As you can see from this simple example, most of our recollection of a past memory comes with the association of colors. Colors are known to affect our memory, the way we perceive a piece of information, and our learning altogether. 

In short, colors have a strong influence on our visual responses. You should remember this when you start designing your marketing emails. Keep in mind that your email will be among the 319.6 billion emails sent and received on a daily basis. 

So, unless your email captivates your audience from the moment they open it, there is a high likelihood of your customer abandoning your email. Before we read the text in an email, the images in it capture our attention. And before we notice the images, the colors are what draw us to the email.

In simple words, the colors you choose determine whether your customers read your email. The strategic choice of color combinations and contrasts determines whether your customers understand what they read. So, in this blog, we’ll talk about using colors to your advantage in email marketing. 

Why Exactly Are Colors Important in Email Marketing?

We’ll give you an example here. Do you know why hyperlinks are in blue in most places? While there are many theories behind this, here are two commonly cited reasons. 

• In the most common type of color blindness, red and green color are not visible. But blue is. And so the color was chosen in order to maintain legibility. 
• Another theory states that the oldest web browser, namely Mosaic on Windows, had a gray background. Black was the primary color used for text. Light colors are not quite visible on gray but a dark color like blue is. 

We brought to you these theories because they tell you two things about color associations. Different colors are processed differently by the human brain. As in, some colors in the visible light spectrum are better visible than others. 

And the second is that colors in a design affect the readability of the text in it. 

Both these inferences help you when you design emails. Because you need your customers to perceive the message correctly from your email. And you want them to be able to easily read the text in it. 

If you need to kindle specific emotions, then you need to know what colors to use and where. For example, yellow is a happy color while red induces hunger. Orange evokes energy while blue is seen as a color of reliability in marketing. 

There are many such well-known associations with colors. We are not going to talk about this in detail today. Do check out our other blogs on color psychology and the interpretation of colors around the world for a more comprehensive understanding of what colors mean in different contexts. 

Tips to Tap Into the Potential of Colors in Email Marketing 

Just because colors are important, you cannot use too many colors or colors that do not resonate with your brand in any way. Too many colors cause a lot of visual commotion. And deviating too much from your brand colors makes it difficult for your customers to connect the email with your brand. 

So, everything from choosing the right color palette to using the colors in the right places can have an impact on your email marketing success. Below are some tips to help you understand this better. 

1. Identify the right color for the background 

Black and white are classic choices for the background color of your email. Look at the below example.

A fuss-free white background makes the text in the above email easy to read. When you have a long copy for your email, using a white background will be an easier choice. This makes it easier for your customers to process the information. And your product images stand out effectively too.

Black has a similar effect. The one common trait of both black and white is that they stay silent and let the color in the foreground do the talking. As you see in the above example, you can use your brand’s primary color as the accent color to emphasize the hero text. Or even to add eye-grabbing details to your design. 

2. Finalize a color palette for your email 

When it comes to picking your email color palette, the easiest option will be to stick with your brand colors. We’ll talk about using your brand colors as the primary palette for your email in the next section. But if you wish to explore the trends or choose colors that your target audience will love, there are plenty of ways to do it. You can still incorporate your brand colors as accent colors or in the CTA, and by adding your logo in a prominent position. 

If you want to expand your color palette beyond your brand colors, here are some ideas to consider: 

• Look for online color palette generation tools. They pick colors based on different harmonies like complementary colors and analogous colors. You can then find the most suitable palette that will look good along with your brand’s primary color. This approach works for generic newsletters. 
• Explore the Pantone color trends for the year. This will help you create an email that looks trendy in the world of design. This approach comes in handy when you have to send an end-of-the-year email with a year-in-review infographic. 
• Go with seasonal colors, like red and green during the Christmas season. Or blue for winter. 

The above example shows how brands use seasonal colors in their emails. The use of blue and other winter details instantly conveys the theme in the above email. 

3. Add your brand’s unique flavor 

Using your brand colors as the sole color palette for your email might feel relevant in three cases: 

• Outreach emails
• Welcome emails
• Brand announcements

Outreach emails try to draw in potential leads and convert them to customers. Using brand colors in them will help create a strong first impression. 

Welcome emails, on the other hand, target customers who have already shown interest in your brand. So, they will be one of your first meaningful interactions with them. Your brand colors familiarize your customers with your visual style. 

Finally, emails that have an important brand announcement will often target existing customers. They will have connected with your brand strongly by now and will have started recognizing your brand color palette. So, using your brand colors as the primary colors in your announcement emails will make them quickly recognize your brand and thus pay more attention to what you have to say. 

