Rock + Feather Graphic Design

She saw red. He was green with envy. Are you feeling blue? Often colors are used to evoke and express emotion in language and design and there’s a reason. People see in many colors (and some don’t; to see your website as a colorblind person would, go here), a distinct trait not shared with many other animal groups. Whether we are aware of it or not, the colors we see affect us, and can be used in  branding strategy to your advantage.

What are culturally relevant colors? The colors that personally appeal to you may not be the colors that are best for your company. Branding agencies often recommend that you choose the color on the color wheel that is opposite your competition, to distinguish your logo from theirs. But what do you do if another stakeholder in the market has chosen red to their green, or purple to their yellow?

Looking at cultural factors can help you wade through the many choices as you develop a color palette for your business. In the U.S., many food companies use red in their logotypes, including Pizza Hut, Coca Cola and Google’s new Android phone. Red is seen as an auspicious color in many Asian cultures, and in business parlance it’s a good thing if your company is in the red. But studies also show that people eat more in red rooms. In other words, if you’re developing a weight-loss company, you may want to avoid red altogether, and you’ll note that most fast food brands have some significant red elements in their color systems.

American bridal companies may blanket their sites with creamy whites and eggshell colors, but an Eastern bridal site would do better to avoid white, as its historically seen as the color of mourning.

Still, as cultures increasingly intersect in the global marketplace, perceptions of colors will necessarily change and what was once a color of weddings and funerals may come to signify wind energy and aerospace engineering. During the Victorian era, blue stood for girls because it was seen as passive, and pink was reserved for boys, as it was considered more linked to the vitality of blood.

Likewise, global economics and corporations have an effect on perception of colors. Studies show that fashion colors are often more muted in times of economic turmoil, and these trends necessarily pass on to color choices in other sectors. Thus, the neon pink and iridescent orange of the boom days of the 1980’s clash with the distinctly calmer tones of many corporate websites of today.

Finally, color can speak of a company in and of itself. Remember the Windows blue of the 1990’s when they controlled 98% of the personal computer market? The same goes for classic Coca Cola red. They both stood for a particular brand in their customer’s minds. Even if you don’t have a 98% market share, and may not have a giant red sign over 101 telling drivers to drink your soft drink, don’t overlook the importance of careful color choices in your branding. Do you want to blend in with your competitors because you are a small brand looking piggyback on the cachet of another bigger brand with the same colors? Or do you want to choose an unusual color set to stand out from your bigger counterparts?

Whether or not cultural color choices are in your mind, we are visual creatures, and the colors of your competitors and cohorts has an effect on the perceptions of consumers.