Color as a Global Business Identity
By Barry Ritholtz - July 29th, 2010, 1:00PM
Pretty cool idea:
“Color is a major part of any brand’s identity. Here we’re taking a look at some of the most recognizable color identities in the world, as well as some groups and forums on COLOURlovers that could be valuable for anyone who is working to give their brand a little more color.
Can you “Name That Brand” by color alone?
>
Here’s the small version of the graphic
click for full run of corporate colors
via Colourlovers
De.li.cious
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July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
this a great Topic..
even About.com has a worthwhile entry concerning such..
“Colors are more than a combination of red and blue or yellow and black. They are non-verbal communication. Colors have symbolism and color meanings that go beyond ink. As you design brochures, logos, and Web sites, it is helpful to keep in mind how the eye and the mind perceive certain colors and the color meanings we associate with each color.
Physical and Cultural Color Reactions
Sometimes colors create a physical reaction (red has been shown to raise blood pressure) and at other times it is a cultural reaction (in the U.S. white is for weddings, in some Eastern cultures, white is the color for mourning and funerals). Colors follow trends as well. Avocado, a shade of green, is synomous with the 60s and 70s in the minds of some consumers…”
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/color/a/symbolism.htm
http://search.yippy.com/search?input-form=clusty-simple&v%3Asources=webplus&v%3Aproject=clusty&query=Color+and+its+Meanings
LSS: Color, it, too, Speaks, without saying a Word.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
BP = green as green can be, baby!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I surmise that some of the association is in the eyes of the beholder. When I see medium blue and white, I don’t think American Express, I think BMW.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
And don’t forget countries. We now talk about the “United States brand.”
July 29th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I see Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks.
I see Columbia, Princeton.
I see China, Romania, Belgium,
July 29th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Not a one.
The orange and blue could be Florida Gators but it has white too.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
A further infographic as to color in cultures:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
Brand recognition in children:
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/2/7/2/pages112726/p112726-1.php
And the old standby:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1956101
July 29th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I would say that in recent memory, the two companies with by far the strongest corporate color branding (to the extent that the colors became part of their popular sobriquets) have been IBM (Big Blue) and UPS (Big Brown.)
July 29th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
When I was in college I encountered a very interesting and intriguing young lady who introduced me to a color-based psychological test. You put 8 off-color cards in an order of preference. Your choice of order determines your inner-psychology. The first card is who you want to be, the second card is your inner sub-conscious truth, and the last card is what you are most insecure and fearful.
Or something like that. There is a more extensive test done by a Swiss Psychologist that involves 47 colors.
Here is a link about this topic.
http://www.viewzone.com/luscher.html
July 29th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
BR asked:
Can you “Name That Brand” by color alone?
reply:
———–
No. I can probably get a few logos right. I mostly don’t care. I know a lot of corporate types agonize about the right shade of red that is needed to blow the beejeezus out of sales, and I believe some real fights break out over it. Some poor souls surely go home crying over the fights, worrying about whether or not their boss might seek retribution over their favor of one color or shade over another in opposition to one preferred by the team.
I really don’t care. While I’m certainly glad that pepsi or coke don’t carry black box warnings, and I am probably glad that neither try to confuse me with plaid or anything new on the bottles and cans, Mediocrity is good for everyone else. They appear to agree.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
I found out the name. It’s called the Luscher Test. Here is another link for this kinda stuff.
http://www.colour-experience.org/matching/matcol_psych_tests/matcol_psych_test1.htm
July 29th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@dead hobo:
Yea, I agree. Too too much is conjectured about advertising. Blasting people with commercials of skits and repeated sound-bytes is more effective than color in today’s instant video world.
They think they can market anything with advertising. For example: what the hell is “Muscle Milk” ? The street sign ad says I can go from Bland to Bootylicous by drinking this stuff. Seriously, is that supposed to make me change my routine and choice of drinking beverages?
Go back 30 years and look at all the failed marketing efforts and dead products despite the stream of adverts.
And look at Nike. It’s symbol is everywhere, from hats and catcher’s mitts, to billboards and “just do it” commercials. All of it so that you don’t forget Nike. It creates a normative reference since tennis shoes are really not that much different, gaining strength by association with sports stars because if the commercials go into your brain, your brain has created a memory that pops up when you see the Nike symbol.
The color of the Nike symbol is not the association.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Where the hell is Big Blue in all of this?
July 29th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
@napster:
“You put 8 off-color cards in an order of preference.”
Off-color … you mean, with naughty phrases or ribald limericks written on them?
There once was a man of Madras,
Whose balls were made of pure brass.
When jangled together,
They played “Stormy Weather”,
And lightning shot out of his ass.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
The psychology and physiology of color perception, it’s utility in branding and identity functions is a critically important art which bears directly on “brand value” — the “intangible assets” on one’s balance sheet.
It was not that long ago that Forbes magazine named “Marlboro” as the single most valuable brand in the world. Well north of $50 Billion. And of course, today, there are large tracts of the golbe where one can trade a pack of Marlboro Reds for whatever the market will bear –
As just one example, Philip Morris spent $millions perfecting and honing a singular brand identity for their most valuable product.
Today, this is an art form and identity management capability that has been relegated to outsourced manpower, and why so many “brands” today lack the visual authority and mindspace relevance needed to drive value.
What do you think of when you hear “Chevy”
What do you think of when you hear “Bud”
Now –
Think of “Apple”
And that’s the difference.
.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
@ewmayer
I think I understand what you mean
trying all hard not to be obscene
but what I meant by off-color
was something quite other
then you prancing around like a queen.
:-)
Peace out.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
@hammer,
Yea, I agree that the symbol of Apple has a visual potency, no less than many other business icons that have abounded (I mentioned the Nike symbol earlier). But Apple backed that image up with reliable computer systems that don’t suck. I wonder what the wastebasket of old logos and icons might be.
Your examples have counter-examples, which I think somewhat diminishes their generalized potential. Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguars, Fords, Mazdas all have easy to remember symbols because we see them frequently. People buy Honda’s and Toyotas not because of the symbol, but because of the history of quality vehicles. The same is with beer, as well as most consumption items. It is the mythology of association that advertising creates, and this creation is independent of any other symbolic reference.
Combine symbols and mythology … watch out. You get evangelical christianity . :-)
July 30th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Left out are some of the longest running color branding schemes out there: Deere and IBM. Deere’s color scheme has been around about a century now.
July 31st, 2010 at 1:36 am
dsawy:
I agree.
What about Caterpillar yellow? They must be some 60 years or so.
What about Coca-Cola red? They must be 100 years or so.