Louis Vuitton is another great example of a company that uses brown primarily in their bags and collateral. Not only does it symbolize their signature leather color, but also the reliability and durability of their luxury products.<\/p>\n
Brands that have strong reliable products and services, organizations that are wholesome and just want to provide some happiness, brands that are practical but don\u2019t want to influence an intense emotion, or brands that are down-to-earth will do the best with brown as a primary brand color.<\/p>\n
Some other great brands that employ the color psychology of brown are M&M\u2019s, Edy\u2019s, Cracker Barrel, and Cotton Inc.<\/p>\n
Popular brands that use brown as their primary branding color<\/p><\/div>\n
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Black, White, and Gray Branding Color Psychology<\/h2>\n In design, black, white, gray, and other shades in between like ivory or sand are considered neutral colors.<\/p>\n
Note: We\u2019re discounting brown as a neutral here because it does evoke its own set of feelings as we covered above. Though sometimes depending on the shade, it can cross into this color psychology as well.<\/em><\/p>\nSome brands don\u2019t have a primary brand color and tend to rely on these neutrals, but that doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no color psychology involved.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what emotions and adjectives black, white, and all the grays in between capture as a brand color:<\/p>\n
\nPower<\/li>\n Elegance<\/li>\n Authoritative<\/li>\n Modern<\/li>\n Innocence<\/li>\n Clarity<\/li>\n Trendy<\/li>\n Minimalistic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nTo make it straightforward, we are going to sum up all the neutrals into two categories \u2013 lighter neutrals and darker neutrals.<\/p>\n
When it comes to a primary brand color, or therefore lack of, lighter neutrals tend to represent more of the innocent, pure, and minimalistic traits, while the darker neutrals are more powerful, authoritative, and fashionably trendy.<\/p>\n
Overall, neutrals both light and dark can symbolize elegance, modernness, and clarity.<\/p>\n
The real world usage of neutral colors in branding<\/h3>\n A brand that tends to stick with the lighter neutrals would be Apple. Their goal is to make the world a better place with innovative technology and by keeping environmentally green (a sense of purity). I\u2019ll still never forget when I saw my first MacBook Pro in 2010. When one of my audio engineering professors opened theirs up in a dim room with the keyboard lights glaring, it was elegance personified.<\/p>\n
Prada’s logo uses a neutral as a primary brand color<\/p><\/div>\n
On the darker side, a good example is Prada, a designer fashion brand with elegant high-end products that make their customers feel trendy and powerful.<\/p>\n
Who should use neutrals as a primary brand color?<\/h3>\n Neutrals as a primary brand color should be used by brands that serve luxury products or services, trendy brands that aren\u2019t tied to a color for fashionable or trendy purposes, brands that are sleek and modern, brands that solve simple solutions in a minimalist way, straightforward brands, and brands looking to be the authority in their industry.<\/p>\n
Think of some of the brands who don\u2019t necessarily have a definitive brand color and rely on neutrals like Swarovski, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, and Wikipedia. What do they all have in common? They\u2019re in a class of their own.<\/p>\n
Popular brands that use neutrals as their primary branding color<\/p><\/div>\n
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Multi-Color Branding Color Psychology<\/h2>\n According to Adobe\u2019s Marketo, about 95% of brands use a single primary brand color. Why? Because they want to relate to, represent, and influence their customers to do or believe something.<\/p>\n
Having more colors to focus on means there\u2019s more to process, which in most cases can mean lack of action or in this case, feelings.<\/p>\n
In addition to potentially combining the psychology of the colors used, multi-colored brands can also represent:<\/p>\n
\nDiversity<\/li>\n Inclusion<\/li>\n Unity<\/li>\n Hopeness<\/li>\n Confusion<\/li>\n Immaturity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nTo be quite honest, there are just a few conglomerate brands that can pull this off due to how big they are and what they represent. A lot of times when a brand uses too many colors, or doesn\u2019t use them properly, they look unprofessional.<\/p>\n
The real world usage of multiple colors in branding<\/h3>\n Google and Microsoft are at the forefront of being able to pull off a multi-color palette as a primary brand focus. Both use 4 color schemes to represent their suite of unique industry disrupting products and to show they are inclusive of diversion.<\/p>\n
Google’s logo uses multiple colors instead of a singular primary brand color<\/p><\/div>\n
There are also brands behind movements that use multiple colors instead of a singular primary brand color. These movements include Patriotism, which uses red, white and blue to represent our country, LGBTQ+, which uses a variety of color combinations to represent inclusivity, and Autism Awareness, which uses blue, red, and yellow to represent the significance behind their outreach.<\/p>\n
Who should use multiple colors as a primary brand color?<\/h3>\n Most likely your brand shouldn\u2019t use multiple colors as it\u2019s confusing. This is reserved for brands so well known that it wouldn\u2019t confuse their audience like NBC or eBay, or brands with a strong connection to a movement like InterPride.<\/p>\n
Popular brands that use multiple colors instead of one primary branding color<\/p><\/div>\n
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Much like logos, fonts, and collateral, colors are a tool in your brand system<\/h2>\n It\u2019s shocking to think that often overlooked details like your brand\u2019s primary color can have such a subliminal impact on its perception. If like most people you’re struggling to pick out specific shades for your brand color, a good place to start for inspiration is Pantone Connect<\/a> (a free account is more than enough). If you’re still stuck or want an expert opinion, I’d be more than happy to help over a Strategy Session<\/a>.<\/p>\nRemember, the point of using colors in your brand isn\u2019t to manipulate your audience, it\u2019s to avoid sending the wrong impression and to strengthen the right message.<\/p>\n
Does your brand\u2019s primary color evoke the emotions related to your mission or story? Don\u2019t just spin the wheel \u2013 your brand is not Twister. Carefully think through your choice before launch or a rebranding to maximize your brand system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colors are all around us from out in the world to the clothes we wear and the food we eat. Through nature, society, and similarly shared experiences, colors have the power to subconsciously trigger emotions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[59,58],"yoast_head":"\n
The Influence of Color Psychology in Branding - Garett\u00ae<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n