Before we’re even old enough to acquire language, colours help us to make sense of the world and are a form of communication. No sooner can children talk than they are able to tell us what their favourite colours are, perhaps influenced by the colours of a TV character or football team.
These early-formed preferences die hard, and even as adults, we tend to have preferred colours that influence our choices of clothing, furniture, cars and possibly even business decisions. When it comes to branding and website building though, it’s important to think a little deeper than personal preference and consider colour psychology.
At Engage Web, you’ll notice that the main colour in our branding is purple. That’s not because of some sort of compromise between Liverpool and Everton club colours, but because of the qualities people associate with the colour, such as creativity and fantasy. People also link purple with royalty and wealth, which makes it a popular choice for financial firms, but in our case, we hope it simply conveys quality.
There can also be a link between colour and the products sold. An obvious example of this is a nature-oriented company using a green logo, or using green to convey an environmental approach, as companies like BP and Scottish Power do. Less obviously, though, have you ever wondered why rival fast-food chains like Burger King and McDonald’s use red and yellow in their branding? It’s because these colours are appetite stimulants, and many of the foods they sell (such as burger buns, fries and tomato ketchup) are vaguely these colours.
Few foods are naturally blue – in fact, many chemicals are made blue to discourage us from consuming them – so the colour is usually avoided in catering. Instead, it’s often used in the tech sector, where it conveys dependability and trust – think IBM, Dell and Facebook.
When it comes to web design, however, it’s not necessarily the case that you should mimic your brand colours. For example, although McDonald’s is known for its red and yellow packaging, that combination may be a little garish on a website, so it’s notable that their site is mostly white.
These are matters we can discuss with you if you come to Engage Web for web design. We can find a colour scheme that represents your ethos and what you sell, yet is easy on the eyes of your visitors too.
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