When designing a vehicle wrap, there are many components to consider. Style, shapes & design flow, message, content, and of course colors. For years we’ve studied the psychology of colors, what they all mean and how they effect people. The impact of color extends to your car as well. Color can stimulate a wide array of feelings and behaviors. While some color psychology can be generalized, different colors do have different meanings in different cultures, and therefore can work in different ways. Let’s take a look at some interesting color analysis to consider when planning your car wrap design.
Colors can be broken down into two different, major categories: warm and cool. Warm colors include oranges, reds and yellows; Cool colors include blues, purples and greens. Just as one would suspect, warm colors are more intense and make you think of sunlight and heat. Cool colors are typically more calm and remind us of the ocean and sky.
To get more detailed, some colors have shown more specific psychological patterns. Red is the color of passion and aggression. It’s attention-grabbing and can be considered appetite stimulating. A lot of restaurants use red in their signage and decorating because of this. On the opposite end of the spectrum, grey is more of a passive and neutral color. While this is not a great idea to focus on for your advertising, it could be a good complement to your other bright and vibrant colors. Blue is the color of the sky and ocean, often giving the audience a feeling of calm as well as displaying expertise, loyalty and knowledge. It’s a great color to wear because of this (my favorite color naturally)! Purple is the color of luxury and royalty, and could be a great color for fashion and high-end items. Science has suggested that since purple does not easily appear in nature, it’s scarce and harder to find—hence luxury. One of the brightest colors is orange. This color is associated with success and high-energy. This is why you find quite a few sports teams with orange as one of their colors- although we’ll stick to our Blue and Green!
The science of color, and specifically color behavior, is quite fascinating and should be an important piece to consider when developing your marketing and advertising. Oranges and reds will certainly grab attention while the blues and purples can give a bit more sophistication. While staying with your company colors is important for brand identity, it doesn’t hurt to look at other options to get the most from your vehicle advertising. At the end of the day- your wrap is as much about the audience as it is about you. Talk with the Shine On team to figure out how best to use color to sell your brand and what your company can offer.
