Welcome to the second part in a series of articles on design and branding by Vaishali Shah, founder of Creative ID, a graphic design and marketing consultancy.

Whether you are a business owner, entrepreneur or a marketing agency, the importance of colour cannot be underestimated when choosing your logo and literature.

Branding and colour

• Research shows that colour increases brand recognition by up to 80%* and 60%* of the time colour is the deciding factor in whether people are attracted to a message or not.
• Colours evoke a certain emotional response, and influence the mood that your brand or product creates
• A coloured logo can be instantly recognised, remembered and associated with a brand, whereas reading words takes much longer, e.g. Tiffany Blue, Selfridges Yellow or UPS Brown.
• When deciding on a colour for your brand consider the emotional response and associations you want to create in your target market, and whether it conveys the message appropriate to your business values and ethos.
• Although not definitive, there are general associations with certain colours such as blue with professionalism and success; green with nature and growth; yellow with friendliness and optimism.
• Be aware that a colour may have very different meanings in different countries or cultures e.g. in the US, white represents purity, while in some parts of Asia it is the colour of mourning.

At Creative ID we know that whether you are starting up or rebranding, the right colour integrated throughout your branding and literature has the power to position and define your brand’s value by generating awareness and recognition and set your brand apart from others in your industry.

For further information about branding and design, please contact Vaishali Shah at [email protected] or visit creative-id.com.

*Source: University of Loyola, Maryland study