Colour in Branding
Why is colour so important within our brands?
Colour is not a factor that should be overlooked when it comes to the making of your brand as it contributes in similar ways to the logo mark does. Colour is going to be consistent in your brand so, it makes sense that much focus should be placed on how your brand is going to appear visually. As the colour is going to be that consistent in your brand, it is going to be a memorable factor of your brand, a reflection.
Therefore, colour should not be picked just because it is your favourite or ‘just looks good,’ it should revolve around your brand values and the direction your brand is planning to go. If you plan around the values of the brand, you are making your brand seem genuine and credible to consumers who plan to use your brand. The colour can help with the right reputation amongst consumers. To begin, we can look at the colour systems we are most aware of, which are: CMYK, Pantone, RGB, Ral.
What are colour systems?
Colour systems are a collection of colour palettes that are used within the design process as each colour system offers different options and can help with the choosing of the colour for your brand. There are four main colour systems: CMYK, Pantone, RGB and Ral. All these systems display different properties and can be beneficial in diverse ways.
CMYK
This is an acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black (key). This colour system is preferred when it comes to printing due to its process as it is referred to as a subtractive colour, meaning the more ink removed, the lighter colours will appear. The objective of the CMYK colour systems is for the ink to absorb the light on the white background so when all the light is absorbed, it will just appear black. This colour system is used in Magazines and books along with the system that is stalled within at home printers.
Pantone
The Pantone matching system is the most standardized colour system out of the four as it allows for a more accurate match of colour to be found. There are up to thirteen pigments within Pantone that can create a variety of unique colours. These colours are then labelled by number as there are many different shades and this allows us to avoid any inconsistencies. Overall, there are about 1800 colour matches within the Pantone system. Due to the perfect matches this colour system can produce, it is ideal for brand identity as it was designed for graphics. However, numerous industries choose to also use this colour system.
RGB
This colour system is one of the most recognized systems we have for colour as its use of the primary colours makes it useful in web design. Compared to CMYK, RGB is a light additive colour meaning when the colours are added together it creates lighter shades. This is usually on a black background then red, blue, and green lights are added to create white. There is a CSS syntax to RGB however a Hexadecimal code is used that replaces the 0-255 series into a six-digit combination with letters and numbers.
Ral
Colours for coatings
This colour system produces matte, glossy and metallic surfaces and is one of the systems that help create a good colour consistency. This system is used in powder coating, varnish and plastic colouring. It is the go-to system for creating physical products. Ral is more known for the classic system out of the four.
How do we divide colours into groups?
When it comes to colour, we can divide them into Monochromatic, Analogous, complementary and triad. If we start with Monochromatic, you are looking at one individual colour but you then explore the different tones that colour can produce. For Analogous, you look at the colours that are right beside each other within the colour wheel like red and orange or purple and blue. My favourite section to investigate is Complementary colours as you are taking colours that are opposite from each other in the colour wheel and example would be blue and orange. This gives a more aesthetic outlook. The last one is triad which is the colours that are connected in a triangle shape within colour wheel; remarkably like complementary.
Psychology and Culture within colour
Colour within psychology was something I studied when I was doing A levels as I had to do analysis on why articles and brands use colours. Having prior knowledge of this subject, it is fun to revisit the subject again. Colour is constantly around us and has an extraordinarily strong impact on how we think and feel. Certain colours can make us feel sad, dull while others can make us feel excited and euphoric, therefore colour is such a crucial factor to consider as the brand values you decide for your brand should be heavily reflected by the colours you choose. Colour is a strong means of communication and is created to apply to your brand when done correctly.
When working out which colours you should use that show off your brand’s values, it is also important to consider how colour within culture can have an impact on your brand. Colour is so diverse in different countries, so it would make sense to have a look into all the different meanings. Looking into the cultural aspect of colour can help you create an iconic logo and brand as you are appealing to an international approach to your brand. You are looking into the psychology of international consumers therefore helping the reputation of your brand to seem inclusive to everyone.
