Often when I meet with clients involved with nascent or pure start-up businesses, their logo either is yet to exist or in some stage of an idea or development. Color choice can be an incredibly important basic building block of branding for your business. Many give little thought to the color usage and wonder why their logo and branding does not work well for them over time. A smart business will understand what emotion that they are trying to convey through their product/service/expertise.
Here are the steps to understanding color branding for your business:
- First, determine what emotion you wish to convey or be known for regarding your product/service/expertise.
- Next, find the corresponding psychological color that helps you convey that message.
- Incorporate those colors into your logo. Make sure that you explain to your designer the intent/message/type of service involved.
- Don’t stop with just the logo. Make sure all of your marketing collateral follows your chosen color scheme. Carry your color scheme through to both your online and offline marketing channels – this includes your website, email and social media designs, plus your print material (brochures, business cards, signage, etc.) Establish consistency of use and theme across all of your channels!
For a handy reference, check out the following graphic. Note the various color schemes, message or emotion conveyed and the various company examples. Think about your own reaction to some of these famous company logos and you will see that there is, indeed, a psychological component to something most of us take for granted in business – choosing the colors for our brand.
Need help with your marketing plan, strategy, branding approach or to build out all of the marketing channels relevant to your business? I will integrate all of it for you to maximize success and ROI.
