How Important is COLOR in Business? One Word, EXTREMELY!

Rainbow Colors Looks matter. So much so that research by the the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo documented 93 percent of test subjects put the highest importance on visual factors when purchasing products. Yet only 6 percent said that the physical feel (sense of touch) was most important. Hearing and smell each drew a meager 1 percent.

So let's take some action hear and make you (and your business) look better. Oh yeah, and looking better is mostly about color! One part of the Seol project I didn't share yet was this -- research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.

Now that you know the importance color, it's time to adjust your hue and be 100% congruent with your Immutable Laws. Don't know what Immutable Laws are? Shame on you, read the book! I digress. I digress. Back to the colors, here's the palette and what it means:

Red

Red indicates excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger, stimulation, and intensity.

Blue

Blue indicates trust, reliability, belonging, coolness, consistency, dependability, quietness, and freshness.

*Blue is the favorite color of most people.

Yellow

Yellow indicates warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness and enlightenment.

Check out this advertisement's use of color! So pretty, makes you want to click on it. Right?

No, seriously... did you click on it?

Green

Green indicates nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance, soothing, refreshing, healing, tranquility, and environment.

Black

Black indicates sophistication, elegance, seductiveness, mystery, power, mystery, strength, magic, and sorrow.

White

White indicates purity, clean, youthful, mild, lightweight, pristine, bright, innocent, and friendly.

Orange

Orange indicates playfulness, warmth, vibrancy, energy, inviting, friendly, vital, tangy, whimsical and loud.

A quick disclaimer before anyone gets their undies in a bunch. These interpretations of colors are based on the typical North American eye. Color interpretation in the Far East, Europe and in Africa, for example, all vary. So before you start changing colors left and right, know who you are communicating with

That's it, Chiefy. You now have the inside track to looking better. It's all about color. Get to work!

By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

http://www.edgewatercasino.org EdgeWaterCasino

Thanks for this info, very usefull in my carreer.
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http://blog.arsmagnastudio.com Allana Taranto

Another thing you probably learned (and forgot) in art class that is actually applicable inthe real world.

Thanks for sharing, Mike!

-Allana

(former Art teacher)
http://www.SimplyWorkingFromHome.com Cheryl Hill

hmmm…Very interesting info. has got me thinking!

Now I understand why every time I come to your blog or read your book I am surrounded by trust, dependability and feel refreshed. :0)

Great job -
Chill
http://www.melissabeth.com MelissaBeth.com

What about the color PINK?
http://www.dorm-room-biz.com Dorm Room Biz

Mike – great topic to post on. I love how you threw in the ad for the book and tied it into the article talking about its colors, nice play on advertising.
Mike Michalowicz

@Cheryl – She has figured it out!!!! Yes that is the reason for the blue, plus it is the most popular color. And the yellow sticky note indicates enlightenment.

@Melissa – In regards to Pink, here is what it means:

It can be used to show childish innocence, or a flirtatious personality. Pink is also considered to indicate good health and life, sexuality, and purity.

@Allana – Your photographer side is kicking in big time there. We got more calls from TPEs (today Paul Scheiter called) saying how much they LOVE YOU.

- Mike
http://www.sugarfreecoaching.com Andrea

Learned this in Marketing class too. Great reminder.
http://tv.factor77.com/ @JoshHurlock

Thanks for the post. Colors do matter and businesses need to definitely consider this when deciding on colors.

A great PR firm is BlueBird Public Relations and this is obviously a great color choice because of trust, reliability, and dependability. Black would not make any sense at all for a PR firm.
http://foundationstudio.ca Ariane @ FoundationStudio.ca

Hey Mike,
Thanks for the great post – I have a question though.. how come you left out brown?! It’s not always boring!
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http://www.whatsthediff.com Rebecca

What about purple?
Mike Michalowicz

@Rebecca – Wow, you are making me work this. Here you go: Purple can mean intuition, spirituality or royalty. But I really think it signifies the purple nurple.

- Mike
http://www.SimplyWorkingFromHome.com Cheryl Hill

Mike -

What about pale-violet-red Ooh no wait what about goldenrod… LOL

Okay just teasin, way to much time on my hands right now!!!

I am going back to work -
Chill
http://foundationstudio.ca Ariane @ FoundationStudio.ca

Mike, you’ve caused quite a stir leaving certain colors out!!
Sorry to have continued the stirring!
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http://www.ecstewart.com EC (Lisa) Stewart

Hey Mike! Target market also plays a strong role in color preference.

I’ve learned by taking polls thru-out my life, is that men prefer blue & green while women prefer purple & red. Hmm… cool vs hot. Might be something to that?
Mike

Yep… too many colors left out. Now it is time to write another article!
http://twitter.com/themanalyst Manal Assaad

While I enjoyed the bit about the statistics, and the embedded humor, I got to say that the article would’ve been much more credible if it wasn’t for some of the typos there =). I don’t mean to be critical, it’s a good content. Perhaps I’m just a bit of a geek.
And yes I agree about the blue, that’s why it’s always advisable to wear a shade of blue with grey or any other neutral color when showing up to an interview or a business meeting. Didn’t anyone ever wonder why most business suits are navy blue, grey, or black!
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