Most people often take colors as a minor decoration as if they lack any strategic value. However, is that truly the case? No, just look at brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, etc.; they use colors as a strategic asset.
Colors are not just some visual representations or random design choices. They are mood changers that impact human behavior and psychology. Even if you think that you do not pay attention, your brain does.
Hence, using colors to empower marketing strategies is a good way for businesses to improve brand awareness. With appropriate colors, businesses present their services with trust and authenticity.
In this blog, we will discuss different cases where businesses use colors as a calculated part of their product design to attract customers. Additionally, we will introduce online tools that lead to consistent color in product design for brand authenticity. So, let’s dive into it.
Cases of Strategic Color Use for Smarter Product Design
Given below are two iconic brand cases that showcase how strategic color selection for product design leads to brand authenticity.
Case #1: Coca-Cola’s Iconic Red Color
Coca-Cola was first introduced in the late 1800s as a tonic because of its medicinal properties. As for red, it was not a random selection. Coca-Cola was stored in red barrels to differentiate it from other beverages during tax inspections.
Later, when Coca-Cola transitioned to a beverage, the color red remained. It was a deliberate move supported by color psychology. After all, red represents energy, passion, hunger, and urgency.
By 1940, Coca-Cola introduced the color red behind the white scripted text. This bold move further increased Coca-Cola’s presence and made red inseparable from it. The color red has become an iconic brand symbol that is associated with Coca-Cola.
It became an emotional trigger associated with energy, happiness, and refreshment. This strategic use of red color ensured that Coca-Cola stood out among all its competitors and kept a solid position as one of the most beloved brands in the world.
The Coca-Cola brand uses the color code #F40009 (Hex) or RGB (244, 0, 9). With this color, the brand shows a bold and attention-grabbing presence. So, whenever Coca-Cola does any marketing or works with others, this color code is strictly specified.
For Example:
Since 1922, many of Coca-Cola’s advertisements have included polar bears. It even became a major company icon in 1993. Moreover, in 2007, Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund partnered and launched campaigns together to conserve polar bear habitat in the Arctic.
Finally, in 2011, Coca-Cola launched the white cans to create awareness among people around globe. However, this campaign created confusion among people as they mistook the white cans for Diet Coke.
Moreover, after a single month, a large number of complaints had flooded the brand. It is to the point where people complained that the taste of Coke had changed, even though the content of the product was the same. Ultimately, the brand had to switch back to its iconic red color.
From this, you can imagine the importance of a brand color. Even a well-intentioned campaign can be easily rejected if it does not match the usual brand visuals.
Case #2: Tiffany & Co.: The Luxury of Blue
Tiffany & Co. is a famous brand renowned for its jewelry products. Founded in 1837, it has now become synonymous with elegance, craftsmanship, and innovative design.
Not long after its founding, the company realized the importance of a brand identity that defines it. So, in 1845, world-renowned jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany introduced a shade of bright green with a tinge of blue as the official hue for the brand’s products.
The color shade that Tiffany & Co. used was created by the Pantone Institute and given the unique number 1837. This number is similar to the founding year of the company. This was a strategic move made by the company to present trust, sophistication, and luxury to customers.
As time passed, it became their iconic color and was given the name Tiffany blue. By 1845, the company adapted this color to its book catalog. After that, the company kept using the color in its packaging, advertisements, and even in its store interiors.
The colors that Tiffany & Co. uses in its products, packaging, and store interiors are precisely matched under Pantone specifications. And in digital branding, the company uses the #81D8D0 (Hex) or RGB (129, 216, 208).
The company trademarked this specific color shade in 1998, and now it is one of the few companies in the world that owns legal ownership of a color. It is to the point where this color shade is no longer allowed in the Pantone color catalog.
For Example:
In 2019, a paper flower maker in Melbourne, “Hannah Poppins,” used the term “Tiffany Blue” in some of her product descriptions. She later changed the description to “Blue Turquoise.”
Tiffany & Co. contacted her because she used their trademarked name to describe some of her products. They did not object to the colors she used but stated that the trademark “Tiffany Blue” specifically defines their brand.
This shows the importance of research and selecting the proper color for your product design. No matter the size of the company, an exclusive brand design and color are necessary if it wants visibility among people.
Aligning Product Design Colors for Print and Digital Brand
From the two cases given above, you can see the importance of color precision for brands. It is one thing if you are a new brand. But for a famous brand, color precision is very important.
So, when designing your brand, select a unique color that truly represents your products and services. But the most important thing is to ensure color precision. However, designers often cannot precisely match the color between print and digital design.
They would constantly test the colors with different color systems to ensure accuracy between the print and digital design. But there are also simpler ways to ensure precision between the two designs. All they need are the right tools.
Given below are two tools that can help in creating color precision between physical materials and digital design. These are
1. CMYK to HEX Converter
CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) is a special color production technique used in print media. It is a common color model and gives precise control over how colors appear on paper.
To ensure precision between the print and digital designs, designers can use the CMYK to HEX Converter. This tool converts print-based colors into web-friendly HEX codes. HEX code is a famous color format widely used for web development. This code allows users to see what the color would look like on the screen.
Image Source: Color hex
The HEX codes ensure color precision between physical materials like brochures and packaging and digital platforms like websites, applications, and advertisements.
2. HEX to RGB Converter
Once you have the HEX codes, what follows next is to ensure color precision on digital screens. After all, digital devices, i.e., mobiles, laptops, televisions, computers, etc., have different display settings.
Here, RGB comes into play. RGB (Red, Blue, Green) is a color model that combines three different colors to produce a wide range of colors. Each color is assigned a different number between 0 and 255 to show color intensities.
The three colors of different intensities come together to form all the colors that we see on the screen. To ensure color precision on all screens, you need to convert your HEX code into RGB format.
Here, the HEX to RGB converter will help. This converter will help you find the exact RGB values of a color. From these values, you can ensure that your colors remain the same on all digital screens.
With these two tools, the process of keeping precise color between physical and digital environments becomes simple.
Takeaway
Coloring in brand design is not just for aesthetics; it is also for recognition and authenticity. Colors exhibit emotions, and businesses leverage emotions to attract customers to their products and services.
So, if you want to spread business awareness among readers, it is better to use colors that match your brand’s products and services. Once you do that, you will display professionalism, authority, and care to customers.
