How colors shape your brand identity, influence customer perceptions, and boost your business
Colors play a powerful role in our life - branding and marketing are no exception. They’re one of the first things we perceive about a website, ad or product. In addition to aesthetics, colors carry cultural meanings that can subconsciously affect how people feel about your brand. When creating your brand’s visual identity, choosing an impactful and memorable color palette is one of the most important things you can do. So how do you start?
Color psychology 101
One place to start is with basic color psychology. The following is a list of common associations with some colors:
• Red: Energy, passion, urgency
• Blue: Trust, calm, dependability
• Green: Growth, health, sustainability
• Yellow: Happiness, optimism, caution
• Gold: Luxury, Sophistication, Success
• Black and white: Elegance, simplicity, professionalism
• Silver: Modernity, Innovation, calm Elegance
It is worth noting that these associations are also often cultural. For example, in some Eastern cultures red is associated more with luck and prosperity. In a similar vein, we have also developed cultural notions of feminine and masculine colors, with pink, purple and pastel tones being considered more feminine. Therefore, it is important to also consider your target audience - are they from a similar culture to you? Are you targeting a specific gender?
On the topic of gender, it is worth noting that in today’s society, pushing gender stereotypes too hard may backfire. Many women may feel turned off by a brand that tries too hard to look obviously feminine. Subtlety is key here, especially if you are marketing to adults.
However, gender is still something to keep in mind when considering your target audience. For example, studies have shown that women are more likely to be able to distinguish between more subtle differences in color. Men require slightly longer wavelengths of light to see the same colors women do - which may explain why women tend to prefer longer-wavelength colors with tints (i.e. lighter colors), while men tend to prefer bolder colors and shorter-wavelength colors with shades (i.e. darker colors).
Creating a cohesive visual identity
Your brand’s visual identity is made up largely of the logo, website and mobile app (if you have one), and it is important to have a color scheme that is consistent between all of these mediums. Your brand name, logo and color scheme should create a cohesive whole. The current trend for logos is for them to be very simple - multiple big brands have simplified their logos in recent years.
However, trends come and go, so matching the simple text style many companies are currently going for shouldn’t be your first priority. It’s more important for your logo to look memorable and unique, but also make sense and be easily readable. When designing websites and apps for your brand, readability and accessibility should be a high consideration. Make sure the contrast between background and text colors is high enough to be easily read, for example.
Contrast can also be used to bring attention to important elements on the page, as higher contrast colors automatically draw attention - this can be used when highlighting important information or when designing buttons (think of the highly contrasting greens and reds typically used for ‘confirm’ and ‘cancel’ buttons). A design that is both aesthetically pleasing and creates an intuitive and easy user experience will make your app or website more inviting, drawing more potential customers to use your company.
Case study: Twitter/X
A great example of the importance of visual identity and color is X, formerly known as Twitter. Twitter had a highly recognisable and cohesive brand identity, with its blue bird logo and “tweets”. Blue is the most common color for social media apps to use, with other examples being Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr. It is a color that is broadly liked by both men and women and evokes feelings of calmness, trust and dependability. The light shade of blue used by Twitter created a bright but calm visual environment for the app.
Contrast this with the new black and white X logo and you get a completely different experience. The stark contrasting colors feel more strong and professional, but not necessarily inviting - which is what you would want a social media app to be. With the default dark mode it feels almost oppressive compared to the old, light design. This may be among the reasons the number of users of the platform seems to be going down since the rebranding. Color matters! Do you want to evoke feelings of power and professionality or is it more important for your brand to be friendly and welcoming?
The anatomy of a color scheme
A color scheme should generally include primary, secondary and accent colors. A few common types of color schemes are monochromatic, complementary and triadic:
• Monochromatic - uses a single color with varying shades and tints. Creates a clean and cohesive look.
• Complementary - based on two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g. orange and blue). Uses contrast to make elements pop.
• Triadic - uses three colors an equal distance from each other on the color wheel, with the same tone. Balances three colors for dynamic visual appeal.
After choosing a color scheme, one color should be picked as the primary color for your brand, with a secondary color to complement it. The other colors can be used as accents for details in the branding and design. This will help your visuals look aesthetically pleasing and cohesive.
Building a visual identity for your brand may seem complicated, but there are many guidelines to help you. And, if you want a truly outstanding look get professional help.
