Have you ever noticed how certain colors impact your mood? Blue seems to be a “sad” color, while yellow and orange tend to represent happiness and energy.
Imagine that you’re really angry, you’re having the worst day ever, and you walk into a room painted red. How do you think this will improve your mood? A bright red room would likely make you feel more aggressive and upset, where as a soft eggshell or light blue or green room may be calming.
If the color of a room can impact your mood, how about the colors of advertisements? Have you ever thought about why brands use certain colors?
Why is the “M” in McDonalds yellow, the Lowes’ sign blue or the NBC peacock tail multicolored?
Brands use color to deliver a message and impact consumers’ emotions.
If the Nike swoosh was pink or purple, it probably wouldn’t have caught on as well as it did. Similarly, if the UPS symbol was green rather than browns and yellows, it would send an entirely different message. The black New York Times “T” symbolizes balance, strength and age… they paper would likely be regarded differently, since it would show a different face.
When companies rebrand them selves, they have to consider changing color pallets or staying within the same shades.
Olive Garden is currently updating their venues to match their new brand. They kept their old tones although refreshed their logo, to make it more invited and modern. The clean, crisp colors, simple logo has an entirely different feel from their previous logo.
Other changes that suggest the company is changing their target market are evidenced by images and words. By dropping the grapes and adding leaves, they are showing a healthier side. The font change may make the restaurant appeal to a younger demographic, while the change from “restaurant” to “kitchen” brings the restaurant to a different level. Fast casual is in, sitting for long periods is going out of fashion. Scratch kitchens are in, frozen foods are (finally) making their way out.
