It can stimulate emotional and physiological reactions. In reaction to color, your eyes dilate, and your pupils widen. Your heart rate increases or slows.
In branding, color communicates messages, just as slogans and logos do. It becomes part of your company's personality. Whether you realize it or not, it's sending messages to your prospects — from "You can trust us" to "We're stuck in the '80s."
Color is big business.
The Pantone corporation is the creator of the Pantone Matching System, which assigns a unique number to more than 10,000 colors. Originally the territory of graphic designers and printing companies, this organized approach to color has entered the public domain — from the posh to the plebian.
At the swank Pantone Hotel in Brussels, Belgium, color takes center stage. Meanwhile, everyday folks are invited to bring Pantone color home with Pantone Universe® paint colors, available at Lowe’s home improvement stores.
In recent years, Pantone has taken the lead as the world’s color authority. Its influence is now felt in the fashion industry, a realm where color couldn’t matter more.
This year’s color is Marsala (Pantone 18-1438), which takes its name from cooking wine, which takes its name from an Italian city.
Is your company “in tone” with it all? Or does that burgundy-and-mauve brochure give you away?
(FYI, burgundy is NOT Marsala.)
Stuck in a color quandary? Don’t worry, we've got your number.
