Chances are, when you think about some of the most commonly known worldwide brands, you can easily imagine those colours in your head. McDonald’s often brings to mind those golden yellow arches. Hear the name “Starbucks”, and you likely can envision that deep forest green and white circular logo. These companies are excellent examples of utilising a colour scheme successfully.
When preparing your promotional products, one of the most important factors is the colour you choose. Colour plays a massive role in most aspects of our lives, and finding the right colour for your product can be the defining factor in its ultimate success. In this post, we will outline the importance of colour and emotion, and provide a few tips on how to choose the right colour scheme to allow your promotional products to shine.
The Emotional Appeal of Colours
Colours often have some form of symbolism or evoke specific emotional responses. Many companies know this and play on these emotions. There’s a reason why so many products are red and pink on Valentine’s Day—red is often related to feelings of love and romance. Knowing these hidden symbols or emotions can help you create a stronger product to promote your brand.
- Red: Red often symbolises passion, romance, anger or danger. This colour can energise people, make them feel passionate about something or simply help bring attention to the product. Red is bold, daring and alluring.
- Pink: This playful colour, similar to red, evokes feelings of romance, although more light-hearted and innocent.
- Orange: Orange, while also an energetic colour, typically tends to be more playful, friendly or happy. These colours bring great enthusiasm to the brand without being too overpowering.
- Yellow: Yellow signifies the colour of youth and is warm, happy and inviting. Using yellow shades can help bring attention to the product in an upbeat and playful way. Yellow can also be attached to affordability, as some retail places use yellow tags to showcase sales.
- Green: Green tends to bring to mind more natural or eco-friendly items as it reflects the natural colours of the earth. Green is more peaceful and calming and can evoke feelings of health or wealth.
- Blue: The different shades of blue can evoke a range of emotions. A light blue tends to be more light-hearted and playful and holds a touch of innocence and peace in its hue. A darker blue tends to be more professional, mature or trustworthy.
- Purple: Purple, especially a deeper purple, has long symbolised royalty and can bring a sense of trustworthiness or luxury into a product. Lighter shades of purple, like lavender, are soothing and pleasant.
- Grey: Using grey colours helps evoke a sense of professionalism, trustworthiness and maturity. This neutral colour helps the brand feel serious and classic.
- Black: Black colours tend to evoke power and elegance. The minimalistic feel can command attention and create a sense of sophistication and class.
- White: While white colours can also bring a classic mood and overall sense of sophistication, white tends to be associated with innocence and virtue.
- Brown: Brown colours are earthy, rugged and rustic. These natural colours have an old-fashioned feel and can evoke a sense of nostalgia.
When choosing a colour for your promotional item, consider the type of product you have. If your company uses all-natural ingredients, for example, using green or brown colours might complement the brand well. If you want to showcase a high-end luxury product, using black and white may command all the attention you need.
Considering Your Colour Scheme
Once you understand the different moods and tones of each colour, you can think about the colour scheme for your item. After you decide on your base colour, that primary colour will help you determine the other colours to help complement and complete the look.
- Monochromatic Colour Schemes: These colour schemes are often favoured by brands that want to emphasise a specific colour. Monochromatic colour schemes contain one particular colour but use a range of different shades. This colour then becomes the dominant look for your product.
- Triadic Colour Schemes: Triad schemes are popular because they use three colours to give a bit of variety to a look. These schemes use three colours equally for the product, where no colour is more dominant.
- Complementary Colour Schemes: When choosing this type of colour scheme, you choose colours that are directly across from each other on the colour wheel. These colours are highly stimulating because they are paired to work well together. Many companies opt for this scheme when building a brand, so be sure yours stands apart from the rest.
- Analogous Colour Scheme: An analogous scheme is more mellow and uses colours adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. Colours right next to each other can help bring about a similar sense of emotions. This can have a more pleasant or calming effect, rather than using bold complementary colours.
When choosing your colours, consider how many you want to use. Three is a good base to create your promotional product.
Your primary colour, the base, should be the most important as it will drive your brand’s name and help you choose complementary colours. Your second colour, the accent, should work naturally with your base and help certain features stand out. Your final colour should be neutral, like grey, beige or off-white, to help blend in and bring the other two colours together.
The Right Colour for The Right Product
Choosing the right colour for your promotional items is an essential part of the brand and promotional product business. Your promotional goods help raise brand awareness and quickly and easily showcases your company. Choosing a suitable colour scheme can help your brand achieve even faster success.
To help you create the ultimate promotional product, contact Branded Products® for your help and advice. Reach out today and allow us to help you brainstorm the perfect promotional merchandise. With the right colours, logo and style, you can create a product that stands out, commands attention and creates an impression.
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