Instructions
1Identify the target market(s) of your business. Be as specific as possible, identifying whether your "typical" customer will be male or female; what age group they fall within; their likely education and type of career; their potential income; whether or not they are married and/or have children; and anything else that you can possibly spell out. The more information that you have about "who" your customer is, the easier it will be to develop a business identity that will appeal to that customer.- 2Determine the message, in terms of thoughts and feelings, that you want your customer to get about your business. For example, do you want them to view your business in terms of creativity or reliability, as steadfast or professional, or something else altogether. It is only possible to transmit those thoughts and feelings through color once you have narrowed them down and matched them against the psychological factors that color imbues.
- 3Decide if you are going to use a logo or graphic to help build your business identity. Certain types of designs will more easily lend themselves to certain colors. Others may be flexible no matter what color you choose. Nonetheless, it is important to keep the big picture in mind as well as each small aspect of it.
- 4Determine the types of marketing materials and advertising promotions that you are likely to use for your business. For example, online businesses rely heavy on website design where multi-color graphics and designs are common. Regular businesses may rely more heavily on old standards like business cards, brochures or pamphlets, flyers and billboards. While a new business won't likely use a full arsenal of marketing or advertising materials going in, it is important to understand the direction that a marketing plan is likely to take and the role that color might have in the overall marketing package. Don't forget items like packaging, uniforms, signage and other advertising items. If they are to be used in your business, then you must take them into consideration.
- 5Start matching the thoughts and feelings that you want to elicit within your customers to the colors that have been shown psychologically capable of achieving such response. There are several standard colors that businesses often opt to use. These are chosen for their unique psychological effects. Red is one of the most powerful colors of the spectrum. It demands immediate attention, elicits feelings of strength and boldness, and stimulates a number of actions (like buying). It also stimulates the appetite, which is why so many restaurants incorporate red into their business identity.Yellow also calls for immediate attention. It also has the unusual effect of spurring one to concentrate.Pinks like mauve trigger a chemical reaction in the brain that calms people, which is why so many law offices, doctor's and dentist offices incorporate that color in their in-office color scheme.Blue is the most popular color of a large majority of people. It represents many things that businesses want, like dependability, sincerity and loyalty. It also stimulates productivity.Green says high quality and appeals to the majority of customers when it is used alone (without being mixed with another color except black). The color is also relaxing and refreshing, which is why a lot of businesses choose green for their waiting area (think of TV's green room).Orange increases energy and warm feelings. It also has the unusual effect of gaining almost instant attention as well as sticking in the human memory long-term.Purple is not usually the best color for traditional businesses but works well for new age, religious, and other spiritual type endeavors because it is associated with those things. However, purple can be useful in businesses that want to denote an air of luxury and sophistication such as high class hotels or spas.Brown spurs confidence and reassures the customer that the business can be trusted.Gray stands for conservative and traditional thinking, which is why a large number of businesses like law offices, Chambers of Commerce, and other business organizations choose to use it.
- 6Cross-check the positive psychological effects of color against the negative effects before choosing it to help establish your business identity.Red, if used in excess, can be too overpowering and actually cause customers to stay away. It also stimulates the body by making the heart beat faster, the blood pressure go up and the pulse race. Those things would not be good for businesses that are health-related.Yellow, in some people, relates to "temporary" (think taxi cabs). Mixed with black, yellow actually causes a physical draw back. It spells "danger" (think road signs). It isn't the best color for packaging either because it stimulates of feelings of inferiority.Pink, to men in particular, actually elicits energy loss, which is why gyms and health clubs don't often use the color.Blue, used in the wrong shade, can depress the appetite, which is why few restaurants use the color. Too much of the color can also cause depression and unhappiness because it is so cold and aloof.Green also implies wealth; not something that certain types of businesses may want their customers to feel about them. Who wants to think that the business is robbing from the poor?Orange clashes with a lot of other colors and must, therefore, stand alone. Retailers like choosing orange for packaging because it psychology tricks customers into thinking that their product is less expensive than it really is (think about the number of expensive detergents that use orange in packaging).Purple, because it is often linked with royalty or nobility, can have an effective on the consumer that the business is snobbish, arogant or aloof.Brown, used too lightly, can actually spur sadness.Gray, used in the wrong way, can actually decrease productivity or buying power. Women don't associate well with the color; therefore, businesses appealing to the female customer probably don't want to use gray.
- 7Achieve a good balance of the color your choose in order to get the positive responses that you want without achieving any of the negative ones. For example, let's say that you decide that you want to use red because it elicits psychological feelings of strength and stimulates customer buying actions. Red, used too heavy-handed can be too over-powering and undo the very thoughts and feelings that you are trying to elicit.
- 8Determine the "shade" of the color that you will use. For example, still using red, if the majority of your business customers are male, it is important to know that men respond better to yellow-based shades of red. Therefore, using a raspberry red might not have the effect that you ultimately want on your target audience.
- 9Make certain that the mix won't undo the effects that you are trying to achieve if you choose to mix multiple colors (other than black). For example, choosing to mix red and yellow together in a business identity could negate the overall effects of both colors, depending upon how the colors are used.
- 10Determine where in your overall business identity the color will be used. In most instances, you will want to use color the same way you use a logo or font style to promote an overall identity. However, in some instances, you may opt to develop some of your marketing and advertising materials in standard black and white, using color selectively for only certain pieces of your marketing package that you want to have the most impact.
- 11Test the color choice in limited pieces of marketing materials to see if it helps your business achieve the identity that you want.
Read more: How to Choose Colors to Help Establish Your Business Identity | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2279317_choose-colors-help-establish-business.html#ixzz1uRLXivLp
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