Corporate communication is a key element in building a company’s identity. The way a company communicates with its customers and the general public can influence how its brand will be perceived and here, the use of colour plays a fundamental role in the creation of marketing and advertising materials. The psychology of colour can play an important role in how consumers perceive the brand and can make or break an advertising campaign.
What is colour psychology?
We understand colour psychology as the study of how different colours can affect people’s perception, emotions and behaviour. Each colour has its own meaning and can convey different emotions and feelings to consumers. It can be used in the creation of logos and other forms of company visual identity such as the decoration of corporate spaces or employee uniforms, and can be also used to convey information about the company and its values. In this way colour not only affects potential consumers by providing them with information about the company’s values, but this choice can also have an impact on employee morale and the way the company is perceived internally.
It is important to emphasise that colours can have different meanings in different cultures, so companies need to be careful in selecting the colours they use if they want to operate internationally.
Having specified the importance of the selection and use of colour for a company, let’s look at the symbolism of the most recurrent colours and some examples of world-renowned companies that use them as a particularly significant element of their corporate identities.
Red
Red is an intense and vibrant colour that is associated with passion, excitement and energy, making it a particularly striking colour. Companies that use red in their corporate identity include Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, KFC and Lego. Coca-Cola is a classic example of the use of red in advertising and marketing, using it on the bottle and on the label of the drink, and is associated with the joy and happiness one feels when drinking a cold soft drink. Meanwhile, McDonald’s uses it in combination with yellow to symbolise the speed and efficiency of its fast food service.
Blue
Blue is a calm and serene colour associated with confidence, stability and professionalism. This colour is popular with technology and finance companies such as Facebook, IBM, Samsung and Ford. Facebook in particular uses it in its logo, which is associated with the trust and confidence one feels when using its social networking platform. IBM uses it to emphasise the reliability and stability of its technology.
Green
Green is a colour that is associated with nature, health and tranquillity. This colour is popular with companies involved in food, health and beauty. One particularly well-known company that uses green in its corporate identity is Starbucks, in order to enhance the quality and freshness of its products.
Yellow
Yellow is a cheerful and optimistic colour that is associated with happiness and creativity, very popular among food companies, combined with colours such as red and green. We have already seen the case of McDonald’s, and we can also mention Subway, which uses it in combination with green, linking it with the freshness and quality of its ingredients.
Black and white
Black and white are colours that are usually combined together and symbolise cleanliness, elegance, purity and sophistication. This colour combination is especially present in technology and fashion companies. Some companies that use this combination in their corporate identity are Chanel, Nike, Adidas and Apple.
Chanel uses black and white to highlight the elegance, luxury and sophistication of its fashion products. Nike and Adidas use black and white in their logo to highlight the excellence, quality and sophistication of their respective sports brands. Apple, on the other hand, uses black in combination with white and other bright colours to give a sense of elegance and simplicity to the brand and to convey the idea of advanced technology and sophistication in its electronic products.
In conclusion, along these lines we have been able to see the importance of the use of colour, not only as a company image, but also as a core and indispensable part of communication. Colour allows, at a glance, the potential client to connect and know the values and interests of a company, as well as improving the internal communication of the employees and the relationship they establish with their workplace.
If you require a graphic designer who knows the communication strategies that the use and management of colour allows, contact me to choose the colours and tones that best suit your needs as a company and that will allow you to connect with your clients more easily.
