The Wonderful World of Colour

Photo Courtesy: disneydetail.me

I'll never forget when I first learned about the rainbow, and colours. I learned that white light contains all colours within it, and when it enters a droplet, it breaks into its component parts, refracting at a slightly different angle, and creating a beautiful rainbow. Wow... such magic. My 8 year old mind exploded. 

I still smile like an idiot every time I see a rainbow. I'll even pull over while driving, just so I can sit there in awe and admire it. I'll take a million pictures so I can preserve it, but somehow the lens doesn't quite capture what my eyes see.  

Photo Courtesy: istockphoto.com

Did you know colours can affect human behaviour and emotions? Ohhhhhhh yeah! There's a whole study on this called Colour Psychology. The study tells us that different colours, hues, and tones can bring up distinct associations that can impact human mood and decision making. 

I'm sure we've all seen certain logos and colours and instantly attached a brand with it.  That's because colour psychology plays a major role in how we evaluate brands.  Consumers attach feelings they have about certain colours to a product. In turn those colour associations influence their perception of the brand. Each colour has its own influence on consumers. 

Photo Courtesy: Spacerefinery.com

Colour is a powerful, universal, non-verbal language. The first thing we register when assessing anything is colour.  Here are some more fun facts about colour:   

• Up to 90% of initial impression comes from colour
• Colour can increase brand awareness and recognition by up to 80%
• 93% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on just visuals alone

Holy Smokes!  I never realized how many different ways colour is being used all around us.  I'm thinking of all the brands I've been influenced by, from Barbie Pink, Coke Red, McDonalds Yellow, and so many more. So of course now I'm curious about how colour is used for events.

Photo Courtesy: thelogocompany.net

I came across the article by Charlotte Miller called: How to Choose the Best Colors for Industry Events.

The article talks about how colour in event design informs, inspires and builds lasting brand awareness:

• Colour Informs and Inspires Industry Event Attendees - by relaying overt and subliminal cues about an event's purpose and location, colour can shape how attendees remember their experience.
• Colour Conveys Mood, and Promotes Familiarity - Colour can connect consumer to a brand by evoking emotions. Colour can help build familiarity.  When used consistently, the design elements of typography, iconography, imagery and logos, can reinforce brand recognition.
• Colour Captures Attention Online - When thinking of events, don't just think onsite, but also online promotion, as it can play a crucial role in event turnout.  Use attention grabbing colours to highlight key information such as dates and attendance numbers. Colour can act as a thematic bridge between the online marketing and on-site activities.
• Colour Makes Wayfinding More Intuitive - by creating visual hierarchy, it makes people take action and directs attendees to the right information.
• Colour Leaves a More Lasting Impression - using a colour palette for the event giveaway can help attendees remember an event. Also colour can allow personalization of giveaways and therefore more likely that attendees will use the item they have selected. 

Photo Courtesy: istockphoto.com

The article also tells the reader how to create colour combinations that can align with the event's goals:

• Determine Your Design Intent - choose colours that set the tone for the event.  Warm colours for cheerful atmospheres and cool colours for professionalism. Use signature colours of the brand in all digital and printed collateral when making a brand statement.
• Combine Colours Thoughtfully - How colours are combined can affect people's perceptions of the brand.  Certain colours can be mixed and matched to create colour harmony.  
• Fine-tune and Test Your Color Scheme - contrast, hue, tint, tone, shade, and temperature must be considered to maximize readability and accessibility. Testing event visuals, including colour palette can make sure design is effective and experience is positive.

I learned from this article that there are endless opportunities to use colour.  Using colour effectively can improve marketing for events, drive attendance, clarify event details, and make your event memorable long after it's ended. 

Let me know if this article was helpful to you.  I know I sure learned a lot. With my new found fountain of knowledge, I'll be taking a stab at rebranding my own side-venture. Wish me luck!