Brand image is a somewhat forgotten topic in SMEs and that large companies exploit to the fullest, but the truth is that the colors and fonts we use for our brand say a lot about us, whether we are large or small.
The fonts and colors that we use in our corporate identity are not matters of little importance, quite the opposite. Your choice will directly influence our brand image, that is, the way in which consumers perceive our identity as a brand in their minds. Hence, it is a choice that we must make conscientiously, trying to capture our personality and values in both elements, without ever losing sight of our target.
Each color and each font have a different meaning and, even if the person who sees them has no design knowledge, they will feel certain emotions and sensations without realizing it. Therefore, if we use the psychology that both colors and fonts hide behind, we will be able to create a brand image that conveys what we want our potential customers to perceive of our business. In addition, this way we will reach our target audience more easily.
If our target is a middle-aged male sector, we should not use the same colors as if we are targeting an adolescent female audience. And the same goes for fonts.
That whoever sees our brand image perceives us as a modern, close, classic, traditional company or one that inspires confidence, is in our power as long as we use the appropriate colors and fonts for it.
On the contrary, a poor choice of colors and fonts that are going to be part of our corporate identity can give the consumer a wrong idea of our company and that our brand image does not correspond at all with what we intended to convey.
Colors and typography serve to create a brand image and convey the values of the organization to the public. Attributes such as modernity, classicism, exclusivity, confidence or closeness are associated with specific tones and typefaces. The psychology of consumers is a very important factor and, if we choose badly, our brand image will be different from what we want to convey, and they may opt for other options from the competition, so graphic design is something very important. to take into account for our business to work.
Take into account the meaning of the colors, fonts and shapes, to know what you are transmitting in your brand image
The Tasty Placement company has carried out a study in which it shows us the colors and font families most used in the corporate identity of the main companies on the planet. From him we can highlight that, in terms of colors, blue is preferred by companies to create their brand image, since 37 percent of them use it, followed by red and black, used by 27 percent. hundred. On the contrary, the least used color as a corporate color would be purple, a color that only 2 percent of companies use.
Meaning of the colors
But why choose blue and not purple? What does each color mean and convey?
- black. Denotes authority and makes you feel slimmer. It also transmits power, mystery and strength, and is often used to gain elegance and design.
- gray. It indicates sophistication, past times and generates confidence. It is a neutral color, which is why it is usually used together with other colors, and replacing black to reduce its harshness.
- white. Simplicity, light and cleanliness. It transmits goodness, purity, innocence and spirituality, as well as being indicated in hygiene and health services and products.
- red. It is an energetic color and creates a sensation of intensity and aggressiveness, but also of love and passion. Indicated to increase the visibility of specific elements, and to warn of errors or dangers.
- pink. It is the color of affection and true love. It represents feminine qualities and stimulates tenderness and sensitivity. It also has an innocent part, so it is suitable for a pre-teen and child target.
- yellow. Informal color that is associated with light, concentration and mastery. It transmits happiness, intelligence and joy, but it is a delicate color since too much yellow could become overwhelming.
- orange. It stimulates the appetite, gives us a feeling of heat, and is the color of creativity. It is perfect for products and services related to creativity, youth and food.
- green. Environment, calm, refreshing, wealth. It is a color related to freedom, youth and health, and it conveys security in a slightly more informal way than blue.
- blue. Sea, peace, freshness, loyalty… We associate it with sincerity, trust, stability and depth, and it is very suitable for technology, health and cleanliness but never food as it reduces appetite.
- purple. Luxury, romanticism, sophistication and money. It is a color that we associate with religion and royalty and can produce some nostalgia, melancholy and sadness.
- brown. Solidity, authenticity and security. It is a very masculine and stable color that we also associate with nature, so it is appropriate to use it in products for men, wines, rural accommodation…
Meaning of the fonts
When it comes to typography, Helvetica is the star font, with 21 percent of companies using it in their logos . 63 percent of brands prefer Sans Serif typefaces, 12 percent choose Slab, 11 percent use Script, and only 8 percent use a Serif family typeface for their brand image.
Why these data? What do these font families mean?
- sans. They are associated with modernity, security, joy and stability. The most common are Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, Tahoma and Bauhaus, and LinkedIn is an example of a brand that uses this type of font in its logo.
- script. Creativity, elegance, affection and seduction. Some fonts in this family are Lobster, Brush, Great Vibes and Edwardian, and Cadillac is one of the brands that has chosen this font for its brand image.
- slab. Modernity, solidity, strength and audacity. Rockwell, Courier, Bevauo and Museo are some of the fonts in this family and brands such as Volvo or Sony use them.
- modern. Intelligence, style, technology, trend… This type of font is used by Absolut Vodka, for example, and among its typefaces we find some such as Futura, Majoram, Infinity or Matchbook.
- serif. Authority, tradition, respect and security. Fonts like Book Antigua, Garamond or Times New Roman are some of the ones we find in this family, and Google, without going any further, is a clear example of who prefers them for their brand image.
Few brands decide to use a logo without text in their corporate identity, specifically 6 percent, among which we find Apple or Shell. Others prefer their logo to be text only, like Kellogg’s or Nokia, which make up 37 percent overall. But most companies choose to use image and text for their logo, so this 56 percent, including Lexus or LG, have a more common brand image.
Before creating the corporate identity of our business, it is highly recommended to take a look at what the different colors and fonts transmit, so we will make sure that we choose the right ones so that our brand image is ten.