Brand Colors and Why They Matter

Let’s Talk about branding colors and why they are so critical to your brand. How many of you have chosen a product off the shelf based on how the packaging looked?  You aren’t alone. I am also guilty of this, and research shows that at least a third of product decision-making is based on the packaging. The packaging is just as important as the product itself.  Based on this statistic, I want to strictly talk about color schemes and how they can make or break your brand. 

Color

People make a subconscious judgment about a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing, and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone (Source). This statistic means the color can be a major determining factor for your consumer. When looking at two products, whatever color they are drawn to might be the difference between the consumer choosing your product over another. Color can tell the story of your brand and increase your brand recognition by 80%.

Psychology of Color

Now that we know how important color is to your branding, we need to know how to pick your color scheme. There are so many colors to choose from. What does color actually mean? Let’s go over the attributes of some colors so it can help you align with your brand:

White is associated with simplicity, elegance, and purity.

Black is associated with sophistication, strength, and authority.

Blue is associated with strength, honesty, dependability, harmony, and serenity.

Red is associated with excitement, passion, and strength.

Green is associated with security growth and harmony.

Orange is associated with fun, adventure, and friendliness.

Yellow is associated with fun, optimism, and energy.

Turquoise is associated with calmness, clarity, and purity.

Purple is associated with Indulgence, Luxury, and spirituality.

Pink is associated with calming, beauty, and femininity.

Gray is associated with conservative, elegant, calm, and mysterious.

Knowing what colors exemplify can help you match what you want your brand to say. It’s also important to know what colors are prominent in your industry. For example, generally green relates to healthy food. Using green will help associate your brand as being healthy based on the color choice of green.  Whereas if you used yellow, it would associate your brand with high-energy serotonin-inducing foods, which may not be what you want your first impression to be. 

Color Brands

Now that we have discussed all things color, I want to go over some successful companies.

Let’s take Tiffany’s, for example; if you see that specific hue of turquoise, you know it’s Tiffany’s jewelry. They have created a brand that you strongly relate to by color. 

Coca-Cola is one of the most infamous brands out there. When you see that red can, you know it’s a Coca-Cola, and even if it’s a generic brand, you still associate that red can with the original brand Coca-Cola.

The Starbucks green also resonates with consumers. Chances are, when you see a cup with a  green logo on it; you identify this with Starbucks. 

Many brands have done a great job of using color to help identify their brand in less than 90-seconds, which is the window we referred to earlier. You can also be one of these brands! Use color to help with your branding and marketing. If you need help with a color scheme for your brand and packaging, check out Pantone to look for inspiration and color schemes to fit your brand.

If you have any questions about brand marketing, reach out to the team at Digitiv