Color matters in branding because it prompts feelings. And those feelings become associated with our brands. So the strategic selection of colors helps solidify our brands in the minds of our customers.
Do your homework when planning your brand colors and make sure the feelings associated with the color you select aligns with the feelings and values you WANT to be associated with your brand.
Pantone’s Color of the Year
My decision to talk about color now comes with the announcement of the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year – Classic Blue (my favorite color). Pantone’s first color of the year was also a shade of blue – Cerulean. And if you’ve ever watched The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, delivers a powerful statement about the influence of color in the fashion world and global industries. The color she uses as an example is cerulean.
The influence color has on a brand can be significant. As written in an article on the 99designs.com blog: “According to neuroscientist, Antonio Demasio, how consumers feel about a brand has more pull than what they think about a brand. Pair that with the fact that we know certain colors evoke certain emotions: viola, your brand colors have the ability to impact your sales or performance even more than the products or services you offer.”
Colors and their emotions
- Yellow: optimism, joy, clarity, and warmth
- Red: passion, dynamic, speed, love, and affection
- Blue: trust, cool, reliable, responsible, security, and mentally soothing
- Green: balance, rest, peace, and harmony
- Purple: imagination, spirituality, luxury, courage, and royalty
- Orange: power, energy, affordability, friendliness, and fun
- Black: sophistication, seriousness, control, high quality, and independence
- White: purity, innocence, cleanliness, and peace
- Brown: structure, security, and protection
- Gold: charm, luxury, and treasure
The next time you look at a logo or think of a specific company, remember the color commonly associated with the business. How does it make you feel? Do you think how you feel about the brand is what they want you to feel?
