Colour systems

There are four main colour systems. Understanding colour systems can hemp to create and maintain consistency for a brand, as colour is such a key characteristic of brand identity. Colour is used across digital products, physical products, print, materials and production.

CMYK - CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, using a four colour printing process. When together, these make black, making CMYK particularly effective for creating dark colours. For this reason, CMYK is often used for printing, and less often used for screen.

RGB - Most people are most familiar with RGB as this is what is used for screens. When together, these colours produce white, allowing for bright and vibrant screen displays. This is done. by using three different light beams which together form colours when varied in intensity.

Pantone - The Pantone colour system is most often used in printing. It can be an effective choice for brand, as it ensures consistency for colour reproduction.

RAL - The RAL colour system is most often used for physical products, such as plastic, varnish and powder coating. This can be used in branding for environment, such as wanting to paint the walls of a companies office the exact colour used in branding.

Hexadecimal - This colour system is used for digital displays, including in HTML and CSS. People refer to the hexadecimal colour ‘#000000’ etc as a ‘hex code’.

There are a range of ways colours can be combined, with websites such as adobe colour producing colour pallets using hex codes.

Colour Psychology

Colours can create different emotions, allowing brands to use colour as a tool to enhance tone of voice. This way of perceiving colour is known as colour psychology.

• RED sets the tone of excitement, confidence and energy. This can be seen in the brand using red as part of their palette, such as Netflix, McDonald’s and the Rolling Stones.
• ORANGE sets the tone of friendliness, warmth and impulsiveness. Brands using this include Fanta, ETSY and Amazon.
• YELLOW presents as fun, optimistic and clear. Brands which use yellow include Snapchat, IKEA and IMDB.
• GREEN creates a sense of growth, health, peace and environment. Brands which use green include Starbucks, Spotify and Sprite.
• BLUE presents as trusty, strong and ambitious. Brands such as VISA, Facebook and NASA use this as their primary colour.
• BLACK is seen as accurate, powerful, neutral and balanced. Brands include Disney, Sony and Apple.
• PINK is seen as sensitive, loving, intuitive and respectful. Brands which sue this in their logos include Barbie, PINK and LG.
• PURPLE is perceived as creative, wise, fantasy and imaginative. Brands include Twitch, Cadbury and Yahoo.
• BROWN is seen as comfortable, stable, earthy and practical. Brands include Hershey, Nespresso and Kettle.

Colour psychology can differ greatly among cultures, however. Therefore, it is important for brands to carefully consider target audience before choosing colours.