When you are an entrepreneur, you will get better results if you think like you’re a business entity. One of the first things a company will do once they are formed is brand themselves. Branding consists of having a logo designed and selecting the colors that will used in all promotions.
The colors you use will be chosen first, as they will be used in the creation of your logo. The key to branding is to continue using these colors and your logo on signage, websites, social media sites, business cards and all materials that can be seen by the public. You use these colors continually with the intention of having people see your logo or your colors and think of your company or services.
I love purple. Pink is my secondary color. I am also stating the obvious.
There are several things that people consider when choosing the colors that will represent them and the company they are forming or re-branding.
If you will be doing business internationally, you may consider colors that are universally more pleasing in the regions you plan to do business. If you want a corporate business look, you may turn to navy blue, maroon or other colors that are perceived as more serious. A person opening a health store may select greens to psychologically impart the mood of health. There have been many studies on colors and the effects they have on people.
Then again, you may just select colors that you like and that represent you.
BE CONSISTENT
When you select your colors, it is important that you are consistent in using the exact same font and colors each time you add your name or company’s name to letterhead, business cards, flyers, webpages, brochures, banners and all promotional material.
When you think of Best Buy, you think blue and yellow with a little bit of black. Target conjures images of red and white circles. And who can think of McDonald’s without thinking red with golden arches? If Mickey D’s changed the background to purple and the arches to pink, you may not recognize that the symbol represents the hamburger chain. It is rare that companies will change their colors and only when their logo is as recognizable as Nike’s is.
And once the colors are selected, they use the exact same color each time. Each color has an alpha numeric code assigned to it so that the exact shade can be reproduced by graphic artists and printers worldwide. Once you decide on the colors you want, get the associated code and file it away. Anytime you work with a graphic designer, make sure they use the same shades. Keep in mind, with 256 shade of gray alone (and no, I don’t mean the movie), it is important to be precise if you are to build that same brand recognition that large companies benefit from.
TYPES OF COLORS
When selecting colors, usually, people select a primary, a secondary and an accent color.
The primary color is the color that is used most often. In the case of Best Buy, blue is the dominant color they use. All employee shirts are blue and is the background color on their website banner.
The secondary color Best Buy uses is yellow. They have a yellow box with rounded edges and the yellow really stands out.
The words Best Buy are in black and this is their accent color. Accent colors are usually what people use for text and borders. Black, white, gold and silver are the most popular choices, followed by red and navy.
The Best Buy logo is two colors, yellow and black. Yet most of their branding has blue as their primary.
Burger King used to have two colors, a gold-ish color and red. The first logo you see below if from 1969. Times have changed and so has BK. They added blue in their latest logo so it pops a little.
Your Colors
Look at many logos. Check out the websites of major companies and notice how they use color. Do an online search and read some articles on the significance of different colors and the emotions they evoke. Then, most importantly, once you select the colors you want to brand yourself with, get the unique code for that color and use it anytime you have new graphics being created.
Secondary Shades
It is also a good idea if your primary color is purple, to find a shade of lavender that you like and make note of that number as well. This way if gradients are used, you have consistency on how our colors blend as well.