If the primary color palette of your brand is very loud, you can use them on a black or white background, as we discussed earlier. Or as you see in the above example, try to balance the color by choosing a harmonizing palette in the images you choose for the email. 

4. Segregate content with colors 

Sometimes you have a lot of information to covey within one email. This can be because you want to do a quick monthly or weekly round-up. Or because you want to highlight some features of a product recently launched. 

Colors come in handy for segregating content within the email. The below design shows how colors help add a hierarchy to text-heavy emails. 

As you can see, even when you have to separate text sections, you can still limit your color palette to just two or three colors. And obtain the intended effect by alternating the colors. 

5. When in doubt, go monochrome 

A monochromatic palette is a color palette that consists of just one base color along with different variations of this color, like its tints and tones. Most of the time monochrome palettes are visually pleasing. 

The above email shows how using a monochromatic palette creates a harmonious-looking design. Monochrome palettes work because:

• They emphasize the brand’s primary colors
• And they trigger strong emotional responses since users are exposed to a particular color for a long duration

Kimp tip: Not many marketers delve into the power of using monochromatic color palettes in marketing. The truth is, when used right, monochrome palettes give your brand a competitive edge in the crowded email marketing space.

Looking for creative ways to use monochromatic palettes to refresh your email designs? Talk to the Kimp team today.

6. Make your content the hero

In the tussle for getting the right colors, you should not forget the content of focus in your email. Sometimes it is an image, sometimes it is a piece of text. The colors you choose should not divert attention from this primary content in any way. 

One way to do this will be to finalize the hero image and the other image elements for your email first. After this, pick colors that go well with these images. Or simply use your brand colors in the CTA and hero text. 

In the above email, the large hero image with a pet is sure to draw your attention. And since the email addresses cart abandonment, it lets the product images do the talking. By letting the content be the hero, the colors in the email look harmonious and in sync with the design. 

7. Let your products talk for themselves 

Adding enough product images can drastically improve the effectiveness of your email. Be careful about the background color and font colors when you have a lot of product images in your email. Use a solid background in a color that makes your products pop. 

The above email also shows how adding straightforward product images lets you shorten the copy. The entire focus of your target audience will be on your products. As a result, they are more likely to visualize the product. And thus get closer to buying it as well. 

Kimp tip: When you have to add product images to your email, try adding product mock-ups. This gives your customers a better sense of what the product looks like in the actual application. 

Want to create product mock-up images that do not slow down your email loading times? Kimp’s graphic design team is here to help. 

8. Bring your email alt text to life 

Images are known to boost the click-through rates of emails. But using only images in your email might do more harm than good. But when you do use images, you should also ensure that you add an alt text for each of these images. 

Sometimes, customers turn off the auto-download of images in their emails. Sometimes the mail client does this. In fact, nearly 43% of users view emails without downloading images. During such times, the alt text you use for the images in your email will be what the customer sees. 

Adding colors and styling your alt text will be one way to make your emails more effective. This way, your alt text will convince customers to download the images and view the whole email before sending it to the trash folder. 

A Few Quick Pointers to Remember 

Well, those were a few tips on using colors to boost the aesthetic appeal of your emails. But you should also remember that the copy and the loading times of your email are much more important. 

• Customers will only notice and appreciate your creative use of colors when they open your email. Start by accurately segmenting your email list. And then work on a catchy subject line. Adding a personalized subject line will boost your email open rate by 50%. 
• While colors make your emails look good and improve the segmentation within the content, using too many colors and using bright colors can be bad for your marketing effort. Bright red fonts, for example, can be a trigger that sends an email to the spam folder. So, be wary of the colors you choose and keep your color palette as simple as possible. 
• When you use a bunch of colors in your email, do not forget to emphasize the CTA button. It is alright to keep the button in the same color as the accent color you have used. But make it stand out. This can be done by creating a smooth visual hierarchy that takes the viewers to the CTA button automatically. Or by making the button big and easily visible in the design. 

Add More Color to Your Email Marketing Strategy With Kimp Graphics 

Used smartly, colors can propel your email campaigns towards better conversions. Images, GIFs, and videos improve the chances of your customer reacting the way you want them to. But these images have to be engaging to obtain this result. With the EDM designs and email signature customization provided as a part of Kimp Graphics, you will be able to engage your customers better with the most stunning marketing emails. 

Start your free trial today and explore the other graphic design options you get with the subscription.