This Is How to Use Vibrant Colors to Connect Emotionally


A woman breaks through a yellow graphic surrounded by a rainbow of colors
Toni Tails created all of the graphics in this article with elements purchased from Ulkar.

Why Branding?

Every day I help companies build their brand, and today I want to help you. Your brand will make you stand out from the crowd. It will also form an emotional relationship that will bring your audience back for more. The best way to start is by choosing your brand colors.

“Color can improve readership by 40 percent, learning by more than 20 percent, and comprehension by 73%.” — Satyendra Singh , Department of Administrative Studies, University of Winnipeg
A woman sits in a window seat, reading a book
Graphic by Toni Tails

Best Intentions

It’s time to think about colors. Don’t get hung up on your favorites. Instead, consider which emotions you’d like to pass on to your readers.

For example, I want to convey friendly optimism. It’s an authentic reflection of who I am as a writer and a human being. Because of that, I choose the colors yellow and orange for many of my image headers.

Ready, Set, Go!

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I want my readers to feel?
  • What impression do I want to make with my posts?
  • What three words best define my body of work?

Only three words?

Is describing your writing in only three words tough? In that case, brainstorm — write every word that comes to mind.

When you’ve exhausted your collection of adjectives, start crossing out those that aren’t important. Make a new list of the leftover words, then start scribbling out again. Repeat until you narrow the list down to three.

A man and a woman brainstorm ideas, the woman is writing while the man speaks
Graphic by Toni Tails

Three? I don’t even have one!

If you’re having a difficult time coming up with words, grab a friend to help you. This method works exceptionally well with fellow authors who are familiar with your writing.

The Color of Emotion

Once you’ve chosen two or three keywords, it time to match them to the corresponding colors.

Do you know the emotions inferred by the phrases seeing red and feeling blue? If the answer is yes, you have a basic idea of the relationship between emotion and color, but there’s a lot more to it!

The color emotion guide
Image courtesy of coschedule

Well-Known Brands and Colors

Red

  • Passionate
  • Aggressive
  • Playful

Brands that use red: Coca-Cola, KFC, YouTube, Nintendo, Netflix, Exxon, Ace Hardware, Target Corporation, Canon Inc., Avis, Lego

Orange

  • Playful
  • Energetic
  • Youthful

Brands that use orange: Sunkist, Reeses, Crush, Fanta, Harley Davidson, Nickelodeon, Amazon, MasterCard

Graphic of a woman dancing, she’s dressed in orange.
Graphic by Toni Tails

Yellow

  • Happy
  • Friendly
  • Enthusiastic

Brands that use yellow: McDonald’s, Ikea, SubWay, Warner Brothers, Lays, National Geographic, IMDB

Green

  • Natural
  • Stable
  • Prosperous

Brands that use green: Starbucks, Fiverr, Animal Planet, BP, Hulu, CashApp, Whole Foods

Blue

  • Serene
  • Trustworthy
  • Professional

Brands that use blue: Dell, Facebook, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lowe’s, PayPal, Skype, Walmart

Graphic by Toni Tails

Color Outside the Lines

If you haven’t given color and branding a second thought until now, don’t worry. You know how to put emotions into words, and that puts you ahead of the game. The great thing about building a brand is that it’s flexible and will evolve with you.

I suggest that you dive right in and play with color. It will help make your readers feel more connected to your work — and just might do the same for you.

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