Do you know why Netflix’s logo is in red?
Do you know that Coca-Cola designed its own font?
Have you ever noticed that alignment makes a big difference in your design?
In this tutorial, we are going to dive deep into the basics of graphic design.
We’ll look into the most famous brands across the globe.
By the end of this video, you’ll know what it takes to be a pro graphic designer.
So what are you waiting for?
Get started now!
What is color psychology?
Do you know why McDonald’s logo is yellow?
Your brain uses colors to recognize traits about products.
If you want your products to stand out, choose your colors wisely.
The challenge is in harnessing color psychology rightly to communicate with your buyers.
You probably know the basics of colors, like red represents passion and white means cleanliness.
But this is just the basics of very complex color psychology.
Hi, This is Praveen from Animaker Academy.
In this course, we'll dive deep into what different colors mean, and why you should choose specific colors for your product.
Blue
Ask people their favorite color.
You’ll be surprised that a majority will say Blue.
Why is that?
When you see blue, your brain produces hormones that are calming.
People use blue for their bedroom walls because it conveys a sense of calm and tranquility.
That’s why you’d notice a lot of brands use different shades of blue in their logos and messaging.
However, remember that there’s a big difference between teal, corporate blue and baby blue.
It means that there’s a big difference between the emotions that each of those shades are going to make your customers feel.
Let’s see some of the brands that use blue to gain trustworthiness.
American Express
American Express is a multinational corporation specialized in payment card services.
Let’s start with its logo.
As you can see, they use a combination of blue and white.
While white is used as the text outline, blue is the predominant color.
Let’s hop on their website now.
The text colors and CTAs are in blue.
Here is an Incentivo Catalogue brochure of American Express.
If you look closely, Blue is the primary color of this brochure.
Guess what? The blue color scheme used by the brand on its digital and print products evokes reliability.
General Electric
General Electric is a world leader in locomotives, aviation, power, renewable energy, healthcare, venture capital.
Huh! Is there anything that GE does not make?!
The company has been around for more than 100 years.
Obviously, they have built a huge global brand and long-standing values that they want to uphold.
Just like American Express, let’s start with the logo.
The color scheme is blue with white.
As blue goes well with white, most brands that use blue, also use white in the scheme.
GE’s website is filled with shades of blue and white from the background, CTAs, to the footer.
This is a brochure from GE.
Just like its website, blue is the primary color in their brochures too.
Some of the other brands that use blue to their advantage are Paypal, IBM, Visa, and Dropbox.
Green
Mother Nature has gifted us with many colors, but green is the predominant one.
Green lowers blood pressure and heart rate for viewers.
Now, it’s easy to understand why all natural products or organizations supporting nature use green.
That’s not all.
Many financial products and services in the US use green as their predominant brand colors.
That’s because the US dollar is green in color.
This is why people tend to associate green with finance.
Since there is a subtle connection with money and wealth, green is also used by luxury brands.
Let’s see some of the brands that use green.
Tropicana
Tropicana is a multinational fruit-based beverages company.
The company always strives to position itself that its products are natural.
If you look at its logo, you can witness green with a leaf on top of the letter “I”.
Green is used in most of its product labels to convey to us at a subconscious level that Tropicana is 100% natural.
So, it isn’t surprising that its website is also built with green shades from header to footer.
Quickbooks
Staying on the green color, wealth management companies use the green across their products.
Quickbooks is one example.
It provides businesses with accounting software.
If you notice their logo and website, we’ve got green all over.
Right from the CTA button, customer testimonials, to their header banners, we see green.
Purple
Purple is not a color we see often in nature. It is mystical.
For centuries, purple dye was rare and extremely expensive.
It usually depicts wealth and royalty.
However, it’s still associated with fantasy and femininity.
Let’s see some of the brands that use purple.
Cadbury
I don’t need to introduce you to Britain’s famous confectionary brand - Cadbury.
The brand maintains purple throughout its packaging. We all know that.
Let’s dive into its website.
Purple is the only color used on the website along with white in the footer.
The reason why Cadbury uses purple is not clear. Some people say that it is Queen Victoria’s favorite color.
FedEx
FedEx uses purple in its logo and other branding elements to show the luxurious image of the company.
As you notice the critical functions of its website like rate calculator, tracking, and shipment are all branded with purple.
Not just the website, they maintained this brand color throughout their packaging and logistics operations.
Red
Red is tied to many basic human activities and emotions.
