The Branding Power of Color Schemes

The colors you choose to define your brand – known as a color scheme – are very important and should be chosen with your target market in mind. Colors mean something to each of us, and can mean something different to various industries, countries and cultures. Understanding the balance and energy of the colors you choose to represent your brand can help you better connect with your audience and enhance your brand essence. Remember, your brand and company’s colors should be meaningful and memorable to your customers and potential customers.

The Psychology Behind Color Schemes

Study after study has shown that the use of color in branding plays an important and sometimes pivotal role in how brands are perceived by consumers and the public at large. While some academics and branding experts disagree with many of the specific (and often contradictory) conclusions of these studies, there is a consensus that it is important to choose colors wisely (one study claims that 90% of consumers make snap purchasing decisions based on packaging colors alone) and ensure that the colors you choose reflect the personality of your brand, differentiate yourself from your competitors, and are appropriate based on the product or service being offered.

Does Your Color Scheme Reflect Your Personality?

We may not be always consciously aware of it, but as individuals we make many choices regarding our personal appearance – and, by extension, the color of our clothes and other personal belongings – based on our personalities. For example, an introverted person may choose to wear subdued colors and unobtrusive fashions, while an extrovert may choose to wear flashier colors and clothing styles. Choosing an effective and appropriate color scheme for your business has a lot to do with how you want the your collective personality reflected in your branding – frozen yogurt shops rarely utilize dark, conservative color schemes, while law firms don’t typically use a color scheme of bright, cheerful colors. No matter what business you are in you should choose a color scheme that accurately reflects your business’s personality.

Use Colors To Differentiate Yourself From Your Competitors

If you are familiar with the consumer mobile communications industry in the United States, you may be surprised to realize that you strongly associate a particular color with each prominent carrier – Verizon is associated with red, AT&T with blue, Sprint with yellow and T-Mobile with magenta. This use of color to boost brand differentiation in this industry is so ingrained that carriers such as Verizon often showcase devices featuring their signature color, and T-Mobile recently sued AT&T to prevent an AT&T subsidiary from utilizing another shade of purple. Not only is it important to use a unique color scheme within your industry to differentiate your brand, it is also important not to run afoul of trademark law by utilizing branding elements, including color schemes, that are too similar to a competitor’s branding.