Have you ever considered the importance of color in branding? Color plays a huge role in memory recall. It stimulates all the senses, instantly conveying a message like no other communication method.

Emotions are powerful and (whether we like it or not) drive our decision making. As a brand, you want to cultivate a strong emotional connection with your customers. The problem is you can’t tell your company’s entire life story in a logo or storefront—but branding colors provide a shortcut straight to your clientele’s hearts.

According to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, how consumers feel about a brand has more pull than what they think about a brand. Pair that with the fact that we know certain colors evoke certain emotions and voila: your brand colors have the ability to impact your sales or performance even more than the products you offer.

Choosing the right dominant color for your brand is crucial. This color should appear on all your promotional materials. Following is the most common impression each color conveys:

Blue

Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions.

Red

Red activates your pituitary gland, increasing your heart rate and causing you to breathe more rapidly. Count on red to evoke a passionate response.

Green

In general, green connotes health, freshness and serenity. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow

In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. It communicates optimism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.

Purple

Purple is a color favored by creative types. It evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality, and royalty. Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

Pink

Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement. Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

Orange

Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. Orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.

Brown

This earthy color conveys simplicity, durability and stability. Certain shades of brown, like terracotta, can convey an upscale look.

Black

Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

White

White connotes simplicity, cleanliness, and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant color, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.

Keep in mind that the effect of your branding colors depends on the style and design they are used in, as well as the color combinations you choose.

There are no concrete rules for choosing your branding colors. Treat this article more as a rough guideline—an educational resource to help you make informed decisions. But above all, don’t neglect your gut instincts. The main consideration of colors is their emotional connection, so don’t neglect your own feelings when deciding your brand colors.

Now … are you ready to put those brand colors to really good use?