Rebelling

“Rosy” lips, “Blue” eyes, “Grey” skies, “Green” eyed dragon, “Purple” with rage.

What’s in a colour you ask? Well, A LOT!

A colour is not just relative to sight anymore; a colour could be a feeling, an emotion, a mood or a memory. Spinach, lettuce, Fenugreek are simply called “Greens” and you know they are fresh when the greens are greener!

We are living in a polychromatic world, where “pop” is not just a music genre and “nude” is not a state. Be it fashion, lifestyle, websites or graphics - we get to hear terms like pastel, pop, nude and neon (amongst the various others) ever so often!

Every hue and shade has a sensation attached to it; every tone has a mood that it portrays. In a time when the count of brands is beyond human count what makes us remember a few? Which brands stand out? What sets the leaders above the rest?

Mc Donalds, Coke, Pepsi, FedX, Xerox all have differentiated themselves through the colours on their logo. In fact 94 percent of the aerated drink drinkers’ associate red and white with coke! Most of the well-recognized brands “own” the logo colours, which prove to be a superb recognition cue. Depending upon the functionality that product serves, the brands bring out desired reactions through colours. The brand personality is also greatly affected by the colours associated with a brand. For example, Nickelodeon is a splat of orange with a white font. Orange is a happy colour, associated with fun and warmth. The target audience being children this induces a level of comfort and recognition when they are switching through channels and land on Nickelodeon. Another instance is the colour blue, have you ever wondered why “Facebook”, “Intel”, “Skype” all have blue colour logos? It’s simply because blue denotes intellect and communication. You could say that the connotation has now become generic with the colour because of the logos but the point remains that today if the colour blue would have to impact the audience it would be associated with intelligence, trust, efficiency, logic and communication.

Below I have mentioned some positive psychological properties of colours, (Taken from www.colour-affects.co.uk - since…you know…I don’t have astute knowledge about the workings of our brains) along with which brands could be associated with the colours (That’s me playing match the following…well because I know my brands):

Red: Physical Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement. Brands: Coca cola, Virgin

BLUE: Intellectual. Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm. Brands: Facebook, Intel, IBM, Skype, Tata, Reliance

YELLOW: Emotional Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. Brands: Yellow pages, Mc Donalds, Best Buy, Idea

GREEN: Balance Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. Brands: Starbucks, Animal Planet, Bharat Petroleum, Holiday Inn

VIOLET: Spiritual Vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality, spiritual awareness, containment. Brands: Yahoo, Hallmark, Cadbury

ORANGE: Energy Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. Brands: Nickelodeon, Fanta, JBL, Food Network

PINK: Romance Physical tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality. Brands: Barbie, Haier, Johnson-Johnson, Cosmopolitan

BLACK: Depth Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. Brands: Adidas, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, BBC, Lexus

WHITE: Purity Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency, luxury Brands: Apple, Versace (white is mostly used as the background for the logo element)

BROWN: Strength Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support. Brands: UPS, Louis Vuitton, Gloria Jeans Coffee

So as for now that you’re in on the colourful world of colours, I’m going to go grab something to eat.

Hmm...what do I feel like eating?? Well I’m feeling red and yellow and fried all over!! So lets go to Mc.Donalds and grab something.

Hope you have an orange and yellow day with a few moments of red!