Choosing the right colour
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Ever wondered about the messages the colours of your brand say? Gosh Golly gives you some insight into the meaning of colour
Have you ever had your colours done? No? Neither had I until recently! One of my clients* is a colour consultant for Colour Me Beautiful and as I am getting married this year, I thought it would be a good idea to find out what colours suited me best. It was very interesting and I am now fully equipped with a booklet of swatches outlining what colours I can wear.
Colour is such an integral part of our lives and it sits there in our subconscious picking up meanings without us even being aware of it. Whether it is the colour of clothes or the colour of our cars, we are constantly giving out messages. Wearing red gets you noticed and may not be the best colour to wear if going into a confrontational situation, and red cars are popular targets for thieves!
As a graphic designer I have to consider the use of colour and it’s connotations every day of my working life. When developing a brand for a company, as well as the usual logo, fonts and photography guidelines, they will also be provided with a colour palette illustrating what colours to use and how.
Look around at various logos and consider the choice of colours – BP for example use green and yellow. Green is the colour of nature, it is the easiest colour on the human eye and can improve vision. It is used to indicate safety and is considered calming and refreshing. In more recent years ‘green’ is used as a positive colour to suggest kindness to the environment. Yellow is another positive colour associated with sunshine and happiness. It is an attention grabber and evokes pleasant, cheerful feelings. Yellow does have it’s place, and can sometimes be perceived as childish – you would be hard pressed so see someone wearing a yellow business suit for example!
What about red? Another very popular colour for logos it is the most emotionally intense colour stimulating a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is associated with energy, strength, power, passion and love. It is highly visible and brings designs to the foreground. Energy drinks, sports related items and anything energetic use red because of it’s connotations.
Think of other well known logos and what do the colours mean. Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow, brown is solid and reliable, black powerful and elegant. White is pure and sterile and purple extravagant and creative. Blue is one of the most popular colours being peaceful, loyal and trustworthy – the famous Ford car logo springs to mind.
What does your own company logo mean to you now in terms of the colour used? Like life and taxes there is no getting away from it, colour really does influence our way of thinking, whether we are aware of it or not!
*transformingU.co.uk is one of Gosh Golly’s clients: A Colour Me Beautiful consultant in colour analysis
