What Does the Colour of Your Branding Say About Your Business?
Colour is one of the most fundamental aspects of a business’s logo and branding. Yet its importance is often underestimated by both business owners and consumers.
Deciding on the branding for your new business, or making any changes to it for an existing one, demands careful consideration and a clearly defined and understood strategy. After all, the branding becomes symbolic of how a customer perceives your business, and that perception needs to be in keeping with the product or service your business delivers, the way it delivers it and, indeed, your entire company’s ethos.
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A recent survey by a freelance design studio found that the 2018 world of logo design is dominated by various shades of blue. It is particularly prevalent in the fields of healthcare, but was also the most common colour in marketing, retail and professional services. Black and white were the second and third most popular, while red, typically seen as an attention-grabbing colour and instantly associated with some of the biggest brands, such as McDonalds and Coca Cola, was down in sixth place.
The psychology of colours
Psychologists have a field day discussing the effects that colour has on our perception, but while it might sometimes sound like psychobabble, marketers need to take it seriously. The dangerous thing is that even consumers themselves laugh off the idea that the colour of a logo has any impact on the way they perceive a business. Yet there is no doubting that it does – and when something is happening on a subconscious level, we can only anticipate it, not influence it. What is the colour of your branding whispering into the ears of your customers?
Blue – for strength and reliability
So why have so many companies got the blues? For one thing, it is the most common answer among consumers when asked the age-old question “what is your favourite colour?” However, we must turn to the psychologists to understand why. Blue is associated with trust, strength and professionalism, which explains why it is so ubiquitous in certain sectors. It is also linked with curbing the appetite – hence it is not a common sight in fast food logos.
Red – for hunger and passion
We have already touched on two of the biggest brands in the world. It is no coincidence that both are associated with fast food and both are bright red. Think about the phrase “seeing red” or “red rag to a bull” – studies have shown that the very sight of red causes an elevated heart rate. Marketers use the colour to create excitement, for example when promoting a sale.
Green – for tranquillity and health
Everyone knows that green is associated with health and natural living, but that is more down to the ecological movements of the past three decades than any hard-
wired psychological reaction. Researchers have found that the brain associates the colour with productivity and growth. This is why it is favoured by many of the large financial brands
Yellow – for warmth and optimism
The brain is stimulated by warmth and sunshine, so it is no great leap to understand that it can be affected in the same way by the colour yellow. We associate it with happiness, hope and optimism. It is also a colour that instantly grabs the attention. Before designing your new logo we take the time to understand your business, products, and market to ensure that the finished design will send out the right
message for many decades to come.
