Understanding Colors and How They Affect Your Brand
Color is one of many things in the world that evokes emotion and plays a huge role in our day-to-day environments. In the dead of winter when trees are leafless and the sky is grey, how do you feel? On the contrary, when summer is in full swing, flowers have bloomed and the sky is blue, do you feel different? The emotional reactions to color are not the same for everyone, but what is the same is that we react and the reaction is key.
When branding for a company, the reactions people have to your color scheme are the same as when they take a walk around the block. In this blog, we’ll briefly explore each color on the color wheel to help inform your branding strategy.
Understanding Red
As part of the primary color family (RGB,) red is one of three colors that’s composed entirely of itself, meaning other colors cannot be used to create it. Red is found to be associated with highly emotional adjectives such as energy, war, power, passion, desire, and love. It attracts attention more than any other color and at times can signify danger.
Understanding Green
Green is that of nature and is associated with connection, purity, health, and freshness. It has a calming essence and can slow the human metabolism down which is why a lot of brands choose green to use in their branding.
Understanding Blue
Blue is the final member of RGB, and is on the opposite side of red, evoking serenity over intensity or passion. Blue is associated with tranquility and can create a sense of self-reflection in people, lowering overall heart rate.
Understanding Brown
Seriousness, stability, and wisdom are brought to mind when brown comes into play. Often, brown is traditionally worn by people who are respected and stable, much like an elder family member.
Understanding Orange
Orange sits in the middle of both yellow and red, making it a combination of intense feelings of love and dominance, while also denoting optimism and cheerfulness. Used by a lot of communication companies in their branding, orange promotes rejuvenation, openness, and positivity.
Understanding Yellow
As the brightest color of the spectrum, yellow is commonly used to depict creative projects or new business initiatives. Think, a yellow light bulb. This color is also known to help heighten mental awareness and productivity.
Understanding Pink
Pink is soft, gentle and kind, but can vary greatly based on the hue and context it’s in. It has been known to endorse feelings of sentimentality, however, because it’s mixed with red, it can also be associated with intense feelings of romance and power.
Understanding Purple
Historically, purple has been used to show extreme levels of luxury, power, and ambition. On the flip side though, since it's made up of portions of blue, purple can also be used to reflect tranquility and relaxation. Depending on the hue, purple can be inferred in many ways.
Understanding White
White is technically the absence of color, which makes us feel like fresh, new beginnings are on the horizon. It can invoke an innocence and elegance that other colors cannot. In recent years and with the trend of minimalism, a lot of companies have taken to using white as a way to broadcast a clean, pure message.
Understanding Black
Last but not least, black. Black, as a mixture of every color, can be associated with complication, sadness, and isolation. But however depressing that may sound, black can also be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color. Black, out of all the colors on the wheel, is most open for interpretation.
If you’re branding or rebranding a company and are in need of color advice, we’re here to help.
With over 30 years of printing, packaging, and labeling experience, our team is prepared to support you. To learn more, contact us today at (904) 263-2804 or sign up for a free consultation.