When you think about the brands in your life, chances are the colours of their brand also come to mind. Starbucks? Green. Lululemon? Red.
Whether it’s the spot you get your coffee, the websites you visit, or the clothing you buy, colour plays an important role in the image you have of those brands. And, whether you are branding or rebranding for your business, colour is an important part of identifying who you are too.
Colours Hold an Emotional Connection
Colours inherently convey emotion and experience. There are universal meanings to colour, but you probably also have your own connections to colour as well: mental associations. With that in mind, colour can really set the mood of any brand.
Here are a few examples of universal meanings behind colour:
- Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Mystery, Luxury
- Orange: Energy, Vibrancy, Warmth, Enthusiasm, Youth
- White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
- Blue: Calmness, Peace, Tranquility, Loyalty, Trust
Now consider those colours and what they mean to you personally. What imagery do they bring to mind, in your own life?
Colour Elicits a Physical Reaction
Colour actually triggers physical responses in our brains and nervous systems. Without getting too far into the theory of it all, colours with longer wavelength tend to command attention quickly (red, for example), while colours with shorter wavelengths have a serenity to them, and can have relaxing effects on the body (blue, for example). Those physical reactions are something to consider when building a brand colour palette. What physical response do you want your clients to have when engaging with your business?
Colour Creates Brand Consistency
Put into practice, a colour palette really builds out your brand, beyond the logo or your website. Your colour palette can span your business in creative ways. If you run a store or a restaurant, it can play into your decor and your staff dress code. Your colour palette can be used across your brand swag or stationery: envelopes, pens, mugs, etc. The list goes on, and the farther you use that colour palette the more powerful your brand can be.
So, when branding or rebranding your business, your colour palette should be an important step in your process — and it’s a step Always Brave Creative can help you with! Our team is here to listen, understand your brand, and work with you to create a colour palette that’s unique to your brand and shares your story visually.
Let’s find the colours that share your story, and bring your brand to life.
~ written by Lucy Fox
