What Colors Say About You and Your Company

I attended a Networking Event last month where part of the discussion was about Color. We had a few Professionals in attendance who could speak about this; a Lighting Specialist, Life Coach and a Behavioral Hypnotist. We’ve even had a Color Psychologist attend a few times a couple of years ago. 1

Now, I’m regretting that I didn’t speak up more as I’ve always wanted to learn more about the impact Colors can have on your desired outcomes. and how it might affect You, Your Customers and Your Desired Results.

Speaking as a Graphic Designer (Yes, I’m not a Hack, I actually went to Art School), I’ve always used Color in the context of "Design" to manipulate or achieve my desired result to control Eye Movement, draw attention to something or make an impact.

If anybody reading this has any additional information you’d like to share or links from your Website, I’d love to discuss this with you.

Learn:

General color impact
Color Action – how these primary colors make us feel and behave
You’ll be surprised at some of these = what does Green mean?

Different shades are associated with different emotions and industries = What About Your Logo

Logos might seem small and inconsequential, but research says otherwise. One recent study, for instance, found that the best logos have a significant impact on the bottom line with powerful visual symbols–rather than text–having the greatest effect (think of Arm & Hammer’s flexed muscle as a good example of a logo done right).

Logo design then is probably more important than it might first appear, but there’s more to a logo than just it’s style and what it depicts. There’s also the matter of color choice. Whether you opt for stylish black or exuberant orange, many small business owners choose the color of their logo based on personal preference or gut instinct, but according to experts, the shade you choose conveys subtle messages about your company to customers.

“Humans might … be hardwired for certain hues,” neuroscientist Bevil Conway told Fast Company earlier this year in a fascinating piece on how people seem to have inborn reactions to particular colors. So what do colors convey to us at this very basic, pre-verbal level? And is your logo and branding saying what you want it to about your business? Several marketing experts have weighed in with color breakdowns recently to help owners answer these questions.

[accordion head=’Blue = If your Branding is Blue, you are in good company’]

If you’re branding is blue, you’re in good company. More of the world’s top 100 brands use this shade than any other (one in three, actually, according to Column Five Media).. Why? People seem find the color immediately pleasant and calming, perhaps because it reminds them of the sea and sky. No wonder it’s so popular among energy, finance, airline and tech companies–all of which we want to think of as working steadily and safely away in the background–and so much less popular with clothing companies and restaurants that need to grab consumers’ attention.

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[accordion head=’Red = Red is stimulating, signaling intensity and appetite’]

Unlike pacific blue, red is stimulating, signaling intensity and appetite. “Maybe that’s why food purveyors McDonald’s and Kellogg’s use red in their logos,” Dave Clarke suggested on the Intuit Small Business Blog. “Red… can create urgency for clearance-sale items or prompt impulse buys,” he adds. Column Five claims the color even makes us breathe more rapidly and increases heart rate.

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[accordion head=’Yellow = Think of sunshine, hope and optimism’]

Cheerful yellow makes people think of sunshine and communicates hope and optimism. It can be “especially useful to catch a customer’s eye,” according to Column Five. The link between yellow and energy makes it popular with, you guessed it, energy companies.

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[accordion head=’Orange = Close cousin to the stimulating powers of red and yellow’]Given the stimulating powers of red and yellow, it’s no surprise that closely related orange has similar properties, combining the boldness and optimism of its two neighbors on the color wheel. “Orange is used to stimulate excitement and enthusiasm,” Clarke notes, adding “it is featured in the logos of Harley-Davidson, Nickelodeon, and Discover.”[/accordion]
[accordion head=’Green = It might not be what you think’]

It’ll come as a shock to no one that green reminds people of nature and is popular among environmentally-conscious brands. The color “can bring feelings of peace, hope, trust and calmness,” according to the Myron blog, which notes that “other industries that tend to use green in their logos are food, household goods, technology and finance.”

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[accordion head=’Purple = Considered a low-arousal color?’]

“Purple is generally considered a low-arousal color. It may stimulate feelings of mystery, royalty, or arrogance,” according to web design and marketing company WebPageFX. These calming effects make it a popular choice for finance, tech and healthcare companies, as well as for use on beauty and anti-aging products. Interestingly, it’s also often associated with new-age practices like astrology and tarot, so if you’re looking to gesture towards spirituality, purple might be a good choice.

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[accordion head=’Black = Sophisticated, timeless and formal’]

What’s true of clothing is true of branding = black makes you look sophisticated, timeless, formal and a little mysterious. It’s an obvious choice for those selling luxury products, and a pretty lousy one for, say, agriculture businesses.

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