The importance of colour in your marketing and design
Colour serves as a powerful tool for non-verbal communication, evoking feelings and emotions upon sight. Consequently, colour plays a crucial role in shaping brand perception and logo design. The selection of colours can influence the level of trust and effectively convey a brand’s message.
As graphic designers, it’s imperative to leverage the psychology of colour to imbue designs with meaning and ensure alignment with marketing messaging.
For instance, green traditionally symbolizes freshness and the environment, making it a natural choice for brands associated with the natural world. Conversely, using a colour like pink would misalign with the intended brand perception and message.
Therefore, the colours chosen for branding are pivotal in guiding customers to form accurate assumptions about a company and its product offerings. This underscores the importance of investing in proper branding, regardless of business size.
To delve deeper into this crucial aspect of marketing psychology and its correlation with graphic design, here are a few interpretations of colour theory:
BLUE
Frequently employed in technology and corporate branding, blue is linked with wisdom, security, loyalty, harmony, integrity, authority, and success. Its popularity among financial institutions and government bodies underscores its associations. Notable blue-branded entities include NHS, Tiffany, Facebook, Twitter, VISA, Samsung, HP, VW, Pfizer, and IBM.
GREEN
Traditionally associated with freshness and the environment, green is a fitting choice for brands connected to nature, the environment, or growth. It’s commonly found in products such as organic and vegetarian foods. Prominent green brands include John Deere farm machinery, Starbucks, and more.
ORANGE
The colour orange symbolizes friendship and adventure, evoking feelings of youthfulness, warmth, affordability, and approachability. Notable orange brands include EasyJet, Tango, Mastercard, Fanta, Timberland, Amazon, and who could forget ‘Orange’ mobile?
PURPLE
Purple signifies independence, stability, royalty, luxury, and inspiration. Historically associated with wealth and riches, purple is prominently featured in brands like Cadbury’s, Hallmark, FedEx, and Yahoo.
RED
Red is synonymous with passion, energy, urgency, intensity, sexuality, and desire. It’s known to stimulate appetite, explaining its prevalence in restaurant and food product logos. Top red brands include Coca-Cola, Vodafone, and Virgin.
YELLOW
Yellow represents positivity, happiness, and joy. While it stimulates mental activity, caution is advised due to its association with cowardice and warning signs. Notable yellow brands include Yellow Pages, JCB, Caterpillar, Veuve Clicquot, and the golden arches of McDonald’s.
PINK
Pink embodies romance and love, often regarded as a fun colour. However, its feminine associations limit its use in products not specifically targeted at women. Examples of pink-branded entities include Victoria’s Secret, Moschino, Barbie, Breast Cancer Awareness, Hello Kitty, and Baskin Robbins.
So there you have it. The next time you encounter an advertisement in a magazine or on TV, or observe a company’s rebranded logo, take a moment to consider why they chose the colors they did.