Peeling the deep red, floral wallpaper off our master bedroom walls was our biggest job after we bought our home. (…Followed by the striped wallpaper in the laundry room and the “subtle” floral wallpaper in our guest bathroom.) I love deep red as a color, but...
This was ugly.
Talk about a headache.
If you’ve never done it, it’s tough. If you have the money, have someone do it for you.
In addition to removing the wallpaper, the interior of the house needed painting. Most of the walls (without wallpaper) were very light blue or dark beige.
I don’t dislike blue by any means, but I am a huge fan of cleanliness and light. And believe it or not, light blue darkens a room considerably.
Thankfully, my mother-in-law is excellent at interior design (not my forte). And both my father-in-law and mother-in-law are unofficial pros at almost anything home-improvement related. Always willing to help (if they can), we enlisted their — volunteered — services for painting. I had no idea so much skill and detail was involved.
We chose a warm white to cover the light blue.
I knew I wasn’t a fan of the blue. But until that first coat of paint started going on the walls, I didn’t realize HOW MUCH I really disliked that blue. Like, a lot.
No seriously, a lot.
But as soon as the blue started being covered, I literally felt my blood pressure coming down. And my stress level. I just felt…calmer.
You might be asking, “Stress level? The blue was causing stress?”
Apparently.
Color Influences Perception
I didn’t realize it either... until it started going away.
It’s taken me five+ years to put words to it, but that was a powerful lesson for me on the intensely dramatic effect of color…and how our choice in colors influences perception.
If a paint color potentially causes subconscious stress, what are your brand colors communicating?
Cheap? Expensive? Playful? Serious? Does it make people want or not want to do business with you? How do your brand colors affect the perception of your company?
Give it some thought.
A Color Case study
In case you're wondering about Inkling Creative I am very aware of the color psychology of yellow. Not only does it give off “creativity” vibes, it very easily gives off “cheap” vibes — not something we're going for.
So how do we get around it?
Clean Design
That's another reason clean design is best — it usually involves minimal colors with minimal objects that cause “cognitive dissonance" (or mental conflict.)
If your brand has a similar color psychology puzzle, what's the solution?
If rebranding is not in the cards (or the budget), I think the solution is again, clean design. Cleanliness suggests class. We, generally, don't see grungy celebrities on the red carpet (…although almost anything goes nowadays…*facepalm*).
But clean design doesn't have to mean no color. Pops of color, accent colors, and secondary colors are all great ways to add color in a classy way. In short, clean design can be considered minimalism in design.
We try to get around the potential perception of “cheap” by clean design. The…
- minimal use of color
- the use of accent colors
- the use of "non-traditional" yellows and oranges (i.e. softer or off-shades)
When a design is clean, its purpose is clear. It is important to realize that when your purpose is clear, it will make you, and your company, memorable.
When a design is clean, its purpose is clear.
How does your choice in brand colors influence the perceptions of others?
Action item:
Really consider what your colors say about your brand.
Your logo really sets the tone for your brand colors, but as I said, there are many ways to get around a perception you may not want.
If you already have a logo and think your branding needs some “classing up” (or down...), leave a comment for ideas.
If you don't yet have a logo, put some thought into what you want your company to communicate. Make sure you let your designer know that in the logo questionnaire process.
On the other hand, please email us or take advantage of a Design Day if your marketing materials are causing stress or simply need “classing up”…like our house did.
