This article is the 1st in a series written to explain colour theory, why it’s important to your business, and how to leverage this information to create a brand for your business that will stand out from the crowd. Part 1 will discuss why colour theory is important to your business.
Many of us see and interact with colour every day, and many of us have emotional responses to different colours in different contexts. But what is this vivid rainbow, and how does it interact with your business? How can you take the spectrum of colours and apply it to creating a memorable, strong business image?
Colour is light carried on wavelengths which are absorbed by our eyes, after which, our brain converts these wavelengths into colour! Different wavelengths create different colours, and this variety of colours is known as the colour spectrum. The colour spectrum is six distinct colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. When you see an object which appears to be one colour, say green, that means that the object you are looking at is absorbing all of the colours in the spectrum except for green light, and it is that reflection you are seeing which makes the object appear green.
Throughout history, colour has been an important element of life for many cultures! In Ancient Egypt, colour was used for healing, with colours being used to heal different ailments or illnesses. The Ancient Egyptians believed that chromotherapy, that is, healing through the spectrum of visual colour, was discovered by the god Thoth, and therefore a divine engagement. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks believed that the use of colour was intrinsic to healing, which involved restoring balance.1
Why are the healing beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks relevant to your business? The evidence of these beliefs existing for thousands of years, that different colours impact individuals at such a foundational level, suggests that if a business is able to harness the effect of those colours, it will set a foundational precedent for the personality and reception of the business.
Why is Colour Important to My Business?
According to various studies, it takes 90 seconds or less of an initial interaction for people to make up their minds regarding products. This snap judgement can take in many aspects such as imagery, wording, tonality, etc., but over half of this assessment, at least 62%, is on colours alone. These initial impressions can influence the viewer’s moods and feelings, and therefore their attitude towards products. This said, it follows that colour plays a huge role in this integral moment.2
It has been evidenced that three main components of colour play a huge role in consumer brand perceptions:3
- Hue – a colour or shade which is discernible as blue, yellow, green, etc
- Saturation – the amount of pigment in a colour. A value with lower saturation will appear washed out or grey, where one with high saturation will appear vivid.
- Value – the amount of lightness or darkness relative to a scale that ranges from black (low) to white (high).
- Hue – a colour or shade which is discernible as blue, yellow, green, etc
Think for a moment about some of the brands that stand out in your memory. What colours do you associate with them? Coca Cola is red, Pepsi is blue, Penguin Books are orange, etc. For many of these brands, colour is the first instinctive tool of recognition we have. The golden yellow of McDonald’s arches is tied deeply to their branding, can you imagine if they suddenly decided to make those arches red or blue? The identity of McDonald’s is tied to the colour of the arches, at a fundamental level, which means the choice of golden yellow was perhaps the most important decision made in their branding history.
We know now that colours are combined with the personalities of brands, but now for a moment consider multiple brands with the same hue, but different saturation or value. The Roughriders, John Deere, and Spotify all have green logos, and yet all are slightly different. The Roughriders logo is lower in value, while John Deere is higher. Spotify is a slightly different hue of green, leaning more to the yellow side, and is slightly lower in saturation. What do these changes mean? Both the Roughriders and John Deere logos are highly saturated, which some studies suggest indicates a perception of “ruggedness.” Additionally, lowered value can increase that same perception of “ruggedness.”3 Thus, it is not only the choice of hue that can define a brand, but the value and saturation as well.
When determining the colour palette of your business’s branding, marketing, and logos, keep in mind that not all greens are the same, etc. The colour of a brand, all three aspects of it, should activate related colour associations which will then contribute to a greater perception of the brand’s personality. As a customer or client becomes familiar with your brand, they will instinctively become attached to the brand’s visual identity, an identity which is founded on the intrinsic meaning that colour carries. Thus, it is paramount to create a brand identity and colour palette that will best represent your brand, as it will be linked inexorably to your business’s personality and identity.
Take a look at this cola bottle. While there is no logo to be found, the vibrant red of the cap and label can identify it as Coca Cola. Colour precedes label or image, it is fundamental to the development of a brand.
Once you have chosen a colour to attach to your brand, stick with it! It can be difficult to change your colour palette after the fact, as clients and customers will be attached to the meaning they have associated with the colour and personality of your business. Recall in 2014, when the Roughriders debuted their “Blitz Green” jerseys. While many did not mind the change, there was a group of fans who were adamantly opposed to the change in hue, value, and saturation, even though it was an accent colour to the standard “Rider Green.” If you take a look at brands throughout history, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and others, the typography and images of the brand may shift over time, but the colours of the most successful brands stay resolute. Customers and clients connect to colours at an instinctive level, and will react to a change to those colours accordingly.
As you determine what colours will best suit your brand, your products, and your intended impression, keep in mind that elements of personal preference, experience, upbringing, cultural difference, context, etc. can hugely impact the effect of individual colours. This means that a colour which means “happy” to one person, might mean “energized” to the next or “hectic” to another! One colour might come across as “calming” to someone, but “sad” to the next.
Colour response is too dependent on an individual’s experience to be translated universally to specific feeling, but research shows this does not mean colour perception is so undefinable as to be a moot point. Colours impact how consumers view the personality of a brand, and further, studies have shown that our brains prefer recognizable brands. This means that colour is vital to creating a brand identity that customers will recognize and love.4
Download this resource Colour Theory for Marketing and Branding: Part 1 – Why It Is Important.
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1 Yousuf Azeemi, Samina, S. Mohsin Raza. “A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and its Scientific Evolution.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297510/#__ffn_sectitle
2 Singh, Satyendra. “Impact of Color On Marketing.” University of Winnipeg. https://ion.uwinnipeg.ca/~ssingh5/x/color.pdf
3 Labrecque, Lauren I., George R. Milne. “Exciting Red and Competent Blue: The Importance of Color in Marketing.” Academy of Marketing Science. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11747-010-0245-y.pdf
4 Ciotti, Gregory. “The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna55181736
