Why is color choice an important part of creating a corporate identity and how to choose a brand’s color scheme?
How to choose a brand color scheme? What should be the color of the corporate identity, what color combinations are best to choose for the brand? Some tips from Veonix studio.
When creating (or updating) a corporate identity, you should take time to select brand color scheme. Only the opposite often happens. Other elements may be carefully designed, and colors are chosen based on personal preference or the year's trends. This is not entirely the right approach. The audience forms the first impression thanks to color, shape, style, and presentation.
Color is a key factor in perception. It creates certain associations on a subconscious level and forms an emotional state. We may not think that color has any effect on us right now. But the atmosphere created in the background becomes one of the reasons for choosing a product.
With this article we will try to help you choose the color that suits you. your brand idea. To do this, let's look at the meanings of several popular colors. How they are perceived and interpreted from a psychological point of view. Let's look at some techniques for using color as a marketing tool.
What associations and emotions do colors evoke?
Black
For the brand, black means rigor, status, authority, and sophisticated style.
As a base, this classic color is suitable for companies creating a premium product. As a rule, the audience of such a brand is not mass, strictly defined, values its image, a special approach, a special attitude and, of course, the highest quality are important to it.
White
White is associated with purity, freedom, simplicity, and freshness.
This is the best option for basic brand design. It provides more space to present your products elegantly. By association, the color is suitable for companies producing an environmentally friendly, understandable product; perfume and cosmetics brands; those who offer aesthetic solutions, for example, in clothing or for home interiors.
Blue
Blue color correlates with confidence, reliability, strength, calmness.
It is often chosen by banks, insurance companies, and large electronics manufacturers as the basis for their visual design. Brands associated with developments in the IT field and other companies where the reliability, performance and durability of the product are the basis.
Red
Red is associated with energy, passion, vitality, impulsiveness.
This color is chosen by brands that, in addition to the product itself, need to give the audience bright emotions and provoke a strong reaction. Therefore, it can be seen in entertainment companies, advertising, clothing brands, and fast food manufacturers.
Red quite actively attracts attention and signals. Using this color requires a careful approach. There is a fine line here between the positive and negative emotions that red can equally evoke.
Green
What does green mean for a brand? Perhaps green is the color with the most understandable association. It represents nature, life, harmony, birth.
Therefore, a number of brands for which this color is appropriate are more obvious. These are the areas of health and medicine; companies related to agriculture; natural food producers; eco-organizations. Everyone who prioritizes caring for nature and conscious consumption.
Yellow
The yellow color of the brand radiates warmth, optimism, creativity, happiness, and youth.
Suitable for companies that are in constant motion, development, and searching for new approaches to improving the quality of service. Yellow is rarely the only color solution for a brand. It is almost always complemented by a second color, because due to its brightness its borders are often invisible.
Purple
Purple is associated with newness, freshness and luxury.
The color of luxury. It goes back to history, when purple was worn by aristocrats and the rich. This shade is used by brands that want to show their authenticity and exclusivity.
The color of innovation and creativity. Purple is often used in advertising new solutions, technological breakthroughs, and startups. Design agencies and creative studios also include this shade in their logos.
The color of calm and beauty. Psychologists describe purple as the color of peace. Therefore, beauty companies and brands offering leisure services choose this color.
Colors in different niches
In different niches, the choice of color palette must be carefully thought out. It is important to meet both brand values and consumer expectations. In many areas of business, already established color combinations are used. The target audiences of companies in the same niche are similar, so the same colors are chosen.
For a children's clothing brand Pastel colors are often used. Why? Soft shades are associated with tenderness, innocence and care. Pastel colors create a feeling of security, which is why parents often choose them.
Traditionally, brands make girls' clothes soft pink and boys' clothes blue. In logos, advertising materials and packaging, pastel colors help emphasize the quality and naturalness of materials.
