The Best Brand Colors Go Head to Head in Pop Culture

Choosing the best brand colors isn’t a matter of picking your personal favorites, it’s a science. Get it right, and your company might make a stronger first impression and leave a lasting memory in the minds of customers.

Colors are everywhere – and we’re not talking about all those pretty Autumn leaves. When it comes to branding for a company logo, website, etc., the best brand colors are what consumers notice the most; for strong brands, it’s obvious this is very well thought out.

If you have ever had a hard time thinking of which colors would be the best brand colors to use for your brand’s visual identity, try looking at society and pop culture (scroll down for a great infographic about brand colors and pop-culture). Here are two great matchups to show ways that branding in pop culture and society can translate to your business.

2 Pop Culture Matchups Put the Best Brand Colors in the Spotlight

Matchup #1: The Voice vs. So You Think You Can Dance

The basic idea of these two shows is essentially the same: exhibit talents, improve, coach, perform, critique, and give the power to the people when it comes down to the vote. However, when it comes to branding, the approach is different.

The Voice’s brand colors are red and black. For this show, the color red shows the passion, excitement, and bold action they want you to associate with while the color black shows its sophisticated and expensive side. On the other side of things, So You Think You Can Dance uses green to show prestige and affluence and blue to show its strength and dependability.

Let’s take a look at another example for all the sports fans out there.

Matchup #2: Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers

While this might sound a rematch of the NFC divisional round game from a couple of years ago, it’s not. The organizations that make up the NFL are football teams, but make no mistake: each team is first and foremost a brand meant to inspire loyalty, attract fans and advertisers, and make money.

In fact, even at a high level, look at the branding for the three major sports in the US. Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association all use the colors red, white and blue. And no, this isn’t just to show patriotism. These colors tell you that as a fan, you should be excited (red), their reputation is pure (white), and they can be trusted (blue).

The Dallas Cowboys only use blue and white and while they are sometimes referred to as “America’s team”, they chose these colors to show they are trustworthy and dependable (blue) and pure and noble (white). The Green Bay Packers push across a similar message using different colors. They use green to show prestige and yellow to show motivation and energy. These two teams have some of the most storied histories in all of football, so it’s no wonder they both utilize distinctive colors which pay tribute to their distinct heritage.

You might also like: 5 Corporate Brand Color Palettes Inspired by the Pacific Northwest

How Can This Help You Choose the Best Brand Colors for Your Business?

Take a look at your business model, customer base, and brand story. Think about the words and values you want your organization to be known for, and what you want to resonate with the people who see your company from the outside. After all, 93 percent of purchasing decisions are made based on visual perceptions (Kissmetrics).

“93% of purchasing decisions are based on visual perceptions.”

Another thing to remember, it’s never too early to start working in your branding colors. Children ages 3-5 start to recognize logos and know that they are connected with certain products and by 8 years old, logos are able to be permanently cemented in a child’s mind. This tells you a couple of things. First off, branding colors and logos should be one of the first things your company comes up with. Second, no matter what age you are marketing to, your branding and logo have relevance to people of all ages.

“Color Is the first thing a customer will notice about your logo.”

Since color is one of the first brand impressions you’ll make with customers who visit your business, get your business card, visit your website, receive an email or see your logo on social media (or anywhere else), make it mean something.

Sticking with two colors isn’t necessarily a rule you can’t break, but it’s considered best practice. 95% of companies use only one or two colors in their logo for branding.

“95% of companies use only one or two colors in their logo for branding.”

Maybe you own an outdoors company that thrives on giving people a thrill and creating exciting events and memories. Your two key features would be that you are exciting and also earthy and natural, leading you to choose some sort of brown and red and your color scheme. Blue and green would be a great scheme for a trucking company that wants to convey their organic, earthiness as well as their dependability and trustworthiness.

Choosing the best brand colors will not cost your company anything (other than time), so take the time to think about which colors could best set your business up for long term success.

Infographic: Visualistan.com.