Why did McDonald’s choose red and yellow in their logo, and how do you always recognize Starbucks so well among the offices? In this article I analyze the color choices of Impactful Design companies and why they are so important.
Choosing the right color for your brand is important because colors influence how you feel and behave, and when used well, they can even guide emotions and decisions.
In this article I will take you through the color choices of some big brands. I will show you how they chose their colors and what they want to achieve with them. By taking a look at their strategies, you will gain insight into how you can use color effectively to strengthen your own brand.
McDonald’s
By far the most famous fast food chain – and not just because of the Big Mac and McKroket. When you think of McDonald’s, you probably don’t first have the smell of fries or the taste of chicken nuggets in mind. Chances are that the first thing you see is the famous logo in combination with the recognizable yellow/red color palette.McDonald’s logo source: Janson Oliver / Shutterstock
Why red and yellow?
The choice of red and yellow is not a coincidence and is even scientifically well- founded . For example, red was chosen because of its stimulating properties that are associated with activity and increasing the heart rate, which can help stimulate your appetite. Yellow is known for its association with happiness and is the most striking color in daylight. You can recognize the yellow arches from miles away when you are in the car.
In addition, the brain processes colors faster than words or shapes . So before you realize you can see McDonald’s in the distance, the red color has already stimulated your hunger.
Starbucks
Okay, same game.
When you think of Starbucks, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The coffee beans? The misspelled names on your to-go cup? Or the color green?
Starbucks is also a good example of a company with a strong color association. So let’s analyze the idea behind it.
I’ll start with the rebranding of Starbucks, where Starbucks had the right logo in 1992. In 2011 the last adjustment took place and it is now the recognizable logo on the left as you and I probably know it.
Starbucks logo change source: SheikhMohsinAli / Shutterstock
It is noticeable that they have chosen to remove the name mexico email list 8 million contact leads from the logo and have gone for one recognizable green color. The color is now so recognizable that Starbucks says the following about it:
Our green is iconic. Visible for blocks. It’s our most identifiable asset, from the color of our aprons to our logo.
3 Reasons Why Green Is a Strong Choice for Starbucks
Recognizability in the city center: have you ever seen a Starbucks in the middle of nowhere or in the countryside? No. In general, you will find the coffee franchise in the city center, at stations or in shopping centers. Each place where the color of bricks and buildings dominates. And that is why the green color quickly stands out.
Brand Image: This article concludes that Starbucks’ a lime green ‘brat summer’: the genius marketing behind charli xcx’s brat green marketing strategies, including the use of green branding, contribute significantly to positive brand image and increased purchase intentions.
Associations with the color green: besides the association with sustainability and environmental awareness, the color green also has a calming effect and is associated with peace and harmony. This can have a positive effect on the general atmosphere that prevails in Starbucks branches.
Color on websites
I have now covered two large companies with physical ao lists branches, but how does this translate to e-commerce companies?
Ball
Before I analyze the use of colors on the website, I will first dive into some background information regarding the blue color of the ball.
Also read: Psychological tricks in marketing: how color use influences purchasing decisions
In 2019, a rebranding took place. An important part of this rebranding was sharpening the color palette and deepening the color blue. Now this may seem like a minimal change, but now that we are further into this article, we know better.
For example, color expert Karine Steculorum states: “On the contrary, it is an extremely big change.” And Boukje Taphoorn, CMO of bol, argued: “The sphere has certainly been retained, but our visual identity is now more colorful, playful and human.”
How does this colorful and human visual identity translate to the website? Let me first divide the use of color on websites into the following three important categories.