Thinking back to being children, how often was color and design involved in learning crucial information? Whether that was coloring pictures with crayons and markers of a certain design or getting to pick a specific spot on the bright, multi-colored rug as a reward for doing well in class that day, color and design were and are surrounding individuals from an early age.
Advertisers are now seeing more than ever what teachers and parents have known for decades. Color and design have the power to evoke emotions and associations, which can be a hugely important tool to create a cohesive, memorable identity for brands seeking to engage consumers.
As advertisers, it is critical to first look at color schemes when creating content for a brand or a new product on social media platforms. Finding the perfect color palette for each brand may seem hard to achieve, but there are surprisingly simple steps to follow.
To begin establishing a color profile, a few guidelines need to be put in place.
First, consider limiting the color scheme to two or three colors. Limiting the amount of colors in content can help the audience to have easy readability and accessibility to the story being told within the content.
Secondly, use contrasting colors that complement each other. This may seem contradictory, but becoming familiar with the color wheel can help an advertiser to understand that there are specific colors that may seem to be contrasting and still easily complement one another. For example, orange and blue or red and green look amazing together when used correctly because they are complementary contrasting colors. Contrasting colors establish balance in the design and help draw a consumer’s attention to certain elements of the content.
Now that the first basic steps have been considered, there are two main questions to think about when choosing a design and color palette.
The first question that needs to be considered is: who is the brand’s target audience? Who the target audience is will indicate what colors are most popular for that specific age group or demographic and what is expected to be trending in the future.
For example, a clothing boutique for young children would want to go with lighter colors, like light pinks, blues, and greens because it would match with the majority of clothing in their shop and what has been popular for several years now. On the other hand, a men’s business clothing store would want to stick to mainly dark, timeless colors like gray or navy blue to convey the more solemn, professional atmosphere.
Another example is based on past and current trends. According to color psychology, men typically tend to gravitate toward green, blue, or black. Women tend to gravitate towards red and purple, while also choosing blue. While this has been proven by studies on engagement from men and women on social media, the three colors for both genders are also broadened by the colors that are popular in our society today.
When a color scheme is popular with most people, it is likely going to positively impact individual’s associations to those colors. Neutral colors have been on the rise in areas such as homes, retail stores, and, most importantly for this article, social media.
So when advertising a brand or product, ask what the target audience is going to appreciate and engage with the most. What is popular for their age group, geographic location, or gender identity?
The second question that needs to be asked is: what emotion and message does the brand want to convey?
The colors and design selected for social media content not only need to appeal to the target audience by complementing the brand but also by creating an emotion or mood within the consumers.
For instance, the classic blue conveys trust, professionalism, and calmness while the trending red creates excitement, optimism, and energy.
So, for brands who want to call their target audience to action, they often use clean, highlighted designs and warm colors such as red. Most light neutrals also convey calmness, lightness, and tranquility, which are popular themes in our society today. This is a large part of what makes these colors and simple designs so admired.
As a visual-oriented society, we are now in an age where businesses cannot thrive without a strong social media presence. Color and design are two of the most important aspects of a brand’s social media. In advertising, learning how to masterfully integrate these two elements will create engaging content and communicate a brand’s ideas effectively.