Colour is really really important in design. There are only 11 basic colour terms although there are MILLIONS of colours so it’s essential to spend some time looking at your colours and making sure that they create the right impression for your business. Here is the next instalment in the 11 colours series. 

This month is all about blue. 

 

Blue is about the mind. It’s a colour that invites reflection – think of the sea and the sky and the reflections in the water. Blue is about careful consideration, calmness, clarity, logic, honesty, reliablity, intelligence and purity. It’s associated with mental activities such as the arts and science.

Having the opposite effect to red, blue lowers blood pressue so it’s great for creating a calm atmosphere. Blue and red are often used together for direct mail and sales pages because blue calms and helps people to think with clarity and make decisions, whilst red invites action and stands out.

Blue is loyal, authoritative and creates good thoughts. Blue is a great colour for uniforms because people respond well to the colour, stay calm and believe the wearer to be trustworthy and dependable.

Blue does of course have negative connotations – it can be seen as unfriendly or aloof, a bit sad “got the blues”, depression, boring, negativity and showing a lack of confidence. However, if you’re worried about this then team it with a different colour and that will help the blue to work better.

Through various studies, blue has been shown to be the favourite colour of most people – and whilst this is very interesting to know, it’s important not to use blue because of this – for the wrong reasons. Blue is safe and easy to use, but if you only use it because it’s your favourite colour then it won’t be sending the right message out. This goes for any colour!

Dark blue – blue as the night sky – creates quiet passivity, strength, integrity and trust. Lighter blues are more relaxing and calming – imagine looking up at a clear blue cloudless sky and how that feels.

Of course, as with all colours, it’s essential to spend some time working on the shade that you’re using and thinking about which colours you’re using with it.

Do you have blue in your branding? What colours do you use it with?

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