Can You Identify This Brand Based on Color Alone?
If you guessed Instagram, you’d be correct. Isn’t it fascinating how a brand’s colors can leave such a lasting impression?
Color plays a pivotal role in establishing your brand’s visual identity. Studies suggest that it can enhance brand recognition by up to 80%. Your visual identity serves as the first impression you make on potential customers, shaping the foundation of your brand’s reputation.
This is where color theory comes into play. Traditionally, color theory revolves around ancient concepts of how color relates to emotions, symbolizes values, and ultimately elicits reactions from viewers. But in the branding landscape of 2023, with an increasing number of brands adopting disruptive or non-traditional colors, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Color theory takes on significant importance when considering elements such as web design and digital marketing. It also influences how you strategize your social media presence. However, navigating this world of color theory can seem overwhelming at first.
To shed light on the art of infusing color into your brand in 2023, we’ve consulted with two branding experts and explored a brand that has mastered the use of color.
The Context of Color
“The color red is known to stimulate appetite, which is why many food brands heavily incorporate it,” says Kate, Creative Director at the Oregon-based branding agency, Saint Friend.
On the other hand, “Many tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft have embraced blue as their primary color,” notes Alex Vasili, Head of Creative Services at Clear Commercials. Blue is commonly associated with promoting communication, trustworthiness, and reliability.
Interestingly, blue happens to be the world’s most commonly favored color.
Different industries have historically leaned towards specific colors due to their associations and prevailing trends. Therefore, it’s advisable to conduct industry research before selecting your brand’s colors, to understand what your competitors are doing. While industry standards shouldn’t be rigid boundaries, they offer valuable context for your field.
Cultural differences also play a significant role. For instance, Kate points out that “In the US, green symbolizes money, but in Europe, it doesn’t carry the same weight.”
Green is universally associated with nature, a concept deeply ingrained in the human psyche. As Alex explains, “Nature has its own color theory that we unconsciously incorporate, such as green for foliage, blue for the sky and sea, and the vibrancy of orange and yellow in the sun.”
While exploring these associations is interesting, contemporary branding isn’t bound by strict rules. Historically, companies focused on creating a strong, recognizable logo that would stand the test of time. However, with the evolution of technology and the emergence of social media, companies now require a broader visual style adaptable to various platforms.
Depending on their medium of operations, companies must consider web design, print design, billboards, packaging, and more. Exceptional branding seamlessly extends across different media platforms, ensuring uniformity and recognizability. To prevent your branding from becoming stale, it’s crucial to design it with growth and flexibility in mind. Consulting with a branding or social media agency can simplify this process.
First and foremost, an eye-catching website is pivotal to establishing a strong visual identity. Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on web design mistakes to avoid before embarking on this journey.
Case Study: Spotify
As an example of successful brand flexibility, let’s take a closer look at Spotify. While Spotify has firmly established brand recognition through its signature colors, green and black, its branding has continuously evolved alongside its growth.
“They have an exceptional in-house team that introduces a lot of flexibility within the Spotify brand. There’s the logo, the green and black, but there are also various illustration styles they rotate,” mentions Alex.
Initially, Spotify built a strong visual identity around green and black, which is still prevalent in both its interface and logo. A logo is especially crucial for apps since it must be instantly recognizable on users’ screens. Spotify excelled in this aspect, creating a bold and recognizable logo and color scheme that many users could spot.
In contrast, other music streaming platforms like Apple Music, Soundcloud, and Deezer tend to gravitate towards red, orange, and black. By choosing colors on the opposite end of the color wheel from its competitors, Spotify consistently stands out on users’ home screens.
While the green and black combination remains synonymous with Spotify, a closer look at its graphics and illustrations reveals significant diversification in recent years. With the introduction of features like “Spotify Wrapped,” Spotify-branded playlists, and a strong social media presence, the brand underwent a comprehensive visual redesign.
As evident from the recent “Wrapped” series, Spotify’s signature green is now used as an accent, yet the design retains a distinct Spotify feel. This exemplifies the importance of establishing a broader visual identity.
Identifying Brand Values
Returning to the main topic, if you aim to create a visual identity as robust as Spotify’s, you must delve into your brand’s values and characteristics. These underpinnings ensure that content still resonates with your brand, even when it strays from your signature colors. Spotify, for instance, lists its brand characteristics as “adaptable, diverse, quality-driven, human-centered, warm, and friendly.” These attributes led Spotify to embrace brighter hues, departing from its previous darker, muted tones. Importantly, using “bright hues” as a central theme doesn’t tether Spotify to any single color, allowing it to fulfill its values of adaptability and diversity in branding.
A great approach to defining your brand values is to gather your team for an in-person brainstorming session. Utilize whiteboards, highlighters, and markers to delve deep into your brand’s core, focusing solely on its essence. Your brand values can relate not only to your product but also to your priorities, goals, and the causes you support.
Once you’ve grasped your brand’s essence, this information can inform not just your brand colors and visual identity but also your web design, customer interactions, and copywriting style. Therefore, it’s crucial to clarify these aspects if you haven’t already.
Selecting a Color Palette
As expertly demonstrated by Spotify, you can create a strong visual identity based on color without being limited to a single shade. But how do you ensure your branding remains cohesive when you venture beyond your core colors?
Alex advises, “While it’s fine to have a set few colors, consider giving yourself some space to introduce different gradients.” He recommends the online tool Coolors, which offers a plethora of ready-made color palettes. This tool grants you the flexibility to incorporate diverse hues, whether they match based on undertones or by using complementary shades of the same color.
The best web design agencies can guide you in selecting a color palette that combines flexibility with the establishment of a signature brand identity.
Expert Tips
For small business owners embarking on the journey of crafting a visual identity independently, our experts have shared their top tips:
- “Consider your audience’s mindset – What industry are you in? Do they have positive or negative associations with specific color combinations? (Perhaps a rival sports team shares the same brand colors you’re considering!)” – Kate
- “Create multiple color options to test with users; you might be surprised by the different associations they evoke. Additionally, consider creating a black and white version because