Colour for life and business: decoding the rainbow
Colour is an extremely powerful and emotive thing. As well as providing inspiration and offering a means of expression, it impacts us consciously and subconsciously.
So how do you decide on the colour of your business logo? The answer is, there’s no one size fits all option, it’s all dependent on your business and customers.
To celebrate International Colour Day on March 21, Brother Ireland is sharing some handy tips to help you make that all-important decision.
Black
Unsurprisingly black is one of the most popular choices for logos and is the go-to colour for companies wanting a traditional look.
Opting for a simplistic black logo will make your brand appear timeless, luxurious and even mysterious.
As the colour of grief, black is generally avoided by brands offering healthcare, baby and family products.
Blue
Blue is one of the most popular choices for logos and a colour that we at Brother are proud to have representing our brand. The colour signifies calm, maturity, logic, honesty and intelligence.
However, due to the popularity, if you opt for a blue logo, it needs to stand out from the crowd to ensure your business gets noticed. An option to help distinguish your brand from your competitors is to add a strapline, for example:
Brother uses our ‘At your side’ business motto.
A blue logo is one to avoid if you’re in the food industry as the colour is rare in food and suppresses your appetite – nobody wants to eat a plate of blue food.
Red
Red is a controversial colour as it has mixed connotations with both passion and anger. However, as a logo, it can be powerful, loud, modern and playful.
A scientific theory is that humans can see red better than other colours as historically it helped us to spot fruits growing on trees.
The stand-out it provides has led to some of the world’s most recognisable brands such as Coca-Cola and Netflix using red in their logo. Teaming a red logo with white, black or yellow colours can add extra impact.
Green
Thanks to its versatility, green is a colour that can work for many brands as it is calming, trustworthy and secure.
Commonly associated with nature, green is often used for organic, natural and eco brands.
As a symbol of growth and new life, it’s a colour that is used by ambitious and successful companies including Starbucks, Android, Heineken and Land Rover.
Brown
As a natural colour, brown has similar connotations to green and it is commonly associated with organic or eco-friendly products. More specifically, the colour is best suited for outdoorsy companies and those selling naturally brown products like coffee and chocolate.
Typically brown logos feel more masculine, makes your brand appear more rugged and creates a vintage and hand-made feel.
It doesn’t tend to work as well for leisure, finance, and IT firms.
Orange
Orange is an energetic and playful colour. It’s not commonly seen in logos for corporate companies or brands that are luxurious, feminine or serious.
Orange is often used for brands offering affordability with reasonable quality and is good for firms operating in travel such as easyJet.
The colour triggers associations with religion in many Asian countries, especially Buddhism and Hinduism.
Yellow
Having a yellow logo provides a ‘feel good’ vibe for a business. It reflects sunshine, happiness and cheer and is often used by fun brands as opposed to corporate organisations.
The colour can also reflect hunger and is used by popular food chains including McDonalds and Subway. Children are more likely to pay attention to primary colours, so it’s often the preferred colour when targeting the younger generation.
Pink
Traditionally pink is seen as a feminine colour. However, in recent years due to the rise of ‘millennial pink’ it has steered away from the stereotype and become a much more gender-neutral colour.
Pink logos are fun, warming and make people reminisce about childhood. As pink is not a popular choice for logos, it’s a good colour to choose as it will help your brand stand out from the crowd.
In Japan, pink is a traditional colour of spring as it matches the blooming cherry blossoms, the colour also denotes youth and good health.
To bring colour to life in your business, find out how you can make first impressions count with our colour business inkjet range.
At your side to colour your world
Brother launched its first ever colour printer model, the dot matrix M-1024 in 1985. Ever since, we've strived to create devices that offer high-quality output with bold colours and clear definition.
See our full range of colour printers here.
Sources
https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-meanings-in-business.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4133212/What-babies-see.html
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-eye-color-is-the-most-common-in-the-world.html
https://www.colormatters.com/the-meanings-of-colors/purple
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/get_involved/blog/the-green-green-colour-of-the-natural-world
https://www.thefactsite.com/2016/08/color-orange-facts.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/qi/8345477/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-orange.html