In the beauty industry color plays a decisive role. Popular colors for the cosmetics brand: pink, purple, combination of black and gold. All this is about femininity, beauty, style and elegance. Cosmetics brands use this palette when creating packaging, in store interiors and on social networks.
For a personal brand colors help to establish an emotional connection with the audience and also depend on the field of activity.
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A financial advisor is more likely to be perceived as trustworthy if he uses blue. And if he chooses pink, he will seem frivolous.
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Green is ideal for coaches and health professionals.
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Red is suitable for motivational speakers and trainers.
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Purple is a good choice for designers and artists.
However, for a personal brand, you need to choose a color based on your personality. First and foremost, colors should reflect the character and authenticity of a person.
If a brand plans to stand out, it needs to think carefully and study the psychology of color. For example, you need to be extremely careful when using blue in food packaging, because blue suppresses appetite.
Premium colors for the brand
Why is color choice especially important for a luxury and premium brand?
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The right color raises the perception of the product to a higher level. Historically, some shades have been perceived as “rich.”
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Colors that are perceived as premium allow a brand to justify a high price tag.
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Certain colors and their combinations attract customers who are willing to pay for exclusivity and status.
What shades are associated with luxury and high quality? Traditionally:
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black (Chanel, Prada, Rolex);
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gold (Lamborghini, Versace, Dom Pérignon);
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silver (Audi);
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purple (Cadbury, Asprey);
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dark blue (BMW, Ralph Lauren, Visa);
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burgundy (Lexus, Cartier).
Customers value these brands because they provide a sense of premium brand ownership, success and prestige.
How do premium brands position themselves using color?
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Create an emotional connection. With the help of “premium” colors, brands trigger certain emotions. Consumers want to have just such a product. After the purchase, a person immediately feels special.
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Increase recognition. Not all brands can afford “expensive colors”. Therefore, those companies that use them instantly stand out. Their products are memorable and remain in the memory for a long time.
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Emphasize the uniqueness of the product. Companies use color to emphasize one particular characteristic of a product.
For example, using black and white Chanel emphasized sophistication and classic style and created an image of timeless luxury. The brand conveys that true style exists outside of time and fashion.
Gold combined with dark deep shades Rolex associated with high social status.
Silver Lexus and Apple reflect technology, innovation and high quality of the product. Metallic shades convey the feeling of reliability in the best possible way.
In recent years, the understanding of luxury, wealth and style has been changing. More and more luxury brands are talking about ecology and at the same time began to use “earthy” and natural shades in branding. In addition, modern premium often uses minimalism and monochrome.
How does color become a marketing tool?
Corporate style carriers
The selected color should be used in printing, on the website and in social networks. Unified visual design corporate identity creates a common picture for the audience and introduces them to the core values of the brand.
Words
The characteristics of colors can be used in verbal form: in text blocks, slogans. This will certainly help evoke the right emotions and better feel the brand.
Assortment
Color can be used to highlight products if they are intended for different audience segments based on age, status or preferences. Everyone will quickly find something that resonates.
New collections and special offers
New product lines or great deals are highlighted using different colors. They are used in packaging, on stands, in presentations and landing pages.
Conclusion
Color directly represents the product and declares its properties. The consumer immediately makes associations and determines whether the product has a place in his system of life values and whether it meets his needs.
Of course, there is no strict division of colors by areas of activity of companies and no prescribed rules for their use. And no one forgets about other characteristics, features and marketing tools that influence consumer choice.
Colors create a chain of associations in a person based on culture, history, and psychology. And in order for the audience to correctly identify the brand, understand and accept its values, the color must correspond to the expected perception, and not go against it.
Therefore, when choosing a color, you need to take into account the region of business development with its cultural characteristics, the market segment and the category of people who will contact you. Of course, no one will forbid using a color that is unusual in your field to stand out. But will the target audience understand this?
Veonix Studio will help you sort out any issues branding and formation of corporate identity. We will conduct a free consultation where we will discuss your idea and find ways to implement it. Just leave a request on the website.