The power of colors

Red with a symbolic value

Here's an article touching the surface of a vast area: The use of colors in commercial design and marketing. This has been something of interest and study during my whole professional career and truly ignited after watching a documentary about the Shell logo and the work behind their change in 1995 for their new retail visual identity. It was fascinating to see the amount of work put into the effort to what they wanted to achieve. And it was not a big change, only a matter of different  hues of the yellow and red color. But for a worldwide company with enormous amounts of stations and stores it was an extensive process from the designer to the logistical challenges of changing the exterior and not to mention the price tag the color change had.  But it turned out to be worth it: The new hues worked as they should for Shell by being perceived as more fresh and consumer friendly. 

The challenges for a small business owner is of course not the same but still it can be challenging enough to make a decision about use of colors whether it is a logo change or creating a design manual that integrates  your media needs (yes, even a small company should have one). There is a lot of information available, even tools to make your decision easier. But it can be well worth it to partner up with a designer, not only to save you time but to get a second opinion and talk to someone with relevant experience and advices. It is not a guarantee for color success but you could be a little closer to make a home run.

Another interesting aspect about colors are their constant present on 3 different levels: They can have strong and sometimes very different cultural relevance, color taste fluctuate against trends and at last it is a highly personal matter of likes and dislikes.

Read more about colors: "Why color matters"