When it comes to creating visuals for animated content, one highly important, yet often overlooked factor is the use of colors in videos. Not only marketing professionals tend to see colors as extremely important – so does science. The effect of colors on people’s emotions and responses is in fact so massive that it has become its own field of research – color psychology. Color psychology is a well established field that examines the effects of colors on the human psyche.
Colors in Videos
Considering the sheer amount of research done on colors, we can now pretty clearly determine which effect and impression the use of a particular color will have on the observer. It has even been determined that the colors we see can have an impact on blood pressure. And with these existing insights, marketers can make conscious use of this tool when it comes to creating content – or more specifically, visuals. In the process of the creation of videos, emotionally appealing to the audience is crucial. As a marketer, you want the viewer to feel emotionally engaged in the video, as this will create a relationship and ensure memorability.
Thus, you want to make sure that you choose the colors in the video with intent. Making this conscious decision can dramatically increase the value of the video to your company. Videos allow you to take the viewer on an audiovisual emotional journey that captivates and fascinates them. And to ensure the highest possible impact, it is crucial to use all the crayons in the box. Aligning all of the impressions the audience gets with the message you want to convey, as well as the brand you want it to represent, will ensure a lasting effect. And with colors having such a profound impact on perception and reaction, it is important to use this opportunity of further engagement.
Let us take a look at some of the most important colors in videos and what their associations and impressions are.
Yellow
Yellow is a highly energetic and positive color. It reminds us of the sun. Yellow can be very cheerful and happy. However, it can also feel over stimulating and thus less aesthetically pleasing. Thus, you should be careful when using this color in your video. Additionally, as yellow is often a very light color, one should be cautious using it on a white background.
Red
Red is very intense. It stands for extremes like aggression, love, passion, or danger. While other colors can be very calming, an excessive use of red tends to arouse the audience and lead to stronger, more emotional reactions. The color red is ideal to express intensity and highly relevant information. Additionally, it is often used for warnings that should quickly grab the attention of people.
Orange
Orange combines the high positivity of yellow with the immense intensity of red. This creates an association with playfulness, energy, and joyfulness. This makes it a good warm color to use for creating stimulating emotions that underline self confidence and courage.
Blue
Blue signifies stability, confidence, and trust. As a cold color, it is associated with dependability and wisdom. Being the color of the sky and the sea, it is connected to relaxation and peace of mind. In a business context, people tend to associate the color blue with professionalism and calmness.
Green
Green is another highly energetic color that reminds us of nature and growth. Its vivid nature signifies freshness, but also security and prosperity. Its association with nature makes it enormously popular with brands that want to create a sustainable and environmentally friendly image.
Purple
Purple has a long tradition of being associated with royalty, spirituality, and sophistication. As a mix of the intensity of red and the stability and confidence of blue, purple is a powerful color that often signifies high-end value and creates trust.
White
The color white often stands for purity and neutrality. Using a lot of white space in a video can create an impression of spaciousness. As white is an extremely neutral color, it usually works best with accents of other colors. This draws the attention to the other colors and thus make them more intense.
Black
The color black is often associated with power and sophistication. As it gives a very strong impression, it signifies confidence and edginess, not afraid to make a statement. Consciously using black in a video can thus draw the viewer’s attention and create a strong and lasting impression.
While interpreting the different colors, however, one always has to look at the cultural realities of the market targeted. As cultures are different, so are their associations with colors. While many western countries use black to signify grief for example, some Asian countries use white to express their loss. Other cultures use grey, purple or even red. When you consider the colors for your video, you should make sure to be aware of how the different colors are perceived by your particular target market. Making sure to create impressions that truly resonate with the target culture is key.
Conclusion
When it comes to the creation of videos, using colors in an intentional manner can have massive benefits. Colors actively emotionally engage the audience in the story and thus create a long lasting impression and a sense of relationship with the message. Using the emotional effect of colors to visually signify the emotions you want to convey is a brilliant way of getting your point across on multiple layers.
If you want to find out more about creating engaging videos that captivate your audience, get in touch now!