Green – the colour of life and growth. It’s the colour that makes us feel peaceful and uplifted. Green colour psychology generally provides a reserved, relaxing feeling because it is a cool colour.
This article is part of a series exploring colour psychology in branding and how it affects brand perception and moulds its image. Green colour psychology presents many options for brands to promote feelings that will resonate with their audience and create a direct connection.
Colour psychology is incredibly significant in branding. Where shapes prompt recognition, colour elicits an emotional response. Colour is how you create a connection with your audience, so getting it right is important for your brand identity.
Understanding Color Psychology
You’ve probably come across the concept of colour psychology. Very simply, people attribute meanings and feelings to colour based on several evolutionary, social, psychological and even physiological factors. These are commonly agreed upon (thanks in part to semiotics) but may have regional or cultural variations.
Thanks to the above factors, colours evoke different emotions and perceptions. Green, for example, is commonly associated with nature and has many emotional connections to growth, peace and well-being. It is also the colour of renewal, luck and wealth – using it correctly can create very different impressions.
In branding and marketing, colour psychology has a massive impact. The colours used for a brand’s visual identity or marketing collateral directly link to how a potential client feels about the brand. People tend to remember how things made them feel, rather than facts and figures, so creating the right emotions is vital to branding.
That’s why your colour choice is so important – and colour psychology plays a huge role.
Focus on Green Colour Psychology
Green colour psychology can be beneficial to your branding efforts in several ways. First, it’s important to break down what green is usually associated with, before looking in more detail at how to use it.
Green is a secondary colour and is a cool colour. Cool colours are seen as calming and tend to recede in space, making them less overwhelming than warm colours like red and orange. Green is sometimes seen as the fourth primary colour. Green is usually used when an additional colour is needed to balance red, blue and yellow.
What most people think when they see green is growth. Be it money or nature, we tend to associate green with growing. The obvious associations with plant life and nature make it an easy choice for eco-friendly and environmental brands. Additionally, more muted greens create feelings of country living, making olive hues great for rural and adventurous brands. Some hues even have a healing, peaceful association, providing a strong colour for therapeutic brands to employ. Being so versatile makes it easy to use and adapt to many different industries.
Green is at the middle of the spectrum – making it the centre of our visual range. This means you can perceive shades of green better than any other colour, which is why it is versatile. This is why green has so many different meanings in branding. Check out the infographic below for some more facts about the colour green.
Emotions and associations in green colour psychology
Green is often associated with nature, peace and wealth. These associations reflect green in nature – it is abundant and has a calming effect.
It’s also important to note that, like any colour, different hues create different emotional responses. Some examples of different yellows and their uses include:
- Turquoise is green with more blue than yellow. It is healing and calming. The bright nature of this tone brings an air of clarity which creates a peaceful effect. It is also associated with the gemstone of the same name, providing a protective aspect.
- Jade is a subtle hue and creates feelings of trust and protection. It is a sophisticated hue, providing a sense of luxury, wisdom and even good fortune.
- Emerald green is not unlike jade in some respects, though is often darker in tone. This richness creates a sense of wealth and refinement. It is also an uplifting hue, with a connection to forests and nature – especially pine trees.
- Olive green is a more subtle hue, providing a feeling of strength and a sense nature. It has an almost rugged feel to it, feeling rugged yet peaceful at the same time.
- Lime green is further from the other examples and shows just how versatile the colour is. With the addition of more yellow to the colour, it becomes vibrant and energetic – providing a youthful, playful feeling not usually associated with greens.
Examples of successful brands using Green in their branding
Green is the most common secondary colour in logos and can be found in many famous brands. As it is so versatile, it can be found as both the focus and supporting colour in many brand identities. With many different hues, green has the ability to fit in almost any industry, but is primarily used to show the brand is eco-friendly.
Here are a few examples of recognisable logos that use green.
Starbucks
Starbucks use green as their main colour. This is found throughout the brand – from the logo to the aprons their staff wear. This particular tone reflects their commitment to ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility. It is relaxing and comfortable, creating a pleasant environment for relaxing with a coffee.
Land Rover
Land Rover uses a forest/emerald green in their brand. Not only does this reflect nature and the countryside, but also the first line of Land Rover vehicles which were also painted green. This association with adventure and the outdoors is reflected perfectly in the products they sell, providing a feeling of rugged authenticity and freedom.
Monster Energy Drink
Monster Energy use a vibrant lime green in its marketing and logo, creating a sense of youthfulness and energy. This perfectly reflects the brand’s alignment with extreme sports and other energetic pastimes. The bright, neon colour also contrasts well with the abundance of black used in their packaging and marketing, creating a bold impression.
Green in Branding
Green’s associations with nature and adventure make it a great choice for outdoor brands. The close ties to the natural world provide a sense of growth and potential – excellent for portraying a brand with sights beyond itself.
Various big brands use different shades to excellent effect. Monster uses lime green to show energy and vibrancy, while Jeep uses a deep olive to appear rugged and prestigious. Greenpeace uses it to create a strong sense of eco-friendliness and to reflect its mission.
It’s important to remember that green can have some negative emotional associations. It can be seen as materialistic, envious and selfish. It is also important not to use it for ‘greenwashing’. This is when a company uses green to appear eco-friendly while making no real effort to be environmentally friendly. At its best, however, it is a colour associated growth which creates an impression that you are doing good in the world.
Green also has different meanings across the world. In Ireland it is associated with luck – the colour of clovers and shamrocks. Yet in Indonesia, it is seen as bad luck. In Japan, green is seen as the colour of life and eternity – referencing nature’s eternal beauty. However, in some South American cultures, green represents death as well as life. These associations are worth noting if you aim to have a worldwide brand.
Conclusion
Colour psychology is an important part of showing your brand’s character. When it comes to branding, simply picking a colour because you like it is not enough. Instead, think about the feelings and experiences you want to reflect to your audience.
Understanding green colour psychology’s versatility is vital to using it well. Done well it creates feelings of nature, peace and abundance. Done poorly, your brand could come across as selfish, envious or even falsifying environmental credentials!
Overall, green is an excellent choice for bands that want an audience who care about the environment. It’s a versatile colour that can create a range of effects while promoting a sense of the natural world.
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