Each colour narrates a story of its own. When one is posed with the particular shade of red, they automatically think of McDonald’s. Similarly, social media apps like Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, and more, come to mind when blue is posed. These examples depict that brand is colour and colour is brand. The shades of the brand have the power to impact its perception. Colours, however, are not just limited to companies. They reflect your personality as well. Colour psychology may assist you and your product or service to establish trust and reliability.
A study by Kissmetrics shows that colour increases brand recognition by 80%. In other research, it was found that a product’s colour influences the customer’s purchasing decision by 60% to 80%. So, how do you go about choosing a palette that defines you, your brand and suits its personality? What should you keep in mind while choosing the hues?
Take a look at these tips to help get you started!
1. Be a Front Runner in the Crowd
First and foremost, opt for a colour that hasn’t been chosen by another brand. Research and look up the palettes of famous companies so that yours doesn’t coincide. Take time to choose your brand colours. Because the more unique your colour is, the more powerful your brand will be in a cluttered market arena. Moreover, it will set you apart from the crowd. If you want to take a step ahead, select a font that compliments the brand colour and its identity.
2. What Do the Colours Mean?
Before taking this irreversible decision, ask yourself, “What is the brand about? What is its personality?”. You can also ask yourself “Which colour resonates most with my personality?” or “What do I want people to relate with me for?”
The second step is to understand the emotion that each colour evokes. For instance, blue, which shows up in 33% of the top 100 brands in the world, is used for projecting calmness and reliability. Hence, it is used by Visa, PayPal, Samsung, to show reliability. Red, used in brands like Red Bull and Tinder, denotes passion and energy. Thus, fully comprehend the brand’s identity and personality. Don’t be biased and pick your own favourite colours. Put your brand or yourself as the brand first.
3. Surveys Never Disappoint
Different colours can have distinctive meanings in multiple nations. For example, in India, red is associated with purity and spirituality. Meanwhile, red represents violence and death in Nigeria. To understand the psyche of your target audience, it is best to ask them. Create a simple survey of 5-10 questions which colour relates to what emotion. You can market the survey on social media hubs. Make sure to keep the geography of your location in mind while creating the survey!
4. Don’t Go Overboard
One is a wanderer, two is a company, three is a crowd. Choosing various colours in your theme might confuse the customers as they won’t be able to relate to just one colour. Instead of overfilling the logo and brand, pick out a pair of colours that truly depicts your persona or your service. Look at the colour wheel to understand the relationship between primary (red, blue and yellow), secondary (purple, green and orange), and tertiary colours. The 12 colours in the wheel can help you find complementary and contrasting options.
5. Uniformity on Platforms
Choosing the colours to market your brand or yourself is just the initial phase. To imprint the shades to your customer’s mind, use the same colour scheme on all your platforms. Make the header and the panels of the website in accordance with the brand. Social media hubs like Facebook and Twitter have a cover photo option that can be personalised to the colour of the brand.
They say never judge a book by its cover. In this case, however, judgement is done on first glance. The colours you choose will have a role to play in visibility, approachability, customer involvement, purchasing decision, and more. Opt a colour palette that shows the brand’s service, flow, and creativity or displays your inherent qualities. It’s the first most crucial step of brand building!
