What does color imply about your brand?

The recipe for a brand calls for a lot more than an eye-catching logo. It requires a well thought out process that projects your company’s core values into a name, a color, an icon, and a feeling for your customers. A brand is a complex entity that carries a number of associations with it.  Certain colors invoke certain feelings in your crowd while attaching specific characteristics to your company. A color can be a brand, as in Coca Cola™ red or IBM™ blue, or it can just be a unifying factor in the brand’s identity, serving as part of the logo and marketing materials.

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What is in a color?

Red

  • Excitement, Energy, Passion, Love, Desire, Speed, Strength, Power
  • Heat, Aggression, Danger, Fire, Blood, War, Violence, Intensity

Pink

  • Love, Romance, Caring, Tenderness, Acceptance, Calm

Beige

  • Unification, Quiet, Pleasantness, Calm, Simplicity

Yellow

  • Friendship, Joy, Happiness, Hope, Philosophy,  Optimism, Idealism, Imagination
  • Betrayal, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Jealousy, Covetousness, Deceit, Illness, Hazard

Blue

  • Peace, Tranquility, Calm, Stability, Harmony, Unity, Trust, Truth, Confidence, Conservatism, Security, Cleanliness, Order, Loyalty, Technology
  • Cold, Depression

Teal/Aqua

  • Calm, Sophistication, Feminine Appeal

Purple

  • Royalty, Nobility, Spirituality, Ceremony, Mysterious, Transformation, Wisdom, Enlightenment
  • Cruelty, Arrogance, Mourning

Lavender

  • Femininity, Grace, Elegance

Orange

  • Energy, Balance, Enthusiasm, Warmth, Vibrant, Expansive, Flamboyant
  • Demanding of attention

Green

  • Nature, Environment, Healthy, Good Luck, Renewal, Youth, Generosity, Fertility, Vigor, Earth, Stability
  • Jealousy, Inexperience, Envy, Misfortune

Brown

  • Hearth, Home, Outdoors, Reliability,Comfort, Endurance, Simplicity

Gray

  • Security, Reliability, Intelligence, Staid, Modesty, Dignity, Maturity, Solid, Conservative, Practical, Calm
  • Sadness, Boring, Old Age

White

  • Reverence, Purity, Birth, Simplicity, Cleanliness, Peace, Humility, Precision, Innocence, Youth, Winter, Snow, Good, Sterility, Marriage
  • Cold, Clinical

Black

  • Power, Sexuality, Sophistication, Formality, Elegance, Wealth, Depth, Style
  • Mystery, Fear, Evil, Unhappiness, Sadness, Remorse, Anger, Anonymity, Underground, Mourning, Death

(Source of color descriptions: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm)

Brand well and prosper.
Cyndi