I began my college career as an art major. It didn’t last more than a semester. Partly, it was my mistake of scheduling a twice weekly Intro to Drawing class from 7am – 10am during my first semester. I never stood a chance there. I believe that was my last class during my four years at Indiana that began before 9:00am. Though my time as an art major was short lived, my interest in the subject never waned. I was and am much better suited for journalism, but I still took Visual Communications and Graphic Design courses. One of the subjects that stuck with me most was the psychology of color.

No, that doesn’t mean that someone put their box of Crayolas on the couch and asked them how they were feeling. It means that colors make you feel. Probably without even knowing it. Knowing how people will react to your color choices in your email campaign can give you a leg up. Make sure your colors match the feeling you want to create with your emails.

Still don’t understand what I’m talking about? Let’s look at some real life examples. McDonald’s uses red and yellow in their logo and in the design of the restaurants themselves. See, red encourages appetite. There is a lot of red around where you order in McDonald’s. It’s there to make your eyes bigger than your stomach. At the tables, you’ll find much more yellow. Yellow causes your eyes to strain and can agitate you easier. This is done to encourage a fast turnaround in the restaurant.

Many sports franchises paint the visiting locker room pink. This is because pink has a calming influence. I guess you need any advantage you can get, when your O-line is struggling and Ray Lewis is bearing down on your running back.

I am not the greatest of graphic designers, seeing as I didn’t complete my fine arts major. Knowing the psychology of color, I can at least have some control over the design of my email campaigns. Check out this infographic, and keep it in mind when you’re designing your next email.

Courtesy of NowSourcing, Inc