It is vibrant and attention-grabbing.
If your product radiates love, passion, and high energy, red is the best color for you.
Sometimes red is connected to food as well. Many restaurants use red as their primary brand color.
KFC
KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken’s colors found in their logo are red, beige, light tan, black and white.
But, if you look closely, red is the dominant color.
KFC uses this color scheme on both its digital and print products.
Let’s have a look at its website with which they take online food orders.
If you notice, the big banner image at the top featuring the price and discounts is in red.
The famous KFC bucket is also in red.
The last section where they’ve posted their offers and deals is in the same color.
KFC knew that red makes their customers hungry.
This is the psychology that connects red and food.
Netflix
Have you ever noticed the red tint on Netflix amidst binging?
When you think of Netflix your mind unconsciously paints your imagination with red.
Since red evokes passion and energetic emotions, Netflix uses this color across its platform.
Yellow
Yellow is usually associated with safety and caution. It is quickly noticeable. No wonder a lot of school buses use the yellow color to ensure the safety of kids.
From a branding perspective, yellow evokes affordability and cheerfulness.
Yellow is rare in branding.
But some companies have become successful in creating a distinct visual identity with this color.
National Geographic
Most of us are familiar with the National Geographic logo that features a rectangle box in yellow.
The rectangle actually represents its magazine.
Before hitting the TV media, National Geographic was famous for its magazines.
Inspired by the trademark cover of the National Geographic magazine,the design team incorporated it as a logo in itself.
The yellow in the frame itself generates a relatively strong brand recognition.
Nikon
Nikon is not just a camera manufacturer.
It makes binoculars, rifle scopes, measuring instruments, and more.
The yellow in its branding represents expansion and passion.
The color is widely used across its logo, websites, and print documents.
Orange
Orange is a combination of yellow and red.
It is an energetic color and invokes excitement and warmth.
If your product beams happiness, don’t forget to use the orange color.
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson is very special for die-hard bikers. Some bikers who’ve owned a Harley-Davidson won’t touch another motorbike in their lives!
It has been in the market since the early twentieth century and is still going strong.
The orange color in its logo and the shield shape gives a heroic look to the brand.
Not just in the logo, the brand maintains the color in all its branding elements.
If you notice the website, all the CTA buttons are in orange to maintain brand consistency.
The choice of this color represents energy, cheerfulness, and activity - everything that the iconic motorbike brand stands for.
JBL
JBL is a famous audio equipment manufacturer.
If you are an audiophile you might have owned a JBL speaker.
The company knew that music is energetic and cheerful.
As we know, orange is the go-to color for that particular emotion.
The logo is submerged in orange while other digital pieces like buttons on the website and banners are branded in the same color.
Pink
Just like its primary cousin red, pink exudes youth, fun, and confidence.
It can be used to show romance, and fun products.
Regardless of the pink shade, it conveys femininity.
They say, “Pink is for girls, blue is for boys.” There are some exceptions to that saying, of course.
Most baby brands use pink to showcase innocence and playfulness.
Barbie
It may be a small doll but Barbie is a global icon.
The doll has a history of 6 decades and it is still breaking boundaries.
Being the most loved brand by kids, Barbie uses pink as its primary color.
Right from the product to the branding materials, pink is everywhere in Barbie.
Barbie’s generous use of pink has even led to the term “Barbie Pink” - Now, that’s what we call real branding power!
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan is one of the biggest women’s media brands in the world.
They publish a best-selling magazine directed mainly towards girls and women.
Both the print and digital media are branded in Pink.
Black
Black is not in the color wheel.
For that particular reason, some raise questions like “Is black even a color?”
The answer is that black neutralizes the other colors.
It stabilizes the vibrant colors that run the risk of being overpowering.
So it is considered a powerful and bold color.
It can be associated with luxury, power, and elegance.
Apple
Apple is a luxury brand and many use Apple products as a status symbol.
In 1998, the rainbow version of Apple logo was replaced by its monochrome twin.
The black Apple icon on a white background is a symbol of quality and excellence.
The same color combination is maintained across the packaging and other opportunities of branding.
Nike
In Greek mythology, Nike is the winged goddess of victory.
The symbol itself represents speed, movement, and power.
The black color insists on the same motive to the brand.
Sometimes, black and white on the logo switch based on where they are used..
But both colors are an integral part of its branding.
Also watch:
7 Types of Brand Logos and How to Use Them
