Color is both symbolic and persuasive. For instance, red means stop. It also arouses feelings of excitement. Have you ever been at a red light and seen a McDonalds sign? At that moment, did you start craving an ice cream cone, french fries, or a hamburger? This occurrence seems all too common.
Color, Psychology, and Marketing
Companies use color in powerful ways. Branding is an art, not an afterthought. It is also an area of study. Companies use color psychology to better understand how they ought to sell products, promote services, and represent their purposes. After understanding the impact colors have on people’s psyches, companies use this information to decide on what logos, websites, and uniforms they will use.
UniFirst Corp is a company that provides specialized uniforms to companies throughout the United States and Canada. The director of marketing claims that “Utilizing the psychology of colors can help reinforce a sought after business image or message…”. He goes onto say that consumers may connect more with a company’s uniform choice than its logo because a uniform is “… being worn by a real person, someone who embodies that brand and makes the brand more tangible to them.”
Effective Uniform Colors
According to UniFirst, the colors below have common perceptions and are often worn by people in certain roles.
White: pure and clean (worn by doctors and nurses to imply sterility)
Black: power and authority (helps project knowledgeable expertise)
Green: calming and growth and fertility (favored by landscapers/garden centers)
Purple: royal and dignified (helps suggest “premium” products and services)
Orange: warm and vibrant (used to create a playful business environment)
Silver: prestige and scientific (often the choice of high-tech companies)
Red: excitement and confidence (tends to be used to distinguish employees in expansive business settings)
Blue: Trust and belonging (the most popular color used in all businesses)
Yellow: Warmth and happiness (used to promote a general sense of well-being)
Gold: Elite and prestigious (fosters a sense of the very best)
Another color that needs to be mentioned is brown. Brown relays a sense of reliability. And who knows this better than a little company called UPS? Their uniforms are easy to recognize and symbolize their reliable services and on time deliveries.
When employees wear colourful uniforms, they embody the missions of their companies.
If you don the apparel of your employer, get to know what their colors mean. Knowing the meaning behind these colors may help to boost your confidence and make you proud of the brand you represent.
Read more Segmation blog posts about Business Branding:
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