Leeann Matthews
Jul 21, 2017 · 3 min read

Top Tips For Financial Services #7 July 2017

What Does Your Logo Colour Say About You?

“Colour is like food for the spirit, plus it’s not addictive or fattening!” Isaac Mizrahi, Fashion designer

I don’t know if you paid any attention to the phycology of colour when choosing the palette of your company brand; but if you’re in the mood for something light hearted over the summer, read on to learn what research says about your colour choice and its affect on viewer perceptions:

BLUE

Time and time again, research finds that blue is the favourite colour of both men and women, which explains why it is the world’s most popular choice of brand colour! Apparently, ‘blue’ affects us mentally, with strong blues stimulating clear thought, and lighter blues soothing the mind and aiding concentration. Be warned though, because while it is perceived to stimulate feelings of trust, security and order, it can also be perceived as cold and unfriendly.

RED

Although not technically the most visible, red has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore grabs our attention first; hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over! Red evokes a physical, passionate and visceral response that increases the heart rate and activates the pituitary gland. So its a great choice if you want to get noticed.

YELLOW
Because yellow is reminiscent of the sun, it communicates hope and optimism and is the strongest colour, psychologically. It stimulates feelings of energy and warmth and is especially useful in catching a clients eye.

ORANGE

Since orange is a combination of red and yellow, reaction to the colour orange is a combination of the physical and phycological. Apparently, it stimulates feelings of energy, security, balance, and fun.

GREEN

Being in the centre of the colour spectrum, green is the colour of balance and harmony, which makes it a reassuring colour at a primitive level.

BROWN
Brown has associations with the earth and the natural world. It is a solid, reliable colour and most people find it quietly supportive. Brown speaks of earthly simplicity; reliability, elegance, security, strength and durability. It also stimulates the appetite. But use it carefully because it can also be perceived as being boring or dull.

PURPLE

Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red and is often associated with royalty, value, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple communicates in a positive way and is said to have the power to uplift, calm nerves and encourage creativity. That said, few brands choose it for their logo because while royalty and value can be seen as positive associations, they also have negative connotations, and can often communicate in an arrogant way. Another reason is that on the colour spectrum, purple lies at the very shortest frequency of wavelengths visible to the human eye and as a result, can be a difficult colour to work with.

BLACK

Black is all colours, totally absorbed, so naturally the psychological implications of that are considerable. Since no wavelengths are reflected in it, black is essentially an absence of light, as a result it can be perceived as menacing in some contexts. Used positively within a brand it communicates absolute clarity, sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white.

WHITE

Just as black is total absorption, so white is total reflection. In effect, it reflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also creates barriers and it is often a strain to look at. It communicates purity, cleanliness, hygiene and sterility; so its not surprising it’s a favourite of pharma brands and beauty saloons the world over. In practical terms, a white logo will always need to stand in a coloured field to make it show up on a white background.

Until next time…

Leeann

www.amplifyservices.ie

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Leeann Matthews

Written by

Amplify Marketing & PR Services

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