{"id":1930,"date":"2019-07-09T18:37:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T18:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.speedpro.com\/saint-petersburg\/?p=1930"},"modified":"2021-02-12T21:01:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T21:01:21","slug":"colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speedpro.com\/saint-petersburg\/colors\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT ARE THE BEST COLORS FOR CORPORATE BRANDING?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re a one-person operation, a skeleton crew or a nationwide corporation, you may have found yourself wondering which colors are best suited for your brand. Choosing the right colors for your brand is essential, as the psychology of color plays a huge role in a customer\u2019s decision to buy a product or engage with a company. In fact, in the first 90 seconds of initial viewing, an unconscious assessment has already been made by the consumer.\u00a0Somewhere between 62% and 90%<\/a>\u00a0of this assessment is based on color.<\/p>\n

Many companies know the importance of having an attractive color scheme which communicates something about their brand identity. And yet, many are unaware of the psychology and theory behind color and only use their gut to make important design decisions. If you want to take your brand to the next level and attract your ideal customer, knowing what message you are sending with your color choice is crucial.<\/p>\n

For example, have you ever noticed that many fast food chains use red in their logos? It\u2019s no accident that nationwide chains like McDonald\u2019s, Burger King, KFC and Dairy Queen all incorporate red into their brand identities. They do this because research indicates\u00a0the color red stimulates the appetite<\/a>. By branding themselves with the color red, they signal to the viewer that they can satisfy their cravings.<\/p>\n

As the fast food industry indicates, understanding the psychology of color is very important when deciding how to brand your company. If you are a restaurant, you may be tempted to incorporate red into your logo immediately. However, this might not be the right fit for you.<\/p>\n

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to choosing the best color for your brand. The best colors for corporate branding are going to be on a case by case basis and will need to fit your brand personality (discussed later in the article). If you want to find the best color for your business, you will need to first understand why it matters, where you\u2019ll be using it and how it is going to affect your customers.<\/p>\n

WHY USING THE RIGHT COLOR MATTERS<\/h2>\n

When someone sees your logo on a product, walks by your storefront on the street or visits your website, they are going to notice the color scheme and have an emotional reaction to it. Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean that a red logo will make the viewer immediately feel like they are starving, send them into a frenzy looking for food. But, it does mean the colors are likely going to generate a more subtle, subconscious response in the viewer.<\/p>\n

\"Your<\/p>\n

Choosing the wrong color for an advertisement \u2014 say, a serious brown for a fun, new children\u2019s toy \u2014 may confuse the viewer or simply not catch their attention. If the color scheme is appropriate for the product or company as a whole, you are more likely to\u00a0create the type of response that you want<\/a>. Whether or not you recognize it, your color scheme will generate an emotional response in viewers, so it\u2019s essential to know which colors are most likely to deliver the effect you want.<\/p>\n

Recently, a study broke down\u00a0the associations of color in marketing<\/a>\u00a0and found that color does play a significant role in establishing a brand\u2019s personality, affecting purchases and influencing likeability and familiarity. These findings highlight the importance of color and the need to think deeply about how one wants to brand their company. If you\u2019re going to establish a strong brand identity, having a memorable color scheme is a great place to start.<\/p>\n

WHERE YOU\u2019LL BE USING YOUR COLORS<\/h3>\n

Since color is such a vital part of a corporate brand, you should also make note that these colors are not going to be just a part of your logo. You\u2019ll be using color schemes in your website, storefront, in-store design, staff uniforms and in advertisements. You want to be your color scheme is cohesive and consistent across all of your platforms to increase brand awareness. As you will be making it consistent throughout your company, you want to take the time to evaluate the right color scheme so you don\u2019t have to go through a costly rebrand.<\/p>\n

THE BASICS OF COLOR<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

To know which colors you should use for your company, first you need to know\u00a0the feelings colors typically evoke in audiences<\/a>. Though there are multiple shades of colors and endless variations, the list below describes the main colors companies use to brand themselves and gives some insight into\u00a0why companies use these colors<\/a>:<\/p>\n

