PERSONAL BRANDING: BEST COLORS TO WEAR ON LINKEDIN PHOTO
- Alice Prenat
- Aug 15, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 29, 2024
Through magazines' articles or social media posts, we are all aware that colors have the power to affect us... in good and bad ways.
It is also very well known that colors are used by brands to 'manipulate' our behaviors towards buying a product or taking an action.
The name of that science is 'color psychology' and is based on an incredibly vast field of research. It has been shown that colors affect our emotions and how people react and respond to us. It can be hard to believe for some of us, but colors can even impact our blood pressure, our heart rate and our breathing.*
SPEAK ABOUT A POWERFUL TOOL !
Here is how to use this color science at your advantage every day when you get dressed but even more importantly on your personal branding and on your headshot.
1 - THE MEANING OF EACH COLOR
Here is a clear recap on which emotions and feelings are triggered by which colors.
BLUE: Trust, loyalty, expertise, responsibility.
Remember it: the sky. The blue sky is always there (even behind the clouds ;-) ), loyal, and it makes us feel quite reassured.
RED: Power, passion, courage, attention.
Remember it: Red roses, piment, lava, etc. Those are elements full of meaning, passion, strength.
GREEN: Harmony, balance, safety, stability.
Remember it : the leaves and the trees. It brings harmony to our mind, harmony to our world, it allows us to breathe.
It's also synonymous with growth.
YELLOW: Optimism, spontaneity, happiness.
Remember it: the sun! Have you ever felt how everybody is happier and in a better moor when the sun is shining?
PURPLE: Spirituality, Compassion, Mystery.
A slight digression here: you can often read that purple meaning is luxury and royalty because in the very old days, at the times where there were kings and queens, the color purple was actually very hard to obtain and purple cloths were very rare and of extreme luxury.
GREY: Neutral, practical, formal
Remember it: stones. It is needed, it is solid, practical and strong.
BLACK: Control, Authority, elegance, discipline
Remember it: a black panther. It says it all!
2 - EXAMPLES ON HOW TO USE EACH COLOR
FOR YOUR PERSONAL BRANDING AND PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS HEADSHOTS
BLUE: Trust, loyalty, expertise, responsibility.
RED: Power, passion, courage, attention.
GREEN: Harmony, balance, safety, stability.
YELLOW, ORANGE: Optimism, spontaneity, happiness.
PURPLE & PINK: Compassion, hope, Spirituality, Mystery.
GREY: Neutral, practical, formal
BEIGE: simplicity, comfort, wisdom and trust
WHITE: Insightful, certainty, honesty
BLACK: Control, Authority, elegance, discipline
COLD TONES OR WARM TONES ?
If you want to go even deeper, you can search on how the warm tones or cold tones of those colors affect its effect, but overall, either warm or cold, each color triggers the same reactions.
It can also be very interesting to book yourself an image consultant if you want to know what tones and colors would fit you best !
ARE COLOURS THE ONLY WAY TO AFFECT THE EMOTION TRIGGERED BY A PORTRAIT?
A professional portrait is actually a mix of various key elements: body language, light, location, expressions, colors, background, outfits, etc. So colours are a powerful tool, but it has to be consistent with the other elements to create powerful images.
WHAT IF YOU NEVER WEAR COLORS OR YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WEARING THEM ?
I plead guilty as I am the one wearing A LOT of black. That's the color I feel the most comfortable in and I know many of us are the same.
However, there are many ways you can include a touch of color in your outfit without going outside of your comfort zone: Jewels, scarfs, nail polish, lipstick, hair accessories, belt, and for the men the tie, pocket square or even cufflinks can be a subtle way to introduce color in your outfit.
NOW THAT YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT COLORS AND THEIR MEANING,
Image sources: www.unsplash.com
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