The color of love

I was at the supermarket this past weekend and I noticed a little red colored corner stacked with nice looking goodies. Everything in this corner was either red or white. And I don’t know if you have ever wondered why red is viewed as the color of love? Red signifies fire, danger, power, passion and sometimes stop (think traffic lights). Are we saying love is all these things? I think it is.

Depending on where your relationship is with your loved one, it could feel like a fiery dangerous zone or a hot passionate bond. I believe this is probably why there is so much talk about the men’s conference that has been organized to coincide with this day of love.

Those in the danger zone will want to flee their volatile abodes while those in the passionate zone will wish for the day to never end. There in the supermarket, I wondered whether my husband will be one of the people looking for goodies at this little red corner come February the 14th or attending the much-publicized men’s conference. Well, you’ll just have to wait till the 15th to find out.

But why are colors important?

As a business owner, how do you decide which colors will represent your business? Do you decide based on your favorite color or do you think through what you would like your company to represent? Different colors have different meanings and it is important to understand the reason why your design experts will select one color over another to represent your brand. I have been in board rooms conversations where a beautiful logo has been dismissed just because one member did not ‘like’ the use of a certain color.

A design expert I once consulted gave me a very detailed explanation behind the science of colors and why design people will always want to understand the ‘why’ behind your business before they recommend a color theme to you.

The vision you have for your business should guide you in the color selection process. Can you imagine a school or a gym with dull, dark colors or a morgue with bright colors?

As a brand expert, I have been lucky to work in many different companies each with different brand colors; and when I look back at some of the institutions that have adopted bright and vibrant colors, the work environment somehow seemed to exhibit some kind of liveliness.

The influence is visible. I truly believe that the kind of colors you choose will identify with you, your vision and even your environment. There are many articles that have been written on the psychology of color and how different colors can provoke different reactions. An interesting article I read by Marketo cited a study that found that a product’s color influences 60 to 80% of a customer’s purchasing decision meaning color can make or break a product.

We must therefore choose a brand’s colors very wisely. It is one of the best mediums to bring out the brand essence and as the main visual element that your customers see and identify with every time they interact with your brand, you need to have them attach the right kind of emotion to carry the brand through.

My parting shot today; let the colors you choose to have around ignite the energy that propels you deeper into your vision of success.

Until then, may this month of love bring with it the fire that lights up your life.

Did you get a chance to read our last article on The Ying Yang of Gender Equality

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