Using Colors in Presentations

Have you ever sat in a presentation where the background was plain white? How boring was it? Maybe you sat in a presentation where the colors were awfully random and all over the place proving to be quite the distraction. Does that sound all too familiar? Honestly, do tell because I know I've been stuck in that boat numerous times.

For those of you who breeze by with that plain old white background, get some excitement in there, show some spunk! As for those of you who are way too sporadic with the colors, pause and pick a color scheme that fits your message. Just remember, colors evoke emotions.

Maybe you're thinking "Why does it matter what colors I use in my presentations?"

A good question, my friends. I have asked the same question myself. I found my answer when I gave an informative speech on color psychology. Using the right colors can help to add or subtract from your presentation. Let's talk about the meaning of colors.

Red - love, passion, romance, daring, expressive, competitive, and aggressive. 

Yellow - joy, happiness, cheery and energetic.

Blue - stability, reliability, trust, and confidence

Orange - harvest, cleanliness

Green - nature, health, and freshness

Black - formal, elegance, rich, power, but can be associated with death and evil

White - purity, cleanliness, innocence

Brown - dependability, durability

It's good to think about these things because you are essentially selling what you are presenting. What do you want your audience to really see and hear? If you're going to talk about trust and dependability, would you want to have a bold red background or a dreary black background? Blue would probably be the better option. Distinguish what colors fit your idea best. For example, brown can mean dependability and durability. UPS has used that in their logo to invoke those emotions in their consumers. You will want to have the color of your background really accent your idea or story or whatever it is you are presenting. 

Remember, colors evoke emotions.