s not the actual words or the  tone in which we speak, but the body language or signs that we give off – some intentionally, some not so!
If this same logic was applied to websites, presentations, user interfaces or marketing documents, could it be that colour is the unspoken 80%? The 80% that makes or breaks a deal or an awareness campaign, without us even knowing?
If you’re not getting the results that you want from your website, flyers, presentations, perhaps its time to revisit the importance of colour and how it reflects your corporate brand, identity and personality.
Photo credit: landofwisdom.com
Would love to hear your comments and ideas on colour below. Please contribute…