THE MEANING OF COLOUR FOR YOUR BRAND
Understanding the meaning of colour for your brand can be a fun and often an essential step when building your brand profile or designing a new product.
Colour has an amazing effect on our life, impacting the way we feel, the choices we make and the thoughts that we generate. In addition to the influence it can have on your mind and mood, colour can also have an effect on how your business develops and how your consumers interact. Your selection will be seen online, on packaging, in store, on your stationary and more. Getting it right the first time can save time, money and even boost sales.
Further, some marketing experts have said that people subconsciously associate specific colours with distinct social or cultural messages. Understanding this can provide you an opportunity to subconsciously assist your customers to open their wallets.
Here are some examples of what colours might suggest in your business:
WHITE
White is balanced, calm, neutral, modern, brilliant and honest. With recognised brands like Apple, Hurley,and Chanel that use this you can see the similarities.
BLUE
Blue can reflect dependability, strength, trust and even loyalty. You may recognise brands like Facebook, Skype and Dell which have adopted this colour in their branding to reflect power and professionalism.
RED
Red is always dramatic and can indicate energy, action, danger, sale and determination. Some classic and very successful brands that have embraced the passion of red include Virgin, Coco-Cola and Australia’s very own Qantas.
GREEN
Green is a symbol of nature, envy and balance, with many brands using this colour to suggest wealth, education and compassion. Further, green can also be soothing and represent an eco-friendly outlook. When you think of this colour you immediately notice Woolworths, Starbucks and Xbox.
BLACK
Black is more serious, providing a sense of authority, wealth, power, sophistication and credibility. When you think of brands that display these qualities, you may recognise Ferrari, Amazon or 007 – all use black for their branding.
YELLOW
Yellow can provide clarity, warmth and optimism whilst remaining playful or adventurous. There are many famous brands like National Geographic and Mc Donald’s that have incorporated yellow into their logo, however we can’t go past the Swedish giant Ikea when thinking about this colour.
PURPLE
Purple has stood the test of time and will forever signify royalty, dreams and luxury. Many brands that use purple want to display spirituality and beauty. You can see why this royal colour has been used by Hallmark, Cadbury and even Yahoo.
ORANGE
Orange is not as common as black or blue, however is perfect for brands wanting to portray health, happiness, affordability and confidence. When you think of these qualities do you consider Nickelodeon, Fanta or Orange? Absolutely.
If you still can’t decide on a colour, why not suit the masses with a rainbow of colours to show diversity. Google, Ebay and Windows are all great examples of rainbow brands that work.
As a final note, some research has indicated that people make subconscious decisions about a product within 90 seconds of initially seeing it. From this, between 62-90% of these people make their assessment based on the colour of the product.
So, we leave you with this..how many times have you purchased a product because you liked the colour?