Colour can be utilized to create visual consistency across a company’s marketing and communications collateral. If applied well, it can instantly distinguish a company or product from competitors and strengthen brand presence, particularly if a company takes ownership of a colour or colour combination within their market.
Colour is registered by the brain before any image or typographic form has been recognized. Colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80 percent (Source: University of Loyola, Maryland study), something that is particularly relevant for companies differentiated from their competitors by colour.
The power of colour in branding has been known for many years within the design industry. As awareness of branding grows and more businesses invest in their brands, colour will become more important for companies looking to distinguish themselves visually. In the 1970s legendary designer Saul Bass proposed that British Petroleum plant trees around their petrol stations to increase recognition of their green brand, an idea that may have added benefits in today’s environmentally focused society.
Taking ownership of colour
Over time a consistent use of colour on branded material or packaging may allow a business to claim rights to that colour as an integral part of its brand. Establishing a strong connection between colour and brand means a company could take ‘passing off’ action against a competitor who introduces similar colours that cause confusion between the two businesses.
In recent years we’ve seen attempts to trademark colours, particularly by businesses that create products. A great example is Cadbury’s applications worldwide to register their purple. Although it hasn’t always been successful, it demonstrates the importance some businesses put on their brand colour.
Choosing a colour for your brand
When Pepsi changed their packaging from red to blue in 1998 to distinguish their brand from their main competitor, it was considered a big risk. A decade later and I doubt many people can remember that Pepsi’s packaging used to be predominantly red.
If you want to maximize the impact of colour for your brand it’s important to select a colour or combination of colours that is unique in your field of business. When choosing a colour it may not be necessary to move too far away from your competitors to differentiate yourself. For example, if dark blue is a dominant colour in your industry, then selecting a vibrant cyan may be enough to distinguish you from the crowd without moving to a different part of the colour spectrum.
Remember that colour choice conveys a message about a product or business. For businesses that operate overseas, it is worthwhile considering the symbolic meanings different cultures attribute to colour as these can vary from country to country and affect consumer perception of your brand.
When selecting colour for product packaging, the consumer’s emotional response to colour needs to be considered carefully. For people engaging a professional service colour plays less of an emotional role. For businesses in the service sector, colour choice can be more of a strategic issue than a psychological one, and more focus can be given to the benefits of differentiation.
A good designer can guide you through the process of colour selection and advise you of any practical considerations related to specific colours. Knowing that the use of special colours can increase the cost of printing or that some colours, like orange, can be difficult to reproduce consistently across a variety of paper stock can be valuable points to know.
Whether creating new branding or reviewing existing branding the role colour plays is a key consideration. As colour choice can be subjective it is important to take a rational approach and then ensure a consistent application of colour across corporate communications or product ranges.
Chris Wadsworth is Creative Director at The Fount, a graphic design studio offering a comprehensive range of design services for print and web media. He specializes in branding and corporate communications, and along with other team members provides both strategic and design solutions for a wide variety of clients.
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