Color plays a very influential role in whether or not a customer will buy something from you. Studies show consumers normally make an initial decision on a product within 90 seconds of contact with that product and about 62%-90% of their decision is based on color.

If you’re trying to figure out what kind of sign to market your business, there are many things to contemplate. As if choosing a business design wasn’t hard enough on its own, welcome to the world of color psychology and human perception. Color psychology is a growing field of study that indicates hues as a determinant of human behavior. What these studies have found is that color can influence mood, perceptions, and even how food tastes.  What this means to retailers, is that whether directly or subconsciously, consumers make purchasing decisions based on visual cues, and the one that has the biggest impact is—you guessed it, folks—color.

So, what does this mean to you and your sign? EVERYTHING. Color plays a vital role in your signage and should not be taken lightly. Let’s take a look at the color red for example. When you see it, what is your immediate response? Red is used on stop signs for a reason. Does it immediately cause you to take notice? Studies have shown that the color red is the most noticed color, triggering feelings of excitement, and even appetite stimulation (hello, Dairy Queen, Nabisco, Lays, & Kellogs) in most people. Blue is a color that shows trust (see IBM, Dell, HP, and Lowe’s) and confidence. Below is a color psychology wheel showing colors and their impacts on emotion and perceptions:

When choosing hues for your signage, ask yourself a few questions: What sort of feelings do you wish to convey to your audience? Is it happiness, or do you need to relay something more thoughtful? Do you want to excite them, or do you want to promote a calming presence? If you already have a logo in place with your own colors, consider combining your brand image with a color plan using color psychology to drive more traffic through your doors. Lastly, make sure the colors you choose contrast well with each other. Contrast on signage is the overlapping of the foreground (words and images) on the background that will determine the degree of visibility your sign has. Just a small gradation of insufficiency in contrast can mean all the difference between a potential customer noticing you from afar, and one that is completely oblivious of your presence.

To get started on your color strategy today, call our experts at 800-948-4037 for a consultation.