My favorite color is blue. And chances are also very high for your favorite blue color for small business. This is because blue is most people’s favorite color. Three separate studies (more on them below) have shown that blue or blue-green is the most popular color for both men and women.
But why all this fuss about color?
Well, it turns out that the influence of color is not limited to the personal sphere. As we explained earlier,
According to a study on the effect of color on sales, 92.6% of people surveyed by CCI: Institute for Color Research said color is the most important factor when purchasing products.
- Given the power of color in general and the undeniable popularity of blue, it is worth taking a closer look at this shade.
- Major brands such as Ford, American Express, Merrill Lynch, PayPal, AT&T and Samsung have chosen blue as their signature color. And this is just a small sample.
A 2016 study by Paul Herbert found blue to be the most popular shade used in web design.
Research has shown that humans associate blue with feelings such as trust, reliability, and quality — all good for any business.
Over the past decade, over 220,000 crowdspring-based designers have helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and agencies around the world with web, graphic, product and packaging design. Here’s what we’ve learned along the way about how you can harness the power of blue to brand your business.
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First, research …
Study
It is easy enough to make false statements – especially on topics as potentially obscure as color. But we don’t ride like that. Call us crazy, but we love the good old research that backs us up.
Each of the following studies reveals information that will help you best use blue color for small business design.
Study 1
In 2003, Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, conducted a random study of about 2,000 people. Cohen’s question is “What’s your favorite color?”
Although Cohen admitted that his survey sample was not random (he reached out to faculty, staff, and students at the University of Maryland), further analysis of his data showed that the results were not highly skewed by the sample. In other words, his data was reliable.
He eventually found that 42% of men and 29% of women chose blue as their favorite color.
Study 2
Paper trader GF Smith and Hull 2017 UK City of Culture organized an online survey in 2017. The survey was attended by 30,000 random participants from 100 different countries.
Each participant was asked to pre-select their favorite shade using a color slider. This method allowed participants to obtain much more hue specificity than the other two studies mentioned here.
The final results show that the most popular color is blue-green. This confirms the data of Philip Cohen, according to which green is the second most popular color after blue.
Study 3
In 2003, researcher Joe Hallock conducted a survey in which people were asked to identify their favorite color. But he didn’t stop at a simple question about his favorite colors. He also asked questions that helped him determine which colors elicit certain emotional responses in his participants.
42% of respondents named blue as their favorite color. Participants also associated blue with many positive attributes. These include reliability, high quality, reliability / reliability, and safety.
Understanding these psychological associations with blue can help you evoke certain feelings in your audience and use color more effectively in design and marketing.
How to use blue color for small business design
People really like the color blue. But that doesn’t mean blue is the answer to all design questions.
As with any design element, it must be applied strategically to achieve the best possible effect.
Is blue the right color for your brand or your next design project? Let’s find out.
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Psychology of blue
Although blue is usually associated with sadness (think of blues music and Picasso’s Blue Period), as we noted, there are many positive associations as well.
Joe Hallock’s color research has shown that blue stands for trust, safety, reliability, reliability and high quality.
Hallock’s study also mentions that “red will stimulate the autonomic nervous system, and blue will relax.” This may explain why shades of blue also evoke feelings of calm and serenity.
I find the picture above very relaxing. You?
Many business owners and marketers choose colors simply because they like that color. And there is nothing wrong with this approach. But over 90% of people say that color is the most important factor when purchasing products. And while color is personal and subjective, there are helpful guidelines for choosing colors for your brand.
We believed that the color of our logo should not be left to chance or chosen solely because it looks aesthetically pleasing. After studying the psychology of color, we learned that blue is the color of honesty, quality, competence, trust, reliability and decency. These were all important adjectives that reflected the type of business we wanted to create, and our focus group testing comparing different colors supported our thinking. As a result, we chose blue and looked at many of its shades before settling on our current color.
Whether you want to demonstrate stability, reliability, responsibility, integrity, reliability, peace of mind or quality … consider choosing a shade of blue to use in your designs.
However, if you want to convey tension, urgency, or speed, blue is not for you.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Choose the shades of blue color for small business that suit your brand for your logo design or for other elements of your company’s corporate identity (your company name, logo and everything visual about your brand).
- Test the blue Call to Action (CTA) buttons to build trust with new users.
- Highlight lead generation forms in blue or place them on a blue background to simplify the user’s mind.
- Avoid shades of blue if you’re using urgency tactics to get potential customers to act quickly.
Establishment of industry affiliation
Some industries use blue color for small business designs. Banking and finance, travel, communications, medicine and heavy equipment manufacturing all prefer blue in their corporate colors.
It could have started as a result of the psychological impact of the color. After all, all of these industries place great value on building trust and reliability with their customers. But after years of amplification, these industries are now subconsciously associated with color in their own right.
Think about it…
What’s Wall Street without a navy suit?
Google “nurse” and you will see a whole army of people in blue scrubs smiling back at you.
Ford, GM, BMW, Hyundai, Boeing and JetBlue, Travelocity, Expedia and American Airlines … The list of major travel brands (or related) with blue logos and corporate colors goes on and on.
And your small business can use these associations to their advantage.
Here’s how:
- Does your small business belong to any of the above industries? If so, build confidence in your new small business by choosing a brand-appropriate shade of blue for your logo or website design. If you look from the outside, customers will trust you more.
- Alternatively, you can use industry norms to your advantage by avoiding blue in your brand colors, which will make your brand stand out. If you go down this path, make sure you still find a way to convey the important traits (like trust, reliability, and honesty) that blue represents.
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Color theory
You all remember the color wheel, right?
The color wheel is a visual tool for showing relationships between colors. And that relationship can help you determine which colors to use along with blue to create certain effects.
There are thousands of different shades and shades of blue, not to mention varying degrees of saturation. From azure to periwinkle, navy, turquoise and royal … There are many possibilities to find the blue color for small business that is perfect.
Combining blue with vibrant, high-contrast colors creates a more energetic look. Monochrome color palettes and palettes of neutral hues with blue will create a more soothing effect.
- Shades of blue (containing blue mixed with varying degrees of white) are lighter and often appear cheerful and youthful.
- Shades of blue (a combination of blue and black) are darker and tend towards a darker, more formal and mature look.
Remember which shade of blue you choose. And think carefully about what colors will best reflect your brand as you flesh out the rest of your palette.
And be sure to use colors consistently. As we point out in our in-depth guide to starting a business, use your brand colors in the visual design of your website and in all your marketing materials in a way that reflects and complements your brand identity.
Here are some options to consider:
- Orange, on the opposite side of the color wheel, is complementary to blue. It appears against a blue background – and vice versa. If you want to create an energetic look, orange or its close cousin yellow is a great choice. But be careful with the specific shades you choose. This combination can look catchy if done poorly.
- Liven up a neutral color palette using white, black, gray, or brown by adding blue as the base color. This will give the blue an extra visual impact as it is the only color represented in your design. Use blue to draw attention to important elements that your audience needs to notice.
- Blue is one of the three primary colors – all other colors can be mixed from the original triad of red, blue and yellow. Shades of these colors are often combined with each other. Using all three at the same time can look childish – which is ideal if that’s your goal. Otherwise, avoid the main color palette.
- Monochrome color schemes with many shades of blue look sophisticated and soothing. If you’re looking for understated elegance, this is a great option. Combine this with white for readability and functionality.
Sacre Bleu
Due to the almost ubiquitous popularity of blue and its many positive qualities, it is a powerful color. Does this color suit your brand? Only you know.
But if you do decide to use blue for small business in your brand and marketing design, be aware of psychological implications, industry associations, and color theory to get the best possible results.
