You may have noticed that we love the color red at Impagination. At a meeting with fellow entrepreneurs, a new contact who had seen some of our recent content asked me, “why red?” Red, a big part of Impagination’s brand, is the lifeblood that runs through so many of our communications — with good reason!
Brands have long used the psychology of color in shaping their personas. A bold blue is known to demonstrate reliability and steadfastness, while a vibrant yellow might inspire warmth and playfulness. That’s why insurance companies often opt for blue as their primary brand color.
Red, one of the most stimulating colors, represents what Impagination tries to infuse in everything we do for ourselves and our clients to create impact: boldness, strength and passion! As visual beings at our core, these are a few of the values we unconsciously assign when we see this dazzling color. It’s no wonder it was able to inspire the elites of the ancient world to spend large sums searching for more vibrant hues of red, a color symbolic of wealth and status.
We have other long-held associations with colors that you can use when positioning your brand:
Red: passion, excitement and boldness
Blue: trust, dependability, strength
Green: peace, growth, health
Yellow: optimism, warmth, clarity
Purple: creativity, imagination, luxury
More than just a way to shape perception, color also has the power to influence how we think, act and consume. A recent episode of Terry O’Reilly’s marketing podcast, Under the Influence, examined the brand colors that encourage us to buy, finding that red was most useful for action-oriented brands and even had the ability to increase the appetite. That’s powerful stuff!
What role does color play in your branding and marketing? It might be helpful to think about the colors you use in your communications: a blue button to link to a blog post vs. a green one. Use color as a tool to inspire thought and action in your clients and potential clients.
Looking for ways to convey your brand’s key messaging through color? Contact us, we can help!
If you need help determining what the elements of your brand might be saying to your potential clients, I am offering a limited number of one-on-one consultations in addition to our upcoming Find More Best Clients Workshop on October 24. Secure your spot before August 31 to take advantage of the early-bird discount.
Great article… Made me remember something about myself. Red was my favourite colour as a young kid. I proudly shared that with family, friends, teachers, etc. Rose red was the shade I favoured.
What happened? The only thing red in my closet today is a scarf or two that I rarely wear. I’ve gone blue and beige in my adult life. I need to get some rose red back in my life !
Red is an incredibly powerful color Lois. Retailers report it’s the last color to sell out, perhaps too powerful for the masses. This is lucky for those of us who love red in our wardrobe, and love to show our true colors.
Red is the color of the STOP sign. It causes you to stop, think and move forward into ACTION. You have to notice RED. It is one of the power colors and yes you are right Laural, it could be too much. You know I love red.
Getting noticed is what strategic marketing aims to achieve Rose-marie. But I love the concept that red initiates the strategic steps: STOP, THINK, and then ACT.