Design Colour Trends To Give Your Brand A Killer Makeover

Apr 17, 2018

Don’t judge a brand by its colour is something no one would say. Ever.

Brands use colour in their designs to serve a purpose – to represent the personality of the brand. In most cases the same colour is used in their product designs, billboards, packaging and websites. Expert marketers and advertisers believe in consistency. They encourage brands to pick colours that represent them.

colour-trends

The use of the same colour across media and brand collaterals helps people associate the colour with the brand. It can strengthen people’s association with the brand. If you use it right, the colour can even become a strong brand recall element. The right design colour trends could transform your business. Using colour psychology can help inculcate the desired response from consumers.

What is the psychological effect of colour?

The psychological effect of colour is buried deep in all of us. Small and big businesses need to understand the importance of colour psychology. Whether you are working on your own or taking the help of professionals, businesses need to be aware of the basic design colour trends. The wrong colour can adversely affect the way people feel about your business. A different shade of the same brand colour can sometimes give a completely different vibe. Some colours can make you feel like one product is better than the other.

psycological

The Pantone Colour Institute, assists brands to make the best colour decisions for their products or designs. This international institution is dedicated to colour trend forecasting, custom colour solutions, brand colour development and more. They believe that “When 80% of human experience is filtered through the eyes, the choice of colour is critical.”

Colour psychology studies how different colours affect human behaviour. People react differently to colours based on their past experiences and cultural backgrounds. These become very powerful emotions that decide whether they buy the product or not. It’s recommended that you try to connect with your target customers through the use of appealing colours.

99 designs says “According to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, how consumers feel about a brand has more pull than what they think about a brand. Pair that with the fact that we know certain colours evoke certain emotions and voila: your brand colours have the ability to impact your sales or performance even more than the products you offer.”

These are the areas where your brand colour will most commonly be found:

1. Logo

2. Website

3. In-store design

4. Staff uniform

5. Advertisements

color-attraction

Which colours attract customers?

If you wish to attract impulse buyers then red, orange, royal blue and black are great choices. But if your product is designed for buyers who tend to bargain, navy blue and teal are ideal.

According to Flonomics:

“93 % of shoppers place visual appeal above sound, smell and texture when buying a product. And 85 % of shoppers place colour as a primary reason for why they buy a particular product.”

From millennial pink to electric blue, designers are incorporating colour schemes from the 80’s and 90’s this year. Colour psychology has also found that certain colours evoke certain emotions in people. This means that you can determine the purchasing decisions of your target customers based on the colours you choose.

BONUS TIP: Retro colours are making a comeback.

Colour Trends in Advertising and Branding that are Killing It Right Now!

1. My! My! Metallic

Yes, bling it on! Metallic colours refer to golds and silvers. It was initially only used to portray glamour and luxury. It was widely appreciated in the interior design and fashion industries as it gives a chic and elegant look. But you don’t have to be hesitant to let your design shine as the latest news is that bling is in! The versatility of metallic shades makes them among the most neutral, yet alluring colours in advertising. Their ability to blend and contrast with other colours makes them a popular choice among advertisers.

metallic

millenial-pink

2. Not Just a Girls Colour Anymore

The “Millenial Pink” craze started way back when Tumblr was still popular. And though most people assumed that it was a fad that would pass, pink remained resilient. It has become one of the most omnipresent colours in the design world. Its shades range from bubble-gum-hues to rose gold, ashy rose, baby pink etc, providing an extensive palette for anyone wishing to deploy pink power. It represents innocence and youth and is one of the ideal colours to pick if your brand is fresh and appeals to the younger generation.

pink1

pink2

3. Brutally Honest

If your goal is to get your brand noticed ‘brutalism’ is the way to go. It makes use of wild and vivid colours that may seem uncomplimentary but actually share a passive symbiotic nature. If done right brutalistic designs can give your brand a strong visual identity. Some peculiar palettes are just around the corner for this bad boy range of design colour trends.

brutalistic

Source: http://cristinacriaco.co.uk/

brutalistic2

Source: http://anthonyjcoleman.com/

4. UV

Ultra Violet, sounds like a superpower right? Named colour of the year, it is a representation of unconventionality and artistic excellence. It has become quite popular in digital media over the years (Check out our logo!). This design colour trend is expected to soar this year.

uv

cg-logo

5. The Minimalistic Life

If you are looking for simplicity with a touch of panache – the search is over- Pastels win! Minimalism rings a bell with the millennial generation as they believe less is more. They pick more soothing shades over jarring ones. In lieu of hipster aesthetics, whether it is interiors or your Instagram feed, people prefer pastel palettes including- mints, sage green, white, sandy pink etc.

minimalism1

minimalism2

6. Black is Gold

You really can’t wrong with black. Also picked as one of the year’s statement colours this is one of the most versatile design colour trends. It can be used to portray sophistication, mystery, fierceness or even simplicity. One thing you must know that the black we are talking about has charcoal and indigo undertones making it even more magnificent to behold.

blackisgold1

blackisgold2

 

Design Trends in Advertising and Branding that are Killing it Right Now!

