What color is Starbucks logo? What are the main colors in McDonald’s logo? Have you ever played this game where the question has something to do with, “what color is this logo?” These types of games can be fun and challenging, and can test one’s visual perception and memory skills. They can also be a way to learn more about different brands and logos that we encounter in our daily lives. Usually there are reasons as to why a business chose the particular colors in their logo and that is very important to marketers. To ensure consistency and appeal to the target audience, businesses should follow color guidelines when choosing their brand colors. Here are some of those guidelines.

Why Are Colors Important?

Brand colors are essential for various applications, such as a company’s logo, website color scheme, social media channels, business card design, and print and digital ads. For brick-and-mortar businesses, brand colors can also be applied to the store design, staff uniforms, product packaging, and more. Choosing the right colors for your brand is crucial in expressing your brand’s identity. The colors you select should mirror your values and the message you want to convey to your audience. A well-thought-out color palette can help distinguish your brand from competitors and create a lasting impression on your customers.

Certain Colors Portray Certain Meanings

The impact of colors on branding is significant. Colors can evoke various emotions and influence consumer behavior. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right colors for a brand to create the desired perception in the minds of customers.

For example, blue is often associated with trust and reliability, while red can convey excitement and urgency. Green is often associated with nature and health, purple with luxury and creativity, and orange with energy and excitement. 

Consistent use of colors throughout a brand’s visual identity can help to increase brand recognition and awareness. Choosing the right colors for a brand can play a crucial role in shaping its image and communicating its values to consumers.

Primary Colors Versus Secondary Colors

There is no set rule for the number of colors that should be included in a brand’s color scheme. However, it is generally recommended to use no more than five colors to ensure consistency and simplicity. Ultimately, the number of colors used should align with the brand’s values and messaging.

Primary colors are frequently utilized in branding to establish a powerful and unforgettable visual identity for a business or product. Different shades and tones of these colors can be used as secondary colors to convey different emotions and messages to consumers. Overall, the use of primary colors in branding can help to create a consistent and recognizable image that resonates with customers.

When choosing secondary colors, it is important to consider the emotions and values that a company or product wants to convey to its audience. The right combination of colors can make a brand more memorable and recognizable. Secondary colors are also not used as main colors in branding but just colors to possibly make the marketing pop or stand out from the competition. 

Test The Colors on Digital and Print

Testing color schemes with print media involves several steps. First, choose a printer that can accurately reproduce the colors you want to use. Then, create a design using the color scheme you have in mind and print out a test copy. Make sure to check the colors under different lighting conditions to see how they appear in different environments. Adjust the color balance as needed and print another test copy. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the results. It’s also a good idea to consult with a professional designer or printer for their expertise on color accuracy and print quality.

Digital color schemes refer to the specific set of colors used in digital design. These schemes can vary in the number of colors used, their combinations, and their hues, saturations, and brightness levels will matter. Digital color schemes play a crucial role in creating visually appealing digital media, such as websites, apps, and social media graphics. They are used to convey specific messages or moods through the use of colors. It is also important to remember that the color can vary from screen to screen. There are a variety of factors that make colors look different on every screen such as differences in color calibration, display technology, and lighting conditions. Each device may interpret and display colors differently, resulting in variations in color accuracy and vibrancy. Additionally, the color profile used for an image or video can affect how it appears on different screens. Simply stated, the differences in screen technology and settings can cause variations in color perception, which is important to consider when creating or viewing digital content.

The Bottom Line

Creating a section in your branding guidelines specific to colors is important once a color scheme has been decided upon. This helps ensure consistency and cohesiveness throughout all branding materials.

Colors are communicated in various formats depending on their intended use. The most common color formats include hexadecimal (HEX), Red Green Blue (RGB), Cyan Magenta Yellow Key (CMYK), Pantone Matching System (PMS), Natural Color System (NCS), and Imperial Commission for Delivery Terms and Quality Assurance (RAL). Be sure to include this information in your guideline.

In the end, the importance of first impressions cannot be overstated. Your brand colors, often seen in your logo, are the first thing a consumer will notice about your company. It is crucial to make sure your colors accurately represent your brand and leave a positive and memorable impression on potential customers.

The definition of the word photography is “the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor)”.  

There is no universally perfect light for every scenario. Indoors, outdoors, a little of both, on top of a mountain, maybe even underwater, light can dramatically affect the outcome of the photograph. That is why you will see our photographer, Danielle, dragging along various lights if she is on site for a shoot or has some fancy light set up in our Steel Studio.

Light for photography can be natural or artificial. The way the photographer positions themselves and the subject of their photo affects clarity, tone, emotion, and overall feeling of the photo. Let’s dig a little deeper into this.

Indoor Photography with Natural Light vs. Artificial Light

Does your studio space have a window? Utilize it! Danielle loves her artificial lighting, but natural light is always a great option for portraits, even when the shoot is inside. In her example with Sam, she had him stand near a window which totally changed the lighting of the subject. Depending on the time of day and the weather, your lighting will vary. Pick and choose what looks best to be able to portray the story accurately. 

When Danielle and Sam moved away from the natural light, she pulled out the artificial light. The light that Danielle used in this photo below of Sam is a Paul C. Buff Einstein Flash Unit with a 35″ Foldable Octabox light modifier. “Similar to the way a softbox diffuses the light onto the subject creating soft even light, an octabox is great for portraits by creating rounded catchlights in the eyes of your subject. Providing a more natural look similar to what you would see from the sun.” via PaulCBuff.com. 

Can you compare the photos? While they are in different areas of the room, Danielle was able to capture the tone, emotion and clarity of the subject that she wanted with both natural and artificial lighting.

Why is Testing Light Before A Shoot Is So Important?

Testing light is crucial to ensure that your images are properly exposed. It is ok to snap a few test photos and move things around. The angle/direction of light allows for a dynamic portrait with flattering highlights and shadows. Melissa was holding the flash unit camera left and above Sam at about a 45 degree angle in the artificial lighting example above. 

Not only is the light important but so is how the light is positioned when taking a photo. Pay attention to shadows and flat lighting. This happens when the light source originates behind the camera and points directly to the subject. If the light is moved to the side, the subject becomes portrayed in a happier but dramatic light! 

The Bottom Line

When it comes to marketing, working with a photographer that has a good understanding of how to work with light properly can help to spotlight the exact items you want your clients to see and how you want them to feel when viewing. When a photo is pleasing to the eye, or emits a certain feeling, the product also becomes pleasing or desired. Those feelings will help to attract others to it, thus creating potential leads and sales down the road. 

If you’re interested in a photography shoot, reach out to us!