Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 306 | Entrepreneurship | 1

Extractive summaries and key takeaways from the articles curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to promote informed business decision-making | Week 306 | July 21-27 , 2023

How to Choose a Signature Color for Your Brand to Boost Recognition and Create a Strong Visual Identity

By Sarah Lunch | Inc Magazine | July 24, 2023

Listen to the Extractive Summary of the Article

Color can boost brand recognition by up to 80 percent, according to a study from the University of Loyola, Maryland. And with just seven seconds to make a good first impression, color can be key for a brand’s recognizability down the line, says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, which has offered color consultations for brands since 1986. 

When brands choose a signature color, there are multiple important factors to consider, Pressman says. What audience are you specifically targeting? Are going for a trendy or timeless look? How does the color translate in other regions? What do people associate that color with? “It’s not enough that it’s a red or an orange or a soft peach or a lime green,” she says. “What’s the story behind it? Why does that color make sense for me as a brand?”   Color psychology can help leaders find the right hue.  But companies don’t need to be beholden to the tried-and-true interpretations of color psychology. 

Because color is so connected to the brand story–or should be–it’s important to carefully consider the signature color choice, Pressman says. But it isn’t impossible to change. Pressman points to the original brown Starbucks logo, long forgotten thanks to the brand’s now ubiquitous earthy green. “When we see people change color, it does signal a shift in strategy and who I want to be and now how I want to present myself,” Pressman says.  

Once brands choose a signature color, it is possible to trademark it.  To make their case, companies must therefore prove that “consumers or the public have started to associate that color with the brand,” Campagna says. “In most times, they have to use that color for a good amount of time–maybe five years.”  Whether or not companies trademark their signature hue, consistency is key to making the color click.  

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Color can boost brand recognition by up to 80 percent, according to a study from the University of Loyola, Maryland. And with just seven seconds to make a good first impression, color can be key for a brand’s recognizability down the line.
2. When brands choose a signature color, there are multiple important factors to consider. What audience are you specifically targeting? Are going for a trendy or timeless look? How does the color translate in other regions? What do people associate that color with?
3. Because color is so connected to the brand story–or should be–it’s important to carefully consider the signature color choice.  When we see organizations change color, it does signal a shift in strategy and who we want to be and now how we want to present ourselves.

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Topics:  Business, Strategy, Color