Build A Better First Impressions With These Color
In a seminal study, researchers at the Journal of Business Management studied the impact that a brand’s lobby sign color had on first impressions (Chang & Lin, 2010).
Before their experiment, Chang & Lin’s (2010) literature review revealed:
- Designers use color traits to enhance the sight memory of brands and improve brand recognition (Perry and Wisonm, 2003)
- Colors are embedded with messages, and they can “trigger special reactions between the central nervous system and the cerebral cortex” (Chang & Lin, 2010, p. 3344).
- 62% of people can associate product brands with colors after a single 3-second exposure to signage (Jun’ici, 1994)
- Loyola University researcher concluded that “using colors to manifest critical messages enhances attention by 82% and brand recognition by 80%” (p. 3344)
Clearly, color choices convey meaning, and they have the potential to make lobby signs more engaging and memorable. This is borne out both by the literature review and present study; as after exposing participants to branded lobby signs and conducting a series of focus group interviews, Chang & Lin (2010) concluded that “color guides consumers to recognize corporate brands, and corporate brand recognition improves purchase and profit” (p. 3344).
How To “Hack” Lobby Sign Color Choices For Better First Impressions
Now we know the importance of lobby sign color choices, but what colors suit your brand image?
Synthesizing color theories from multiple researchers, including Shirley Willet’s color codification of emotions, Chang & Lin (2010) identified the following associations. Use these “hacks” to select colors that evoke emotions you’d like to associate with your brand:
- Red is associated with enthusiasm, passion, seriousness, love, and heat
- Orange is associated with ambition, wisdom, desire, pride, happiness, and energy
- Yellow is associated with caution, freshness, awareness, joy, and optimism
- Green is associated with calm, good health, growth, satisfaction, nature, fertility, and youth
- Blue is associated with comfort, faith, tradition, understanding, clarity, calm, and coolness
- Purple is associated with leadership, nostalgia, romance, royalty, creativity, and mystery
- Black is associated with elegance, modernity, power, and style
- White is associated with purity, peace, innocence, cleanliness, and simplicity
Free Quote On Custom Lobby Sign Designs In Montgomery, TX
Ready to put the branding power of color theory into practice? Universal Signs and Graphics is standing by to help.
From our lobby sign shop at 2114 McCaleb Road in Montgomery, Texas, we proudly serve businesses throughout the Greater Houston and South Florida area. We’ve helped hundreds of businesses build better first impressions, and we can do the same for you!
Not a Montgomery local? Not a problem! We also offer remote design services and nationwide shipping for clients located out of state.
Call 877-330-7532 or fill out the form on the Universal Signs and Graphics Contact Page to book a free consultation.
References
Chang, W. L., & Lin, H. L. (2010). The impact of color traits on corporate branding. Journal of Business Management, 4(15), 3344-3355.