1. Modern Ombre

Modern gradients have the ability to be extremely bold or perfectly subtle depending on the range of colours you choose. Gradients have made a comeback and they are better than ever before. It is mostly used for semi-flat designs and has become even more popular ever since Instagram, Spotify & Stripe have used them for their logos and UI/UX. Designer love gradients since they allow them to play with multiple colours.

modern1

modern2

Source: http://www.impossible-bureau.com/

2. All the Single Shadies!

We have been seeing a lot of single colour designs in the sense that the background colour of the image is the same as that of the foreground. You may think that it looks boring, but trust us, with the right effects; single colours can create breathtaking designs.

coca-cola

Source: https://aflintvisuallanguage2014.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/metalanguage-in-context-colour-as-a-signpost/

3. Background Experiments

The image background is gaining more importance, so feel free to experiment with it. It is one of the design trends in advertising that is gaining the most traction. You can jazz up your backgrounds with illustrations, geometrical patterns etc. They help keep your designs exciting and simple at the same time.

frida

Source: http://cafefrida.ca/

vita

Source: http://vitacochran.com/

4. A Split Take

When making product designs you must remember that your product is the star. A great way to keep the product in focus is the split page design.  It merely switches the image by adding more elements, contrasts, stripes etc. that will help catch people’s attention whether it’s on billboards or social media.

bose

Source: http://special.bose.eu/en/

5. Brutalism yet again!

Yes, you can be brutal not just with the colours you choose but also the designs trends you create. This technique makes use of raw and wild imagery that can often be seen as extreme but does manage to do the job which is, grab people’s attention.  It’s often opted by rebellious designers who wish to create something different from normal, clean designs.

brutal

Source: https://www.juliettesurprise.com/

6. Bright and Beautiful

Reach for the stars this year designers! Don’t be afraid to try something new or something you haven’t seen before, because that’s what 2018 is all about. It’s the only way to be unique in a sea of brands. Use the boldest of colours and the brightest of imagery to make your designs ‘pop’!

nicklodeon

Source: https://www.vans.com/spongebob

How to Make the Best Design Colour Trends Decision for Your Brand?

Based on the latest design colour and design trends, it’s safe to say that you must be wary of the colours you use for your business as it has a huge influence on your brand influence.

Picking your brand colours is easy if you know exactly what you are trying to say. For this, you have to first determine your brand personality. Don’t just choose your favourite colour as your brand colour – also consider the nature of the product or service, and the brand image you seek to build.

color-palatte

To determine your brand personality you must figure out:

1. Who your brand is speaking to?

2. What is the mission of your brand?

Essentially once you have determined these two aspects of your brand personality then you can look to our colour cheat sheet and pick which colours represent you best.

THE ULTIME COLOUR CHEATSHEET

colors

What is the most attractive colour in advertising?

One can’t really pick a colour as the most attractive. But there are a few favourites. Like Red, which is easy to see and mostly used in fast food chains (think KFC, McDonalds) as it is said to increase your appetite and create urgency and excitement.

Green is considered to be a more soothing colour and can be used to subtly coax consumers into buying products. It is one of those colours which is used to portray relaxation, calmness, and eco-friendliness.

There isn’t any correct way to determine which design colour scheme is perfect for your brand. There is no fixed procedure for answers in this department, but what you must know is that you shouldn’t limit yourself.

drawing

Push the Boundaries of Colours in Advertising

Don’t interpret our colour cheat sheet as a set of hard and fast rules. There are more rewards to be gained with experimentation. Your brand personality will determine how your logo, website, store, products, and advertisements look.  Use this guide merely as a precept to make the right decisions. Colours generate emotional reactions in your target audience, but this doesn’t mean you should ignore your own emotions.

Leave us your favourite colour tips below.  Do you believe in colour psychology? Share your opinion with us in the comments below.

Spread the love

6 Comments

  1. Pam

    Great advice – I picked a few colors for my website and try to be consistent with them – pictures may have other colors, but the wording, background, etc. are one of my three standard colors.

    • Crafting Genius

      Thanks Pam! We are so glad we could help!

  2. Chrisenda

    Good information, thanks!

    • Crafting Genius

      You’re welcome! We are glad you liked it Chrisenda!

  3. Charles Davis

    Many businesses’ skip the first step a branding profile. If you get that wrong nothing works. Your comment on the BRUTALIST design. I saw two examples Nike and Kanye West, they are minimalist and color only used if it is in the product itself.

    • Crafting Genius

      Absolutely Charles! Those are great examples as well!

Submit a Comment

RELATED BLOG POST

Join the Genius Community

Get inside access to the latest news and views from the world of  Brand Communication and Digital Marketing.