How we perceive and interact with our world is largely impacted by the colors that surround us. While going largely unnoticed as we go about our daily lives, the psychology of color and social media branding is continually affecting consumers on a deep level, especially when it comes to a daily content marketing strategy. The colors that a company chooses to represent their brand can affect the mood, feelings, and behavior of their target consumer and influence whether or not a brand will become part of their selection set. What comes to mind when you think of the color blue? Sunbathing atop a yacht, surrounded by open blue waters on your favorite lake as you stare at the calming blue sky in the middle of summer? Not surprisingly, the color blue is the most universally preferred colors of all, and for that reason alone, is probably the safest color for businesses to use for branding. The color blue is a symbol of consistency and dependability as in being able to count on the blueness of the sky…which might prove confusing if you live in cities such as Seattle, Washington where clear blue skies are about as consistent and dependable as a celebrity marriage. A therapeutic color which strengthens and brings harmony to the mind and body, the color blue is conducive to one-to-one communication and is therefore helpful in building customer loyalty. The following infographic takes a glance at the responsible and reliable nature of blue branding, from its positive and negative meanings and use around the globe to its effect on brand storytelling.
Within this infographic on the psychology of blue branding, the following topics were covered:
Positive Meanings for Blue Branding in Business
Loyal, Trusting and Honest, Tactful, Caring and Concerned, Reliable and Responsible, Conservative and Persevering, Idealistic and Orderly, Authoritative, Devoted and Contemplative, Peaceful and Calm
Negative Meanings for Blue Branding in Business
Rigid, Deceitful and Spiteful, Self-Righteous, Superstitious and Emotionally Unstable, Too Conservative, Predictable and Weak, Unforgiving and Frigid, Manipulative, Unfaithful and Distrustful
Variations of the Color Blue
Pale Blue: Creativity, Freedom, Inspiration
Sky Blue: Calm, Selfless, Helpful
Azure Blue: Determined, Purposeful, Ambitious
Dark Blue: Responsible, Serious, Knowledgeable
Turquoise: Clarity, Harmony, Self-Expression
Teal: Sophisticated, Trustful, Spiritual
Global Use of the Color Blue
North America: Associated with liberalism
The Cherokee: Represents defeat, trouble
Latin America: Associated with mourning, trust, and serenity
Egypt: The color of virtue, protection, thought to ward off evil
China: Represents immortality, known for being a feminine color
Thailand: The color of Friday
India: The color of Lord Krishna and the national sport’s color
Blue Branding Used to Express One-To-One Communication
Relating to trust and honesty, the color blue is often associated with interpersonal communications. It is, therefore, a popular choice for online and offline communications companies. One-To-One communications companies using the color blue for branding: Facebook, AT&T, Twitter
Blue Branding Used to Communicate a Sense of Calm
With the potential for creating consumer stress with the introduction of new technologies in addition to a portion of the public having a fear of technology in general, many hi-tech companies benefit from blue’s calming properties. Technology-based companies branding with blue logos: IBM, Samsung, Intel
Blue Branding Used for Trustworthy Companies
There is no shortage of negative stories and scandals surrounding the world of finance. Consumers have grown to be skeptical and lack trust in our financial institutions. It is by no surprise that many financial institutions choose the color blue for its perception as being conservative and trustworthy. Financial companies using the color blue for branding: Wachovia, Intuit, American Express
Blue Branding Used To Express Reliability
The color blue is highly associated with responsibility and is therefore regarded as representing reliability. For good reason, the insurance industry has widely embraced this color to represent their brand.
Opposite of the Color Blue
The opposite of blue is the color orange. They are exact opposites on the color wheel, and when combined together, they become a dark, brownish green. One of the most commonly used complementary color schemes due to its subtlety.
Why Didn’t ImagiBrand Choose The Color Blue?
ImagiBrand decided not to use blue because we wanted to avoid the possibility of being misrepresented as a conservative and predictable company.
Why We Love Our Colors
We chose to use the colors magenta, black and white as our corporate colors to reflect our fun and imaginative approach to branding while remaining professional and sophisticated.
The ImagiBrand Psychology of Branding with Color Series
ImagiBrand has created a full series of infographics on the impact various colors can have on consumer perception of a brand. The entire series includes the following:
• The Psychology of Red Branding
• The Psychology of Blue Branding
• The Psychology of Yellow Branding
• The Psychology of Orange Branding
• The Psychology of Green Branding
• The Psychology of Violet Branding
• The Psychology of Brown Branding
• The Psychology of Pink Branding
• The Psychology of Black and White Branding
Richie Kawamoto
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