Between the Lines: How Politicians

Use Color Psychology to Win Your

Votes
The LAMP February 28, 2012

Rick Santorum perfects his visual brand with sweater vests. Cartoon from
davegranlund.com.

Like it or not, it’s US Presidential Election time. Candidates hoping to

move into the White House (or remain there) are busy creating and
selling their image. Yes, just like sneakers, beer, and dish-washing
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 liquid, the candidates themselves are the products for sale and each
one has a team of handlers, public relations experts, and marketers
carefully creating their image to sell to the voters. Being able to read
between the lines as the candidates debate each other or try to win us
over can be entertaining as well as enlightening. A few things to look
out for this election cycle are color and clothing choices, specific word
choices and catch phrases, body language and gestures, as well as
props and objects of association.

Today we’ll take a brief look at color and clothing choices. Please note
that since the remaining candidates for the 2012 election are all male, I
refer mainly to men’s attire such as ties and suits. However color
psychology plays an important role in the clothing choices of both
genders.

Color and Clothing Choices

When we see certain colors, they produce chemical reactions in our
brains that can make us feel certain emotions. For example you are
more likely to order more food in a restaurant that is decorated with a
lot of red because that color makes us hungry. Sports teams often paint
the opposing team’s locker room pink because that color makes people
tired. Guests on late night TV hang out in the Green Room before
coming on stage because that color is the most calming and relaxing.
So what could certain candidates be trying to sell you via their color
and clothing choices?

Blue suits, shirts, and ties:

Blue is probably the most popular color on the campaign trail. Dark blue
makes us feel like the person wearing it is smart, together, and
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 trustworthy. It’s also the number one color to wear to a job interview
and the applicants for president know that. Alternatively, look for
candidates who want to appear like “regular average Americans” when
they wear light blue shirts with the sleeves rolled up. Candidates who
are accused of lying or being phony often sport a lot of dark blue to
psychologically counter that image.

Black and gray suits:

Black can give an air of authority or power so you will see these a lot
during the election season, especially at more formal events. Dark gray
makes the candidate seem very conservative. Light grays, blues, and
other soft colors make the candidate appear social and approachable.

mitt-romney-red-tie

Mitt Romney chooses a red power tie to seal the deal on his nomination. Photo from
inquisitr.com.

Red ties:
Red is an aggressive color that can make us feel passionate, angry, or
hungry. The candidates in red ties want you to think they are decisive,
bold, assertive, and powerful. Candidates accused of flip-flopping
often roll out the red ties.
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 Brown suits and ties:
They are trying to appear down to earth. (Paris Hilton wore lots of
brown and beige, sported a conservative bob haircut, and embraced
the Bible when she was released from prison in 2007 to help shed her
party-girl image.) Sadly, brown suits on men also make one appear old
fashioned, out of date, and out of touch, so more likely you might see
beige or khaki pants or other brown/beige ties and accessories instead.

Purple ties:
They may be trying to come off as a guru or above the fray since it is a
color associated mainly with religions, spirituality, luxury, and royalty.
You will often see a lot of financial advisers wearing purple ties on TV.

obama-brown-tie

President Obama connects to the 99% with a brown and beige tie. Photo from current.com.

Wild or unconventional ties:

You won’t see this too often from the main candidates but usually they
are worn by those trying to get our attention and who want to be seen
as creative, unique, or as an alternative or fresh choice. New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie recently appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight
sporting a fat hot pink tie. Could he be looking to remain in the public
eye?
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 Color psychology is a fascinating topic and one that I cover with most
of my art and design students every semester. For those of you that
would like to put color psychology to work for you straight away in your
own wardrobes, I suggest this excellent article from gijobs.com. For a
bibliography of even more color resources (from art to marketing and
everything in between), check out colormatters.com.

In the weeks ahead I will touch on the other marketing techniques used
to sell the candidates. Can you read between the lines when you see a
politician making a speech? What do you notice that others miss?

–Kristen Palana

Kristen Palana is a Professor of Digital Media at The American

University of Rome. Visit her online at kpalana.com.
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