Brands don’t exist without consistency

One of the fundamental aspects of the branding experience is a strong colour scheme. Choosing the right colour scheme might seem trivial – after all, there are only so many colours to choose from – but making an informed decision about colour will play a vital part in determining the branding path you pursue.

The fundamental meaning of a colour transcends and pre-dates branding – for example red inherently demands attention, anything from communicating love to a very clear a ‘NO ENTRY’ sign! It’s hard to describe exactly why, but we know that red catches the eye (which is why retailers’ sale signs are often this colour) and we continue to support these associations and reaffirm them to one another.

Harnessing the power of colour

You can harness the power of our shared understanding of colour in your branding. Whilst a clear tone of voice and design cement recognition of your brand, it’s the colour which is most easily incorporated into to every aspect of your branding.

If your brand is in its infancy or you are bringing new life to an existing brand, consider the authority of Starbucks’ green, Cadbury’s purple, or Twitter’s blue, and each brand’s subsequent ability to portray its personality using a single distinct colour.

If you’re thinking of refining your brand, you might trim down the amount of colours to a single signature shade, much like Facebook, Spotify and Netflix have done in their recent ‘flatter’ brand updates.

Alignment and disruption

Just as colour can be used to reassure customers of a company’s place in the market, your brand’s colour can also be a bold differentiator, sending a message about your company’s personality rather than the product or service you provide. Think about the most established UK supermarkets. With no obvious shade to communicate ‘supermarket’, each has its own place in the colour wheel

  • Asda: green
  • Sainbury’s: orange
  • Tesco: blue and red
  • Morrisons: yellow and green

The crowded social media market provides yet another example – this is an industry in which a calm and user friendly blue reigns supreme, and yet Snapchat’s bright yellow completely breaks the mould, communicating more about its approach and ethos than the product itself.

The colour you choose is not a trivial matter. Does your brand need to reassure customers of its place in an established industry, or does it need to scream ‘new’? Would you trust a bright pink law firm, or a hire a bouncy castle from a company whose branding was grey? Despite the fact that these might be excellent companies, you’d probably have some reservations based on your gut reaction to their brand colour. Equally, a purple social network might be an attractive prospect, even though it breaks the trend. It’s these doubts and preconceptions that need to be considered when choosing your brand’s colour – and that’s no easy task!

There are no universal truths about colour

Despite all of these generalisations, there is still no universal truth about colour, only examples of brands that have successfully implemented their decision, complemented by existing psychological research.

Maybe you’ve had only had terrible experiences with standard law firms and the idea of a bright pink firm communicates the fresh approach you’ve been looking for. Maybe a less colourful bouncy castle company communicates safety and reliability after the last one let you down. It’s always possible – but for most people, darker colours which communicate safety and stability are going to be more preferable when it comes to choosing a solicitor, while bright primaries are what it’s all about when thinking about children’s entertainment.

Such behaviour demonstrates how we, as customers, are incredibly complex and make snap decisions based on personal predispositions and associations. That means that, as marketers, we have to rely on the commonly noted psychological effects to persuade, engage with and relate to our audience.

 

By Ben Martin, Creative Director at Peppermint Soda.

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