YELLOW<\/h3>\n

Yellow is an attention-grabbing color that signals optimism, extraversion, friendliness, happiness and cheerfulness. It can also signal feelings of caution and cowardice, along with causing a potential strain on the eyes. Despite its potential downsides, it\u2019s a go-to color for many companies, with National Geographic, IKEA, and Sprint all employing it in their logos.<\/p>\n

BLUE<\/h3>\n

Blue represents intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, duty and logic. It is a calming and dependable color that is very popular among companies. Many restaurants avoid using the color blue, however, due to the belief that it may suppress appetites. Due to its trustworthiness, financial institutions like JP Morgan, Chase and Bank of America all use blue as their primary color.<\/p>\n

GREEN<\/h3>\n

Green evokes feelings of nature and security. It helps convey an idea of growth, newness, calm and stability. Darker greens can also relate to wealth, but this is primarily found in the United States where money is green, rather than in other countries whose currency is a different color. Companies like John Deere and Land Rover use green to show their connection with nature.<\/p>\n

PURPLE<\/h3>\n

Purple is commonly associated with royalty, wealth, success and wisdom. Due to its rarity in nature, it often gets linked to things that are otherworldly or imaginative. For example, the Syfy channel\u2019s logo is purple, speaking to their science fiction and fantasy content.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

RED<\/h3>\n

Red elicits feelings of arousal, excitement and stimulation. It has romantic connotations like passion and love, while also relating to power and war. The color is highly visible and is good at grabbing a customer\u2019s attention. However, it can also signal danger and aggression. Since it is an attention-grabbing and evocative color, a wide variety of companies like Heinz, CNN and Exxon use it.<\/p>\n

ORANGE<\/h3>\n

Orange relates closely to red, as it also provokes feelings of arousal and excitement, just on a less intense level. It\u2019s a multi-use color, as it can also bring out feelings of joy and playfulness. You can find this highly emotive color on the logos of companies like Fanta, Discover and Amazon.<\/p>\n

PINK<\/h3>\n

Pink often draws out feelings of innocence, softness, sophistication and delicateness. In contemporary times, it has mostly been tied to femininity, but this is changing as pink becomes more popular in men\u2019s fashion. The color can make a bold statement, while it can also be more light-hearted and gentle. Companies like Baskin Robbins, Vineyard Vines and Lyft all include the color in their logo for different effects.<\/p>\n

BROWN<\/h3>\n

Brown can bring out feelings of seriousness, reliability, support and neutrality. It can also be used to relate to nature and earthiness. It is not very emotionally charged or excited, but it does give a sense of utility that many people look for in a company. As such, UPS, Cracker Barrel and Hershey\u2019s all use the color to remind customers of their reliable service or product.<\/p>\n

BLACK<\/h3>\n

Black symbolizes power, sophistication, dignity, glamour and authority. The sleek, modern appeal of black makes it popular and can elicit strong feelings from viewers. Despite its appeal, companies have to be aware that the color can also symbolize evil and grief. Fashion companies like Gucci, Chanel and Nike all use black in their logo to complement their trendsetting products.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

WHITE<\/h3>\n

White is often associated with purity, cleanness, simplicity, hygiene and peace. These positive connotations make white a very attractive choice for companies, and the color is often used as a background. Companies like Apple, Crocs, Cotton and Tesla have all paired white with a variety of colors to great effect.<\/p>\n

THE BOTTOM LINE<\/h3>\n

There is a lot of meaning behind brand colors that you might not have been aware of until now. The above list is not exhaustive, but it should give you some idea about what impression you might be making about your brand identity with the colors you choose to incorporate into your brand. The variety of corporate logo color schemes should show you that you have a lot of room to experiment with your colors.<\/p>\n

Of course, the above colors will not always produce the same feelings in your audience. A person\u2019s experiences, upbringing and cultural background\u00a0all change their perception of certain colors<\/a>. That said, you should still take the general public perception of color into consideration when branding your company and look into how color perception might change based on where you are marketing.<\/p>\n

THE BEST COLOR FOR YOUR BRAND<\/h2>\n

When deciding how to brand your company, the number of colors and their various effects on audiences can make it overwhelming to decide on the correct scheme for you. To make it easier for yourself, you should ask a few questions to narrow down your search:<\/p>\n

1. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY?<\/h3>\n

When choosing the right colors for your company, you should start by establishing your brand identity. A brand\u2019s personality is essentially a\u00a0set of human characteristics that are attributed to a brand name<\/a>. A brand personality helps consumers relate to the company and create an emotional association with the brand.<\/p>\n

\"Brand<\/p>\n

Understanding your brand personality will help you know which colors will match up well with the personality you are attempting to cultivate. Before you choose a color, first make sure you understand your brand. Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker has studied brand personality and found that\u00a0five key dimensions make up a brand\u2019s personality<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sincerity.<\/strong>\u00a0This personality is used by organizations that want to communicate that they are down-to-earth, honest, wholesome and cheerful.<\/li>\n
  2. Excitement.<\/strong>\u00a0This company can be described as daring, spirited, imaginative and up-to-date.<\/li>\n
  3. Competence.<\/strong>\u00a0This brand values being reliable, responsible, intelligent and successful.<\/li>\n
  4. Sophistication.<\/strong>\u00a0This personality is perceived as upper-class, glamorous, romantic and charming.<\/li>\n
  5. Ruggedness.<\/strong>\u00a0This company is viewed as outdoorsy, tough and strong.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Though brands may have traits from all five of these dimensions, they typically will rely on one of them to create brand familiarity with their customer. For example, if you\u2019re a high-end fashion store, you want to push your sophistication and glamor over your responsibility. Customers are likely coming to your store because they want clothes that they can feel stylish and elegant in, rather than clothes they can wear comfortably around the house, so your branding should play into that desire.<\/p>\n

    While choosing a color for your brand, your brand personality should be at the forefront of your thoughts. Instead of trying to base your brand around stereotypical color associations (red = exciting), you want to use colors that are going to support the personality you are trying to display.<\/p>\n

    2. WHO ARE YOU TARGETING?<\/h3>\n

    Similar to knowing your brand personality, you should also establish who your brand is targeting. One major area that you should examine is whether your company is geared more towards men or women. Through environmental and cultural factors, men and women tend to favor different colors.<\/p>\n

    In a study, 57% of men stated that\u00a0blue was their favorite color<\/a>, while only 35% of women reported the same. Still, both numbers show that a lot of men and women prefer blue. For a more contrasting result, 23% of women said that purple was their favorite color, while less than 1% of men said the same, with 22% of men saying it was their least favorite color. In another study,\u00a0men preferred bright colors more than women<\/a>, while women preferred soft colors.<\/p>\n

    If your company primarily offers products and services to women, knowing which colors are going to be most attractive to your demographic might play a significant role in how you decide to brand yourself. For instance, if you largely market a product for women, you may use softer colors and avoid any colors that women tend not to respond positively to.<\/p>\n

    \"Read<\/p>\n

    You should also note that these preferences by gender are not static and\u00a0can be changed<\/a>. As such, it\u2019s important for companies to stay up-to-date on current trends and take the time to read the latest studies on color preferences among different demographics. This same principle should be applied to any other demographic you might be targeting.<\/p>\n

    3. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON COLORS IN YOUR INDUSTRY?<\/h3>\n

    Once you understand your personality and have a sense of who you want to target, you should take a moment to review the major companies in your industry. What colors are these companies using? A lot of time, you will find overlap. For instance, green can often be found in agriculture, red in retail and blue in tech.<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve surveyed your field, it\u2019s up to you to decide if you want to stand out from the crowd or go with a more traditional or conservative color scheme. Either option can work, and the decision ultimately comes down to the message you want to send.<\/p>\n

    4. HOW DO I CHOOSE COLORS THAT FIT MY CORPORATE IDENTITY?<\/h3>\n

    First, take note that you are not stuck with only one color. In fact, it\u2019s probably better to have multiple colors, especially if they are somehow related to what makes your brand unique.<\/p>\n

    For instance, Starbucks made its color scheme more personal and unique by changing its primary color to green in 1987, as\u00a0a nod to the University of San Francisco<\/a>, where the three founders went to school. Below are a few tips on how to pick out a color scheme:<\/p>\n

    \"Start<\/h4>\n

    Though you can have between one and four colors for your brand colors, to begin, it\u2019s best to keep it simple with three colors that you can combine to say something about your brand personality. You are going to choose a base, an accent and a neutral color:<\/p>\n