Power of Color in Brand Identity Design
One of the most important decisions in the branding process is choosing the colors. Color is one of the first things people notice about a brand. Think of a few popular brand logos like AT&T, Coca Cola or Mastercard. The color stands out and is easily recognizable. Color is an important aspect of your brand voice and has a significant impact on the perception of your brand by the target audience. Color influences people’s perceptions and impacts how people interact with your brand.
Color is not just about personal preference or that it looks nice. It is a proven fact that the psychology of color impacts our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. This in turn has a direct impact on how people chose to interact with the brand and essentially on their decision-making.
Each brand uses colors that are appealing to its target audience. A children’s clothing brand may use bright colors appealing to the fun-loving and adventurous nature of kids, whereas a formal clothing store would use sophisticated and muted colors to convey elegance.
Some key ways in which color influences brand identity designs
Brand Personality: The personality and values of a brand can be conveyed via color. Blue is associated with stability and professionalism, so it’s no wonder that popular tech brands like Microsoft, and HP use blue, whereas orange is associated with life and passion hence athletic brand Nike uses orange for its packaging.
Brand Recognition: Consistent use of brand colors helps in brand recognition. Consistent color schema across platforms namely, website, social media, print materials, staff uniforms, store accents, etc creates a sense of trust via familiarity.
Customer Behavior: Decision-making is certainly influenced by color. Bright colors evoke a sense of action leading to faster decision-making. Therefore products that gain by impulse purchase prefer brighter colors. Coca-Cola is an apt example of this. Think of the grocery store checkout bar. KitKat and Cheetos pop because of their bright colors. On the other hand services or products that encourage research and thinking have milder colors like blue and green that create a sense of calm.
The ultimate decision on choosing the right color is a combination of a few key factors
Target Audience: whatever you do or don’t do, it’s ultimately your customers who decide to purchase. So it is not a secret that choosing a color that resonates well with your potential customers will help in establishing a strong connection leading to brand loyalty.
Industry: Standing out from your competition is essential, at the same time it is still required to stay within the logical boundaries to stay relevant. The coffee industry often uses earthy colors like green and brown in its branding. While occasionally there are a few other colors added to enhance and differentiate their branding, the core colors do not change much.
Brand values: Evoking emotions is a major role that color plays. Choosing colors that relate to and resonate with your brand values is essential. It reflects what you offer and how your brand is positioned. A fitness instructor who takes an adventurous and fun approach may use purple, yellow, or orange colors to their branding, while someone who takes a health-conscious and serious approach would use green predominantly.
Brands can create a strong and memorable visual identity by using colors. By understanding the psychology of color and choosing colors strategically brands can enhance their visual positioning. Color, if used right, can play an important role in branding, leading to marketing success.