Some colors are practically synonymous with a
brand. You hear the word UPS and the color brown
immediately pops to mind. The same holds true for
Target and red. A few colors even take on almost
magical qualities. Tiffany blue, for example, is so
enchanting that the company’s website includes this
frequently asked question: “Are Tiffany Blue Boxes
available for purchase?” (Sorry, they only come with
the merchandise.)
So why do some shades form a strong connection
with consumers? It’s a mix of picking the right
color, using it consistently, and putting some marketing
heft behind it. Or more simply put, signature
color is equal parts art and science and ad budget.
It’s also an opportunity to help your clients forge an
immediate and emotional bond with consumers.
Making a mark
Not surprisingly, it’s the household names that tend
to come out ahead in the color game. “I think it
takes quite a long time to develop a signature color,”
says Paul Wharton, vice president of Creative at
Larsen in Minneapolis. As he points out, many
companies that “own” a color were either the first
in a category or went wildly off color from the
competition. ING, for example, leveraged orange to
make a splash in the United States. The color works
because it’s appropriate for the ING brand and a big
departure from the corporate red and blue used by
many old-school financial institutions.
ING, however, isn’t the only relative newcomer
vying for attention. A few younger companies,
Wharton says, are quickly developing signature
colors, including Cingular with orange and Target
with red. What determines how rapidly a color takes
hold? “It depends on how much money and effort
is put behind the color and how widely used it is,”
Wharton says. “In order for a color to become your
signature color, you have to use it a lot.” Target, for
instance, memorably pegs many of its marketing
efforts to red; this kind of consistency is a key ingredient
in signature color.
The basic premise sounds simpler than it is in
practice: Pick the right color and really stick with
it. “You have to make sure it doesn’t get diluted,”
says John H. Bredenfoerder, incoming president of
the Color Marketing Group and design director of
Landor Associates’ Cincinnati office. He cites the
old American Express green card, for example, but
observes that the company is now more readily associated
with blue. This switch may have lessened the
signature color effect.
The right choice
When you’re picking a color for a new company,
you’re taking the first baby steps toward signature
color. The best place to start is with the brand itself.
Take the time to uncover its essence, figure out the
target market, and study the competition. “A company
chooses a color to refl ect its image of itself,”
says Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color
Institute. “You have to do a lot of homework before
you arrive at a color.”
Once you know a brand’s key traits, it’s easier to
find a color that matches those qualities. Successfully
completing this step, however, means keeping up
with trends in color psychology. “You have to be on
top of how color has changed,” Eiseman says. “Has
the public perception veered?” Brown, for instance,
used to be a simple earth color, but now it’s perceived
as more elegant. To keep up with general color
trends, Eiseman suggests reading color forecasts,
looking at retail window displays, and even buying a
subscription to a fashion magazine or two.
Bredenfoerder also believes it’s important to
examine the regional aspects of color. If a product or
service is going to be sold in a particular area, take
a look at what colors are associated with the region’s
college and professional sports teams. In addition,
different sections of the country simply view color
differently—think about the palette for homes in
Miami versus ones in Santa Fe. Knowing the local
landscape helps ensure the color you choose comes
across the way you intend.
While you’re still in research mode, you’ll want
to figure out exactly how a color needs to perform.
Will it show up on store shelves? In web ads? On
television? Or all of the above? “You need to make
sure the color works across mediums,” Wharton
says. Some potential choices, such as yellow green
and paler tones, don’t do well on computer screens,
where color reproduction varies from one monitor
to another. If it’s a retail product, the color needs to
stand out against nearby packaging.
Staying fresh
Even when a color hits a home run, it takes some
work along the way to keep the batting average
high. A brand needs to stay fresh and current, which
sometimes means tweaking a signature color or pairing
it with new shades. Landor, for example, has
worked on the Secret brand, and Bredenfoerder says
special effects are one way the deodorant’s trademark
blue stays exciting and up-to-date. The platinum
product features silver and foil finishes while
the sparkle packaging lives up to its name.
New York design firm Parham Santana was
charged with the enviable task of refreshing the
Barbie brand. As part of the effort, the firm looked
key change was the introduction of a signature stripe,
which pairs Barbie pink with an orange, a lighter
pink, and an orchid. “Stripes are timeless. Barbie is
timeless,” says executive creative director Maruchi
Santana. “Pink alone can get boring.” By itself, she
notes, “it’s not fashion forward.” Additional colors
also make it easier to create packaging that sets off
pink products—staples in the Barbie line.
Tinkering with a proven brand, however, can be
risky business. Santana suggests conducting permission
studies before making major changes. “You’re
asking consumers how far you can go with the
brand,” she says. “Can this brand lead somewhere
else than it is leading now?” These focus groups can
help you figure out whether changing an established
color is a viable option. Santana says it’s also important
to give consumers ample time to live with a
change. With retail brands, it can take time for new
packaging to hit shelves and buyers to notice the
updated look. Don’t be tempted to tinker—even
though you may have done the refresh a year or
more before it hit store shelves. If something is really
wrong, consumers will let you know.
A bold move
If there’s a common mistake with signature color,
it’s going with the safe choice or the accepted colors
within a market segment. “A lot of brands never
get remembered because they look like every other
brand,” Wharton says. “Being bold is critical if
you really want to establish a color. You have to be
willing to step outside the comfort zone.” Eiseman
urges designers not to disregard their own natural
instincts when it comes to color. She says those gutlevel
feelings are based on talent and ability.
Eiseman also says it’s important to remember
that no matter how good the color choice, it’s ultimately
up to the client to make the signature status
happen. In other words, it’s not all about the color.
“Some colors start just because someone likes it, but
it’s what they do with it that’s magical,” she says.
Tiffany, for example, expertly and consistently applies
its trademark blue. Plus, those famous boxes help
reinforce the upscale feel with their simple and beautiful
design.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to guarantee a particular
color will hit the jackpot. “There is no magic
bullet,” Eiseman says. “As a designer you have to
believe in the color and create a rationale that speaks
to your client. You have to be passionate about
it.” Not every client will buy into a daring color
choice—no matter how much ammo you have to
back it up. But it’s still worth trying for those projects
where everyone says yes. After all, you just might
be creating the next Tiffany blue or Barbie pink.
SIDEBAR: Name That Color
For a color to truly achieve signature
status, it should come to mind almost as
soon as you hear the brand name. See
if these companies make the cut. How
quickly can you think of the right color? For the answers, use your cursor to highlight the inside of the box on the right.
1. Home Depot
2. Coca-Cola
3. IBM
4. Starbucks
5. Buffalo Wild Wings
6. Mary Kay
7. GAP
8. Nickelodeon
9. Jack Daniel’s
|
1. Orange
2. Red
3. Blue
4. Green
5. Yellow
6. Pink
7. Blue
8. Orange
9. Black
|
Recommended resources
Color Harmony:
Layout—More than
800 Colorways for
Layouts That Work,
by Terry Marks, $25,
Rockport Publishers
Color Index, by Jim
Krause, $19.19, HOW
Design Books
Color: Messages and
Meanings, A Pantone
Color Resource, by
Leatrice Eiseman,
$39.99 www.pantone.com
Color Management for Logos: A Comprehensive Guide for Graphic Designers,
by John Drew and Sarah Meyer, $50,
Rotovision
Understanding Color:
An Introduction for
Designers, by Linda
Holtzschue, $55, John
Wiley & Sons
Color Marketing
Group: This nonprofit
organization predicts
color directions and
trends. www.colormarketing.org
