Different hues and saturation levels can
convey elegance, creativity and seriousness, while others
convey experience, excitement, vitality and dependability.
Below, you will find some general guidelines on how to go
about conveying your message to the masses, while using
something as simple as color.
Yellow
is perceived as cheerful and energetic, yet mellow and soft.
Just like the mid summer sunshine, it portrays hope, happy
times and used as a way to grab one's attention.
Examples: NY City Taxi Cabs,
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, Kodak Films, Dummies Books,
Nestle Quick Chocolate Milk, and McDonalds. In nature yellow
can be seen on bees, fish, sunflowers, and of course, the
sun.
Orange
is a friendly, vital, inviting, energetic and playful color.
Orange is perhaps the hottest of all colors, which is why
almost everyone can relate to it in some way or another,
especially children.
Examples: Sunkist (fruit and
soda), KIX cereal, Cingular Wireless, Nickelodeon, Tide
detergent, Jamba Juice and Southwest Airlines. Other naturally
occurring orange colors are goldfish, flowers and tangerines.
Red
excites, stimulates and creates arousal. People often think
of the color as daring, warm, dynamic, bold and sexy. In
print, red is an aggressive color, whereas it commands attention
and demands action.
Examples: Coca-Cola, Staples,
Red Cross, Budweiser, CNN and the Chicago Bulls. Other everyday
examples are red sports cars, red dresses, red lipsticks,
red ties as well as stop signs.
Green
is the color of nature, and everything that goes with it.
It has been described as refreshing, healing, soothing and
prestigious (when associated with money and banks).
Examples: 7-Up, Sprite, First
Union Bank, Apple Jacks cereal, DoubleMint gum, Scope mouthwash
and Greenpeace. Other examples of soothing green can be
found everywhere in nature, from vegetables to meadows and
forests.
Blue
is a very stable and dependable color. As with the ocean
and sky that are always constant, blue inspires confidence,
commitment and a sense of serenity and peace.
Examples: HP, IBM, BMW and
Volkswagen. Many financial institutions, mortgage brokers
and large corporations that are conservative in nature,
tend to use blue. Water bottling companies also use blue
to portray freshness.
Purple
reflects elegance, sensuality, spirituality and creativity.
Purple is perhaps the most complicated and rare color, hence
referred to as a majestic and royal, fit for kings.
Examples: This color is representative
of rare and sensual products or services, such as lingerie
shops, flower shops, etc. Most businesses are hesitant to
use purple because of its sensual properties.
Brown
is the ultimate traditional earth color, associated with
substance, durability and security. It's earthly tones lend
perfectly to food and food related items, even used in restaurants
and coffee houses.
Examples: UPS (United Parcel
Service), Hershey's Chocolate, Godiva, Baltimore Orioles,
aged and rich beers, coffees, cigars and chocolates. Other
examples are brown leather chairs, furniture and portfolios
covers.
Black
is strong, classic, mysterious and powerful. The most sophisticated
shade of the spectrum, people associated it with style,
elegance, and expensive taste.
Examples: Many designer logos
are comprised of simple black lettering or logos. They include
DKNY, Calvin Klein, Rolex, Rolls Royce, Kenneth Cole and
YSL.
When designing
a self-promotion piece, always keep in mind that color can
make or break an advertisement piece, packaging or product
or service, if used incorrectly.