Colour is a huge defining factor in your branding and how effective it is for your business, and there are many psychological effects each shade has that we designers need to consider when creating a brand. Here are some of the meanings behind them…
Colour Palettes
Orange Energy, Action, Creativity or Excitement
Red Danger, Passion, Power or Urgency
Yellow Optimism, Happiness, Fresh
Pink Caring, Love, Feminine Top Tip: Should be used sparingly unless you are specifically targeting females.
Green Nature, Growth, Calm, Balance or Health
Brown Simple, Reliable, Rugged, Natural or Rustic Top Tip: Studies have found Men are not particularly fond of brown shades, however, some companies like UPS still use brown to convey reliability. Use caution in designs.
Blue Trust, Calm, Stability, Reliability, Confidence
Black/Dark Grey Modern, Sleek, Sophisticated or Dramatic
Purple Royalty, Luxury, Feminine, Wisdom
White Clean, Pure, Simple, Honest With our own branding, we just shades of blue, white and slight hints of purple in our main palettes to convey our reliability, knowledge and confidence. But there is more to consider here…
Colour Culture
What one colour may represent in one country or region, might mean the complete opposite in another. It is important to research your colour choices in all your target audiences so you can better apply colour to your project. An example of this is the colour red, which normally relates to danger, a reason why many websites use this for cancel buttons or important account actions. However, in China, it can relate to happiness and good fortune. Something to consider if you offer a worldwide service.
Conclusion
Colours are a huge part of design and should warrant extensive research when re-designing your business identity. Choose wisely, and compare to competitors and even other industries to see how they use colour to stand out in the market (Pepsi and Coke for example). Look out for future blog posts where we will dive deeper in colour usage, graphic design and branding!
