Context

By the time we’re five years old, we know that red means STOP! Fire engines are red. Leaves and grass are green and the sun is yellow.

What does all this have to do with branding? Colour is primal. We have deeply ingrained colour associations. We inherently understand the intensity and passion of red. Green’s association with nature translates into positive feelings of growth and fresh beginnings in the spring.

Colour helps us process and store images and as a result, to remember them better. We recognize colour before we read words or even see shapes. In fact studies show that consistent use of colour increases brand recognition by up to 80%.

What colour do you associate with Coca Cola’s brand? How about Ford? UPS?

Imagine for a moment, if they all switched colours. How would you feel if Coke were blue, Ford were brown and UPS red? It’s kind of disorienting, somehow wrong.

Colour creates such a strong association, that without seeing a logo, a product or a package, you instantly recall the brand by its colour.

What if you’re just establishing your brand?

Coke, Ford and UPS are all established companies and are well known for their strategic use of colour. But what if you’re starting a new company? How should you think about colour?

Before choosing a colour, you should be clear in the definition of your core brand attributes. Are you innovative, exciting and new? Or do you lean towards being safe, reassuring and established? Are you leading edge or mainstream? Your choice of colour should deliver and reinforce your brand message.

7 tips for using colour in your branding

1. You can’t have the same colour as the established leaders in your category. If you’re launching a cola, find another colour other than Coke red or Pepsi blue. Me-too doesn’t work in establishing your own brand.
2. Be strong in your use of colour. Pick a colour and be that colour. Live it. Use it boldly on all of your materials. Make something of it. Do not let a designer “hide” your colour or arbitrarily change it.
3. If possible, claim one of the primary colours. They speak to us faster and are easier to remember.
4. However, secondary colours or even more complex colors can be effective if used boldly. Consider the FedEx colour combination of purple and orange.
5. Hues and shades can radically alter the communication of a colour. A shade of red becomes pink. There is a vast difference in message between deep hunter green and fresh spring green. Royal blue and Caribbean ocean blue communicate different messages.
6. Keep cultural associations in mind, especially if you are marketing outside of North America. Colours can have unique connotations in other cultures.
7. In some cases, you can make black and white work for your brand. But it takes a steady and experienced hand with the rest of the design to truly communicate black and white as a colour. Otherwise, it just fades into the background.

The proper use of colour is vital to creating a positive image in the marketplace. It plays a huge role in memory recall. It stimulates the senses and instantly conveys a message like no other communication method.

At Context Creative, we are our own case study for the use of colour in branding. Our primary brand colour is a bright saturated yellow. It’s bold, warm, optimistic and positive. In every culture, yellow is associated with the sun, the ultimate giver of life and growth on the earth. And incidentally, science shows that the eye sees bright yellows before any other colour. Sounds good to us!