With the temperatures dropping and the air turning crisp, it’s no wonder why we wrap ourselves in our favorite sweaters, sip hot chocolate and crave everything that makes us feel all warm and cozy inside.
Fall is also the time for warm, rich colors, clearly seen with all the leaves changing. From cinnamon red to chocolatey brown, here are the autumn hues and their associated emotions that retailers need to know.
Red
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Red is an emotionally intense color. It evokes feelings of passion and desire and stimulates people to make quick decisions, which is why it’s the perfect color for retail sale signs.
Reddish-brown is the shade most often associated with the fall season.
Orange
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A bright and warm color, orange represents positive emotions, such as joy and happiness, as it combines the stimulation of red and the cheerfulness of yellow.
A dark, rich shade of orange is considered the color of fall and harvest (which we can probably thank pumpkins for).
Yellow
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Yellow is most often associated with happiness. The color of the sun is used to evoke pleasant, cheerful and optimistic feelings.
Royal yellow, as it’s a rich shade, and golden yellow, a warm and bright shade, are the most fitting shades of yellow to use during autumn.
Brown
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Brown is a natural, bring-you-down-to-earth kind of color. It’s also one that gives people a strong sense of comfort and calmness. In color psychology, brown is known as an honest, sincere and healthy color, so when used in retail it can give off those same vibes.
All shades of brown, from light to dark, are associated with this time of year.
Black
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The boldest and strongest of all colors, black adds a tone of elegance and sophistication when used in design. But, more often it’s associated with negative emotions, like fear, unhappiness, sadness and anger.
Black is also linked to death, which is why the darkest of all colors is so popularly used during Halloween.
Color is one of the few mediums that affects human emotion and mood as well as consumer thinking and rational. When used with your window displays and in-store signage, the right fall color scheme has the power to make your customers feel just as warm and cozy as their favorite sweater and trigger a purchase. To learn more about the different colors and their associated emotions as well as their connection to certain holidays and which colors are the best for specific industries to use, check out our color guide post.
