Color can play a major role in how folks think about your business
Color choice in branding and identity design can come from many different places. Maybe it’s simply your favorite color or the color of your house when you were a kid or it’s a representation of a word or phrase in your company name. All of those reasons are legitimate but another thing you might want to consider is the way your company will be perceived by others because of the colors you use. Some companies also think about the potential saturation of a certain color or palette in their market. We did when developing the palette for Shout Out Studio, but we also wanted our colors to reflect our personality and intention.
Though we don’t always immediately realize, colors are often tied to a particular feeling. Blues can be calming and improve focus. That’s one reason why I’m painting a wall in my office blue. You may also see lighter shades of blue or green in hospitals and doctor’s offices. Brighter hues like yellows and oranges can promote energy and freshness as well as quality.
Colors are often associated with a specific industry too, though one doesn’t always have to follow that path. You often see blue used for banking because it speaks of trust and loyalty, green for landscaping to symbolize growth and nature.
Marketo recently broke down data on the possible impact of brand color on your business. Check out the infographic here.
Our recommendation, color psychology exists for a reason so it deserves some attention. At the same time, it shouldn’t be the anchor of your colorful decisions. Don’t forget to be yourself. That shade always looks best on you.
photo credit: Horia Varlan