Viva’s Blog: Michigan’s is maize & blue. What’s yours?

Kudos to Michigan and Syracuse who proudly wore their colors during last night’s March Madness final four basketball game. Typically, the visitor wears their team color and the home team wears white. Since the teams were far from their home court, they both smartly opted to wear their brand color.

Michigan’s is maize and blue.
The first recorded association of any color with the University of Michigan was in 1859 when a ribbon of deep blue was attached to the diploma of an Elisha Jones.

Saunter through Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus and you’ll see their brand colors everywhere, from students’ sweatshirts to building signage to welcome mats.

Syracuse’s is orange and blue.
Syracuse, whose mascot is Otto the Orange, adopted orange as their color in 1890. (They used to pair pink with blue!) The athletic teams at Syracuse are affectionately called the Syracuse Orange.

Color is key in branding.
When someone looks at a logo, the color is the foremost thing they remember. According to a study by ColorMatters, 80% of visual information that we absorb is related to color.

That’s why iconic brands such as Coca-Cola, T-Mobile, John Deere, and Tiffany’s have selected a color, trademarked it, and feature it prominently in their marketing. Some even use it in their tag lines; remember which company asked, “What can Brown do for you?”

Picking the right color is key.
Just like picking the optimal message is key to your marketing’s effectiveness, so is picking the right color. It all starts with your customer. What problem are you solving for them? What’s important to them? Are they looking for a partner who is aggressive and energetic? Then, perhaps bright red is the answer. Red evokes a passionate and visceral response. Or do they value a safe, trustworthy and dependable solution? Blue, with its calming effect and association with the sky and ocean may be a great option. Green is synonymous with nature, freshness, and health. Black is edgy and hip.

There are plenty of other considerations before you pick a brand color. For example, what colors belong to your competitors? If you want to truly differentiate your brand in a relevant, meaningful manner than you probably don’t want to employ the same colors as a competitor. Pick a different, brand supportive option and begin the process of creating a category of one.

Don’t forget your employees.
Imagine your employees wearing hats and shirts with your color and logo when they’re at the gym, on the beach or wherever they hang. If it doesn’t feel right, then maybe you have the wrong color. If you picture them lining up for another polo shirt, you may be on to something.

How are you using your colors?
Do your brand colors visually communicate what you’re about? Are they integrated across all of your marketing assets – in your logo, throughout your website, on your product, packaging, etc.?

It’s nearly free.
It costs your company next to nothing to choose a color, so leverage the freebee. Pick the right color for your brand and display it proudly across everything you do.

Read more Viva’s Blogs at www.vivalabrand.com
Editor’s note: Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, was recently selected to be the Brand Blogger for Crain’s Cleveland Business.