![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27130143\/blue-ocean-sea-5412.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"brand](\"https:\/\/assets.crowdspring.com\/marketing\/landing-page\/brand-archetype-hero.png\")
<\/div>The psychology of blue<\/h2>\n
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While blue is commonly linked with sadness (think of “blues” music and Picasso’s Blue Period),\u00a0 as we’ve already pointed out, there are also many positive associations.<\/p>\n
Joe Hallock’s research into color determined that blue communicates trust, security, reliability, dependability, and high-quality.<\/p>\n
Hallock’s study also mentions<\/a> that “red will stimulate the autonomic nervous system, while blue will tend to relax it.” This may explain why s<\/span>hades of blue also conjure feelings of calm and serenity.<\/p>\n I find the picture above to be very relaxing. Do you?<\/p>\n These psychological correlations are important to keep in mind. In fact, that’s how crowdspring’s signature shade of blue was chosen. Crowdspring’s CEO, Ross Kimbarovsky, explains:<\/p>\n Many business owners and marketers pick colors simply because they like that color. And there’s nothing wrong with that approach. But over 90% of people say that color is the most important factor when purchasing products. And while color is personal and subjective, there are useful guidelines for picking colors for your brand identity. <\/span><\/p>\n We believed that the color of our logo should not be left to chance or picked solely because it looked good aesthetically. When we looked at the psychology of color, we learned that blue is the color of honesty, quality, competence, trust, reliability, and integrity. These were all important adjectives that reflected the type of business we wanted to create and our focus group testing, comparing different colors, supported our thinking. As a result, we picked blue and considered a variety of shades of blue before settling on our current color.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to communicate stability, trustworthiness, responsibility, integrity, dependability, calm, or quality… consider choosing a shade of blue to feature in your design.<\/p>\n However, if you want to communicate tension, urgency, or speed, blue’s not the color for you.<\/p>\n Certain industries<\/a> have embraced blue. Banking and finance, travel, communications, medicine, and heavy equipment manufacturing all show a predilection for blue in their brand colors.<\/p>\n This may have started as a result of the psychological implications of the color. After all, these industries all place great importance on establishing trust and reliability with their customers. But after years of reinforcement, these industries are now subconsciously associated with the color in and of themselves.<\/p>\n Think about it…<\/p>\n What is Wall Street without navy suits?<\/p>\n Google “nurse” and you’ll see an army of blue-scrub-clad people smiling back at you.<\/p>\n Ford, GM, BMW, Hyundai, Boeing and JetBlue, Travelocity, Expedia, and American Airlines… the list of big brands in (or related to) travel with blue logos and brand colors goes on and on.<\/p>\n And, your small business can use these associations to its advantage.<\/p>\n A monochromatic palette featuring varying shades of blue has a calming effect.<\/p><\/div>\n You all remember a color wheel, right?<\/p>\n A color wheel is a visual tool for showing the relationships between colors<\/a>. And, those relationships can help you determine which colors to use alongside blue to create certain effects.<\/p>\n There are thousands of different shades and tints of blue – not to mention varying degrees of saturation. From cerulean to periwinkle, navy, aqua, and royal blue… there are plenty of opportunities to find just the right color blue to represent your brand.<\/p>\n Pairing blue with bright, high-contrast colors creates a higher energy look. Monochromatic color palettes and palettes featuring neutrals with blue will create a more soothing effect.<\/p>\n Blue with yellow or orange looks youthful and energetic.<\/p><\/div>\n Tints of blue (containing blue mixed with varying degrees of white) are lighter and often cheerful and youthful in appearance.<\/p>\n Shades of blue (combining blue with black) are darker and trend toward a more somber, formal, and mature look.<\/p>\n Be mindful of the shade of blue that you choose. There’s a science to color psychology<\/a> and you should think carefully about which colors will best communicate your brand as you flesh out the rest of your palette.<\/p>\n And be sure to use the colors consistently. As we point out in our comprehensive guide on starting a business<\/a>, use your brand’s colors in your website visual design and throughout your marketing materials in a way that reflects and complements your brand identity.<\/p>\nHere are some suggestions you can try:<\/h3>\n
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Establish industry affiliation<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27130145\/aircraft-airplane-architectural-design-747079.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHere’s how:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Color theory<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27130143\/blue-bulb-card-1520145.jpg\")
Here are a few options to consider:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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