Color and Branding: What Your Scheme Says

You know color makes your marketing materials more appealing and exciting. The colors that represent your company do a lot more than add visual interest, though.

Your color scheme informs people what your company stands for through visual color associations. Common color associations include:

• Blue - trustworthy and reliable
• Red - strong, intense, or fierce
• Orange and yellow - inexpensive; also balance, fun and happiness
• Black and blue - high quality
• Purple and red - courage and bravery
• Black and red - fear
• Green - nature, youth and money

It's important to keep color associations in mind when developing your color scheme. Within the above associations, there are varying degrees of color intensity, which can play a role in how they are received.

The main factor is to consider the underlying associations colors have on your consumers. Carefully consider color; don't choose a scheme solely based on the fact that you like the way it looks.

In the end, your color scheme should strike a balance between something that's aesthetically pleasing to you and something that tells your customers the story you want them to hear.

For more on color associations, click here.