“Green with envy”…“seeing red,“…”true blue.” Most everyone has heard these terms at one time. Color is a part of our psychological makeup and can have an affect on the body as well as the mind. Color is made up of light. As humans, we need light to be healthy. Color is in every part of our lives so it only makes sense to “brand” your company using the right colors.
Chromotherapy or color therapy uses color in an attempt to affect our emotions, mood and even our health. Each color in the spectrum has its own frequency and has its own qualities, both good and bad. Using the examples above, let’s look at the different colors and what they mean.
Green is associated with peace, renewal, money and growth. Different shades of green can be calming and relaxing but used too much it can result in laziness. Green also brings to mind, greed and envy…hence the term “green with envy.”
Red is a hot and exciting color and is associated with passion, power and ambition.
Too much red may result in anger and aggressiveness (“seeing red”). Red also stimulates a person’s appetite and is used in many fast food logos. Casinos use red lighting to make people gamble more and make riskier bets. Many sports car commercials use red cars because the color is associated with speed.
Blue is the chameleon of the color world in that is has many different meanings depending on the hue. Blue represents trust (“blue book value of a car”) and loyalty (true blue). It is often used in military and law enforcement uniforms for this reason. Wear a navy suit to an interview if you want to appear loyal and trustworthy. Blue can also be calming and is also associated with strength and creativity.
On the darker side, blue can be seen as cold and is sometimes associated with sadness and depression. If you want to lose weight, use a blue plate – it’s also an appetite suppressant. With so many meanings and associations of the color blue, I could go on for days. You could say that I am partial to the color…it’s my favorite color and my daughter’s name (Bleu).
When thinking of a logo for your company, think about what you want it to say to the world, while keeping in mind whom your target audience is and what your company core values are. Having trouble deciding on which color or colors to use?
No worries, the CONRIC team is versed in the visual language of color and can help you send the right message to the world!
