Kings of Color - Warms
Color is one of the most important aspects of a brand. When it comes to connecting with the target market and developing an appropriate brand personality, color is king.
Check out these three examples of brands who work color to their advantage.
(LEFT) CC Image courtesy of Mike Mozart on Flickr (CENTER) CC Image courtesy of George on Flickr
Red - Coca-Cola
Specs: “Pantone Special Match”, a red close to CMYK (4, 100, 95, 0)
Traits: bold, energizing, pioneering spirit
Why red?
Coca-Cola began using red as a brand color as early as the 1890s. One of the early partners chose red because he liked the hue and found the contrast on white to be eye-catching. Over the years “Coca-Cola Red” has become an instantly recognizable symbol of Coca-Cola’s product quality and consistency.
(LEFT) CC Image courtesy of Roberto Severo on Flickr (RIGHT) CC Image courtesy of Nicholas Erwin on Flickr
Orange - Harley-Davidson
Specs: Pantone 165 nicknamed “Harley Orange”
Traits: Adventurous, risk-taking, courageous
Why orange?
Right from the start Harley Davidson wanted to build a brand that promoted a certain lifestyle: bad-boy cool with boundless freedom and a thirst for excitement. Orange enhances the enthusiasm for life that Harley-Davidson wanted to bring to the motorcycle market.
(LEFT) CC Image courtesy of portal gda on Flickr (RIGHT) CC Image courtesy Wilson Yang on Flickr
Yellow - Snapchat
Specs: Pantone Yellow U
Traits: youthful, fun, attention grabbing
Why yellow?
Snapchat is a fun and frisky social media app that caters to the millennial demographic so yellow is the perfect brand color. Yellow becomes an even smarter choice when you take a look at the competition: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter fight over blue, and Pinterest and Youtube share red.
What do you think?
These are my observations and opinions on color in branding. There is no definitive guide to how a certain color will make you feel because perception of color relies heavily on personal experiences.
Share your thoughts - please leave a comment below!