Choosing the right color for your business branding is crucial. This color will appear on all your promotional materials, including your logo and product packaging. As much as possible, the color you choose should make you stand out, work for your company’s image, and communicate your brand promise. It should also factor in color psychology. Colors can mean different things such as:

Blue: is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

Red: increases your heart rate, causing you to breathe more rapidly. This response makes red aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing. Red will evoke a passionate response. For example, red can represent danger or indebtedness.

Green: connotes health, freshness and serenity. However, green’s meaning can vary depending on the shade. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow: is associated with the sun. It communicates optimism, positivity, light and warmth. Different shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.

Purple: is a color favored by creative people. With a blend of red and blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty. Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

Pink: Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement and are recommended for less expensive or trendy products for women or girls. Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

Orange: evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. With the drama of red plus the cheer of yellow, orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Research indicates its lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.

Brown: conveys simplicity, durability and stability. It can also elicit a negative response from consumers who relate to it as dirty. Certain shades of brown, like terracotta, can convey an upscale look. Brown tends to hide dirt, making it a logical choice for some trucking and industrial companies.

Black: is bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

White: connotes simplicity, cleanliness and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant color, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.