How Color Impacts An Artist’s Brand

As an artist, your image is a huge part of what defines your brand, and one of the first steps to establishing your image is choosing a color. Here we look at some of the psychology that should inform this process.

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Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0

I always advise artists to pick a color as the first step to discovering their brand, but deciding which one may not be as easy as it seems. You can pick one that you have an affinity for, but all colors carry a psychological undertone that most people aren’t aware of, at least on a conscious level.

The following analysis of all the popular colors from ColorPsychology.org and provides a top level look at how we perceive colors emotionally. Follow the links for even more in-depth assessments that are as remarkable as they are thorough.

Red

• Associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
• Enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.
• It attracts attention more than any other color, at times signifying danger.

Colors related to red: Magenta, Burgundy, Maroon.

Brown

• Associated with the traits of dependability, reliability, and resilience.
• Brown-lovers are most often reserved and not looking to attract attention to oneself
• While light brown represents honesty and stability, dark brown is considered mature, predictable, and dull

Orange

• Combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow.
• Associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics.
• Represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

Blue

• Unique and authentic
• Enthusiastic, sympathetic and personal; they seek meaning and significance in life
• Warm, communicative and compassionate; they care about what they do
• Idealistic, spiritual and sincere; they value unity and integrity in their relationships
• Peaceful, flexible and imaginative; they are natural romantics and nurturers

Colors related to blue: Teal, Turquoise

Yellow

• Associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
• Produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates
  muscle energy.
• Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color.
• When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect.
• It is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms.
• Yellow indicates honor and loyalty. Later the meaning of yellow was connected with cowardice.

Colors related to yellow: Amber, Beige

Green

• Color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.
• Strong emotional correspondence with safety.
• Dark green is also commonly associated with money.
• Has great healing power.
• Green suggests stability and endurance.
• Color of the sea. It is often associated with depth and stability.
• Symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
• Considered beneficial to the mind and body.
• Slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.
• Strongly associated with tranquility and calmness.
• Used to symbolize piety and sincerity.

Also check: Chartreuse

Pink

• This is a color that represents a gentle type of love
• Pink stands for tenderness, vulnerability and youth
• It is a calming, non-threatening color. It is linked to innocence, hope and optimism.
• Pink color also represents positive aspects of traditional femininity like nurture and kindness.
• Pink can be linked to childhood sweetness and innocence, appearing sometimes as naïve or silly

Also check: Salmon

Purple

• Combines the stability of blue and the energy of red.
• Associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition.
• Conveys wealth and extravagance.
• Associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.

Relevant colors: Indigo, Violet, Lavender, Mauve

White

• Associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity.
• Considered to be the color of perfection.
• Signifies safety, purity, and cleanliness.
• Usually has a positive connotation.
• Can represent a successful beginning.
• Depicts faith and purity.

Black

• Associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
• A mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes).
• Usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, ‘black death’).
• Denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and    prestigious color.
• The symbol of grief.

As you can see, the color you choose for your brand can cause an entirely different response than intended. That’s why it pays be do a little research on the deeper meaning of each before you make your choice.

You can read more from Social Media Promotion For Musicians and my other books on the excerpt section of bobbyowsinski.com.