Official Palette of success - What brand colors are the best?

[Adflex.io]

90 seconds after first seeing something, people make a judgement about it, and up to 90% of the impression made is based on colour alone. What I want to say is, colors are important (but I don't see much discussion about it)

What are your experiences with choosing the color for a brand or observing other logo colors? I want to know if you have noticed any patterns? Do you agree with the importance of color or is the messaging more important?

I would say personal and cultural factors determine them for the most part, so you can’t really be lazy by looking at a picture on the internet containing a simplified classification of the function of different colors and using it thinking you now know it all about color psychology. You have to keep in mind what emotions you want your audience to feel towards your brand’s personality. The color you choose may correspond to a general characteristic, but it’s more important that it fits your brand’s personality and gives you an unforgettable look. The notion that green, for example, is a color of calmness and nature may be known by most people, but that hasn’t stopped a company like Monster Energy which is associated with sports and…well…energy, use it. Yet the color fits perfectly.

On the other hand common color associations DO exist, and admittedly, becoming familiar with the colors that affect most people’s perceptions in a mostly similar way is actually a great starting step. So I’ll give a quick guide and hopefully this thread will be a place to gather more opinions and examples regarding color psychology and color choices!

SO in general, we can say:

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- Red can affect your physical body and increase your blood pressure AND appetite. This is the color of passion and danger, so it’s appropriate for different products from inviting food at McDonalds to speedy cars.​

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- Green, of course, the color of nature, growth, freshness, and calmness. Think: Wholefoods, Starbucks. But as previously said it doesn’t have to solely represent that. Think about Spotify, it uses green to convey the healing, cheerful state of listening to music.​

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- Even more calming than green is blue, think again of nature but this time the sea and the sky. That’s why blue is so powerful. It is also an indicator of intelligence, trust, and security. Next time you see the Boeing or Visa logos, remember they are trying to gain your trust by their colour.​

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- Yellow is associated with youth, sunshine, and happiness. All is good. On the other hand, it also has a connotation for caution as seen in road signs.​

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- Orange also has a great range. Think of Nickelodeon to remember the joyful, entertaining vibe it exudes. Then think about the many supermarket chains that use it to show they have cheap and affordable products!​

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- White & Black: These are real double-edged swords. They are pretty hard to execute, and once done poorly can either bore the customer or make them feel purely miserable. Once done nicely, though, they’re a clear sign of modernity and luxury.​

Looking forward to more discussion about this!

 

[Graybeard]

You need to look at a multi-cultural color chart if you are designing outside of a locale you are familiar with.

What color `says something` in one culture may mean something different or the opposite in another.

Do you know the Chevy Nova branding joke?

 

[Adflex.io]

That was a great point about multi cultural color charts. I found one but again I don't think it is sufficient to look at simplified charts like this. It's good to conduct some research on the community and culture and even talk to some locals with first-hand knowledge on the way colors are interpreted if possible. This will probably lead to a more efficient outcome.

Btw, I wonder if this uniqueness of color interpretations means the color of an international brand is less important?

Also, do you mean the Chevy Nova Legend about failing to sell in Spanish-Speaking countries? I can't believe I hadn't heard of it till now lol

 

[lersa]

It is very helpful here, thank you! As for me, I like designing some cool stuff like ********, for example. And learning about design is pretty nice and helpful. What do you mostly design, guys? Give me examples of your work please

 

[Graybeard]

Btw, I wonder if this uniqueness of color interpretations means the color of an international brand is less important?

I think is is more of a heads up to possible double or negative connotations (impressions[meanings]) not to brand a Nova
What I have always done is to search domains with that country's (or market's) ccTLD (ex: .us, .de, .jp, .my, etc.) and look at the colors used --that can be a good indicator also

Also, do you mean the Chevy Nova Legend about failing to sell in Spanish-Speaking countries? I can't believe I hadn't heard of it till now lol

Yes, that is a famous marketing lesson ...

 

[Graybeard]

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Cultural affinity will vary a lot, as illustrated in the bird/gun/dagger/bullet quandary above --different groups of people will reach different conclusions based on their shared experience.