Many things are widely ignored in business especially because of the unawareness of its effect on people. A business plan and model is important to a business but equally important is the color used in branding the business. The color used for the logo, the designs, office space of a business has an overlooked psychological effect on people.
As humans, sometimes, we don’t know why we do some things we do. We just have a strong feeling about it. Colors have this kind of effect on people. Some colors make our blood rush, some colors stimulate hunger, arouse a feeling of happiness and joy while some others are sort of repulsive.
As a business owner, you have a value proposition you need to communicate to customers or future prospects, you want your business to be perceived in a certain way by people. The truth is that color affects perception. Ultimately, perception is everything. Have you ever felt disgusted about a thing for no particular reason? It might as well be as a result of the use of a highly unattractive color or inappropriate shade or tone of that colour.
The psychological effect of color on people may vary according to cultural or geographical differences. For instance, white is the color of mourning in India while Black symbolizes mourning in Nigeria. There is no blanket or general rule concerning the effect of certain colors on people because people have different personal preferences. However, over the years, colors have been associated with different things.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE CERTAIN COLORS?
When you see the Blue, what comes to your mind?
The Blue skies and the calm blue sea. As a result, blue has a soothing and relaxing effect. It gives the feeling of peace, stability trust and maturity. Facebook,Dell, LinkedIn, KPMG, First Bank uses the color Blue, whether intentionally or not.
Red, on the other hand, is the color of passion, energy and love. It tends to increase the rate of human metabolism and it is inviting. Most restaurants such as KFC and McDonalds uses red because it stimulates hunger. Most Energy drinks also use the color Red and Coca-Colais branded in Red. Red is a good color for calling attention of customers or prospects to something.
With Green, the first thing that comes to the mind is nature. Green also symbolizes fertility and prosperity. Remember the song "The Land is Green" by TY Bello? For this reason, Eco-friendly brands uses Green. Also, financial Organizations such as Deloitte and Diamond Bankuse Green.
As an aside, the Green in the Nigerian flag is symbolic. It stands for a nation rich in natural resources capable of creating massive wealth.
Everyone says the Sun is yellow, even though it might actually be white. The color, Yellow, is associated with sunshine, brightness, joy, happiness and playfulness. Children's brand tend to prefer to use Yellow. Yellow is used to draw attention to something and this why Taxi cabs are usually painted Yellow.
Orange, not the citrus, represents good health which is why it is usually used by health organizations. Orange combines the energy of Red and the happiness of Yellow. It is associated with creativity, friendliness, attraction, enthusiasm, fun, intellect and stimulation. Ever noticed the color of Fanta and Nickelodeon?
Purple combines the stability of blue and the Energy of Red. It is associated mainly with Royalty. Remember the 'purple royal diadem' in the Bible? Purple also symbolizes wealth, luxury, sophistication, femininity, wisdom, mystery, spirituality and creativity. The use of purple by OLAYgives the feminine and sophistication feel.
It is important to note that these meanings could be tweaked with the addition of tint(white), tone(Grey) and Shade(black). A tint or shade could give a very different meaning. For instance, the color Yellow and Purple could sometimes give a very disturbing effect when tinted or shaded in a particular manner.
Let's consider the branding color of two different banks in Nigeria.
PURPLE POLARIS
In case you've forgotten, Polaris bank is the bank that took over from Skye Bank which used to use a light blue color. On takeover, Polaris adopted a dark purple color. On the first day of the change in all physical locations, three other persons and I unknowingly laughed at the same thing, the dark purple color Polaris had chosen. I still remember how the color made me feel. It made me feel distant, like a need to disassociate myself from a thing. It had this repulsive and disturbing effect on me. Purple is my best color and I even have my room painted purple, however, I realized that this repulsiveness was based on the shade of purple used.
The Orange in GTBank
Someone once asked me: what is unique about GTB that makes them have a lot of customers?
I answered: It's the color of their brand. It is different. It exudes creativity and fun and it is inviting to young people. Actually, I think what makes GTB unique is that they live up to their Branding. Remember the Creative *737* boom? I think that GTB succeeded in using color to communicate their brand value and I hope they never lose their creativity.
I answered: It's the color of their brand. It is different. It exudes creativity and fun and it is inviting to young people. Actually, I think what makes GTB unique is that they live up to their Branding. Remember the Creative *737* boom? I think that GTB succeeded in using color to communicate their brand value and I hope they never lose their creativity.
From now on, don't choose a brand color based on personal preferences rather choose a color that passes across the message of your business. Let your brand colour do the talk!
So I’ll ask again, what is the color of your dream?
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