Colour and your Corporate Identity or logo
The colours that represent your business can say a lot, so are you sure the ones you use in your designs give the right message? Certain colours are naturally associated with particular industries. Green for "green" companies or environmentally friendly firms and societies; Blue for water companies or legal/financial businesses, and I bet Purple makes you think of chocolate! But what about the rest of them...
- Red says passion, love, heat & strength. Virgin, Vodafone and Coca Cola all rely on Red to stand out. It's easy to remember these companies as soon as you see red.
- Yellow is bright & optimistic and suggest sunshine & warmth. The golden arches of MacDonalds suggest a welcoming place, but be careful, it can also represent cowardice!
- Blue, the colour of safety, truth & dignity. Many financial associations such as banks and accountants use the positive hues of blue to communicate a safe and secure place to place your money!
- Green is the colour of growth & nature, and has been used by environmental agencies & charities alike. BP and Holland & Barrett all use this positive colour in their branding. The darker hues of green suggests wealth and class - look at Harrods.
- Purple conveys wealth, intelligence & sophistication, which is why Cadbury chose it for its chocolate! It is a spiritual colour too.
- Brown can mean trust, but it can be seen as old fashioned and frumpy to some. Fashion & Interior trends have seen Chocolate Brown becoming increasingly popular. It's especially used in coffee bars to simulate a relaxed atmosphere.
- Orange is warm and autumnal, think walks in the forest. It's reliable and safe, so it's not surprising that Sainsburys, EasyJet and of course Orange have all used it.
- Black is for strength, but also associated with death and mourning. Organisations can use it to indicate seriousness.
- White is traditionally used with other colours such as black. It can portray purity, cleanliness & lightness, but avoid it in Japan & China as Eastern cultures believe it conveys death.
That might all seem a lot to digest but it goes to show colour isn't just about personal preference. Your choices will ultimately be influenced by your companies' aims, goals & the image you want to portray.
A few things to remember. . .
- Use company colours to tie all your marketing material together.
- Use colour for impact and emphasis but not too much at once.
- Use tints and shades for variety and stick to colours from within one colour scheme as much as possible.
- BE CONSISTENT! This is extremely important when using colour. If all your titles in a page are green, then that should be repeated throughout the whole document. Stick to the exact colour chosen by your designer too. If your logo is blue, find out the Pantone number or CMYK value and use the same blue all the time.
- Have fun with colour! Take the meanings of colour into consideration, but remember it's good to stand out from the crowd too.