Today is the festival of Holi – and what comes to mind? Colours.

In this context, let me pen down my thoughts on why colours are important for enhancing the brand value of a company.

Our eyes play an important role in visual perception that helps in exploring our environment. Just looking at a specific colour can evoke a memory of thoughts, events or associations to places, evens or people.

Take a logo for example. Why does every company seek to have their own unique logo? This is because when a potential customer is looking to do business with a company, the logo is the first thing that comes to mind.

Think about a popular cola brand or a mobile phone company. Just a simple association to it’s distinct brand of colour can evoke instant recognition.

The psychology of colour

Colours have a psychological effect on us. Colours like red create a faster response in our brain. Colours like blue are meant to be soothing. Yellow commands our attention easily. Studies have shown most products are recognised in an instant just based on the colours alone.

The urge to purchase a product is greatly affected by how one perceives the brand. Think of a popular tomato ketchup and you happen to get that in blue colour – would you buy it?

Therefore, the critical importance of colour must be considered when defining a good brand strategy. Choosing the right colours helps in building brand value and an identity in the competitive market place. Colours provide instant recognition and produce emotional associations to a brand.

Branding & colour

Every brand has a story to tell and the choice of right colours makes sure the story is told well and reaches a larger target audience. The target audience is an important factor that has an influence over the colour to be chosen. Colours create a specific frame of mind or mood on the target audience who should be attracted to it rather than being turned away.

It is important to use colour wisely. Use those that highlight and distinguish the brand from the competition.

Logos

A colour plays a major role in creating a visual identity of a brand in all its formats, including the logos, all forms of marketing communications, packaging, products, and work environments and so on. There are several examples of brands where colour plays a strategic business purpose.

A logo plays a major role in bringing out the company’s value proposition and in building a brand identity. Can the logo be in any colour? Flashy multi coloured or any shape? The answer is 'No'.

Colours in different cultures

The same colour may have different meanings depending on the country or the culture. For example, white is for purity in some parts of the world while that of mourning in others. A grey suite is considered corporate culture in some places. Red and yellow are considered auspicious in some cultures. Blue for boys and pink for girls. The list goes on. These are important considerations one must apply in selecting the colour to represent the brand in the markets where it serves. When choosing a colour or combinations of colour, are you thinking local or global? Is this colour going to spark immediate recognition worldwide or just within your local community?

To conclude, choosing the colours for your brand and logo should never be done in a hurry or under the influence of the whims and fancies of the ad agency or any individual’s personal preferences.

Choosing the right colour should never be underestimated as it influences the brand value, positioning, awareness, instant customer recall and differentiation among the competition.

On this note, let the colours around us bring brighter business prospects to everyone. Happy Holi!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.