Colorful Brands

September 24, 2009 on 9:56 am | In Brand, Branding, Marketing | 3 Comments

We talked sometime back about the use of color in your branding efforts.  My Creative Team uses orange as our dominant color. Orange is considered an energetic color, connoting excitement, enthusiasm, playfulness and value. It is no secret why Home Depot and Howard Johnson selected orange. We wanted to express playfulness and good value, so orange was our choice, as well.

One of our longtime clients is Bank of Commerce, a business bank right in the heart of Bank of America country.  When this bank was starting up, it was open to the idea of color as a branding tool. Says President and CEO Wes Sturges,

Banks typically use red or blue for their color. We wanted something different to differentiate us, so we went with purple. Purple is a symbol of royalty and riches, and is said to be the color representing good judgment.We use it in everything we do from signage and business cards to our website and email newsletter.

William Arruda agrees with us that color is a powerful branding tool. In a recent article at MarketingProfs, Arruda writes,

“Some organizations are so consistent and steadfast in their use of color that they practically own that color in our minds,” he says. “Think Home Depot, National Breast Cancer Foundation, UPS, and Target.”

He offers some excellent tips on the use of color,

  • Choose a color that reflects the values of your company and resonates with your audience. Don’t pick one simply because it’s your favorite, or commit to a certain hue without first testing to see how your target market reacts.
  • If you have an international presence, determine what attributes a color might have in other cultures. Colors can mean different things in different countries, and you run the risk of sending a message you didn’t intend.
  • Be consistent in your use of color. “Always use the same shade and hue,” advises Arruda. “Know the PMS, RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key) formulas for the specific shade you choose. Your designer will be able to help, and Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign have built-in conversions.”

What colors are you using? Do they truly reflect what your organization is about?

Other Posts Of Interest

  • http://mysmallbusinessbible.com Marie-Claire

    This is a great post! Branding is so important, yet so often overlooked by businesses. I’m very glad you brought this colour aspect up, because business brands and communications is such a large part of getting noticed, remembered and recognised. As far as communications go, what is a good sales letter if it isn’t attractive enough to get consumers to read it?! Brilliant examples. Keep up the good work.

  • http://www.my-creativeteam.com Harry Hoover

    Marie-Claire, thanks for the kind words.

  • Pingback: THINKing » All Branding, All The Time

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