How to Use Colour Theory for Brand Design
Yesterday may have been blue Monday, and it might be day 27658 of January, but it's not too early in the year to start welcoming brighter colours into your life. Why? well colour makes a huge difference to your emotional wellbeing.
In fact colour triggers all sorts of emotions.
Thats why the top brands have colour psychology deeply rooted in their brand identity.
You’ve heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses”, but what about “stop and take in the colours”? The colours your brand uses to represent itself can make or break it. It’s not just a logo or a website design; it’s an experience. Colour theory is an important part of creating that experience- one that draws customers in and keeps them engaged with your brand.
Colour Psychology
When I think about colour in brand i instantly think about Mondelēz International Cadburys, purple. This identity is so deeply routed in the UK's hearts that as soon as you see that beautiful tone, you instantly think of comfort.
Colours evoke strong emotions and influence customer behaviour. For example, blue is associated with trustworthiness and dependability while red is often used to encourage action. By understanding how colour affects people psychologically, you can use it to influence their behaviour towards your brand. This can be especially useful if you are trying to target a specific type of customer or market segment.
Did Cadburys create the feeling with purple? Or is purple now associated with comfort because of Cadburys?
Mark Ritson chats all things brand identity here which includes the distinctive assets of colour and the salience of a jingle! >>> https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-sonic-branding/
Using Colour Theory for Brand Design
When designing for your company, there are two important aspects of colour theory to keep in mind: Contrast and Complimenting Colours. Contrast can make elements stand out by making them pop against the background while complimenting colours create a unified feel across all elements of your brand design. When used correctly, these techniques can give your brand a professional look that helps establish trust between you and potential customers.
Using colour wisely also means choosing colours that will work well together on different devices and platforms. To ensure consistency across all channels, stick with popular web-safe colours like blues, greens, purples, reds, oranges, and yellows that don't clash when viewed on different screens or backgrounds. Additionally, research shows that dark text on top of light backgrounds is most legible so consider using this combination as much as possible when creating your designs.
If you are looking for inspiration for a new colour palette, try Coolors https://coolors.co/ . It's a brilliant swatch generator that helps to get your creative juices flowing.
What do colours mean?
🔴 Red: Red is an intense colour that conveys passion, energy, strength and ambition. It is often used to represent love, power, danger and excitement. It can also be used to express urgency or call attention to important messages or products. Brands like The Coca-Cola Company or McDonald's use red to imply a sense of urgency and loyalty. If your brand wants to stand out from the crowd with a bold statement, go for red! Added points to McDonalds for implementing a further brand asset this month with their eyebrow campaign to represent their golden arches >>> https://www.creativereview.co.uk/eyebrows-mcdonalds-campaign/
🔵 Blue: Blue has many different meanings depending on its shade. Light blue can be associated with trustworthiness, reliability and peacefulness while bright blues are often used in logos associated with technology companies like Microsoft or Meta as they are associated with intelligence and innovation. Blue is widely seen as a calming colour which is why it is popular amongst corporate brands looking for stability and strength in their messaging.
🟡 Yellow: Yellow is often associated with optimism, cheerfulness, joy and happiness - making it the perfect choice for brands looking to convey these positive emotions through their messaging. Bright yellows can also connote warning such as caution signs while lighter shades are often seen as more gentle - such as those associated with children's products or services. Brands like Post-it and Snap Inc. use yellow in their branding because of its ability to stand out from the crowd without being too aggressive.
Ultimately, the way you use colour in your branding has the power to attract potential customers or drive them away from viewing it altogether! By understanding how colour affects people psychologically and using contrast and complimentary colours in your design process, you can create a memorable look for your brand that customers will respond positively to. Finally- don't forget to test out different hues on different devices so you know exactly how they will look before presenting them to anyone else! That way you'll have an idea of what works best across various channels before investing too heavily into any particular design concept.