business branding colour … meaning of blue

Karen Haller 01
Karen Haller

Business branding colour - meaning of blue.

What message is being conveyed when a brand choses blue as their primary branding colour? Psychologically blue presents trust, integrity, communication. However, use the wrong tone of blue and it’s the colour that can make a brand appear cold, aloof and unapproachable.

colour psychology
Positive qualities of blue are trust, integrity and efficiency. It’s the colour that conveys communication and logic. It also represents calm, reflection and serenity. This is because blue relates to the mind, affecting us mentally.

On the negative side it can come across as cold, aloof and uncaring. When a company whose primary branding colour doesn’t uphold the values of blue it’s brand personality will come across with these negative traits.

As you can see by the brands selected for this article, all use a different tone of blue. IBM, known as ‘Big Blue’ uses a dark blue tone to assert their authority as reliable, trustworthy and dependable. It is also conveying they are conservative and traditional.

It’s no surprise the major social media companies have chosen blue given it is the colour of communication. You will also notice they have chosen different blues. The light blue of Twitter also expresses the fun side of social media given the high amount of yellow undertone. Social Media - face book twitter linkedin icons.

brand analysis
If you would like to know if blue is the right colour for your business brand and just as important the exact tone of blue, then why not see if a  brand colour analysis is right for you. My clients find when they get their branding colours right, they really get how it represents their brand’s personality and how the right tone will increase brand recognition, attracting their target clientele and lead to increased sales.

How do you respond to a brand that uses blue as their primary brand colour? How does it make you feel?

To find out more about the effects colour has on your brand download my free e-book 7 mistakes most business owners make with their branding colours.

If you enjoyed reading this article you may also be interested in other articles relating to colour in business branding.

Images: Tirumaleswara blogspot, DellFacebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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5 Comments

  1. Tamsin Fox-Davies on May 1, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    It’s really interesting that so many social media brands use blue – it’s like they’re trying to say that they are serious players even though they do something ‘fun’.

    • admin on May 7, 2012 at 4:39 pm

      Very good point you make there Tamsin. I’d have to agree with you on that one. Facebook use a more serious dark blue where Twitter uses a more fun, light blue given the amount of yellow present.

  2. Wendy Kerr on May 6, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    mmm – this has got me thinking! I have no blue in my logo and I wonder if it is a deficit of trust then in my brand representation….. or will the experience of the customer make up for this?

    • admin on May 7, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      Hi Wendy, the colours used by a brand will elicit an emotional reaction in the buyer. By using the right tone of colour/s and the right combination of colours that reflect the true personality of the brand will attract the right type of customer.

  3. Tanya Rennick on May 14, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    How very interesting. It certainly is a great colour for communication.

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