Chocolate firm Cadbury has won a part victory in a High Court dispute and successfully applied to register the colour purple as a trade mark for their chocolate.

Thinking that customers would associate eating its chocolate with a rich and indulgent experience, the company adopted the colour in 1905 and has remained very protective of it since!

Before more modern dyeing and colouring processes the colour purple was difficult to obtain and therefore usually only worn by royalty, the higher echelons of the church and the very wealthy. Considered a ‘regal’ colour purple is a symbol of authority and rank.

The ‘Cadbury purple’ (Pantone 2685C) sits firmly in a group of colours whose characteristics are clear and saturated and communicate  excellence and sophistication. They work well visually with other similar strong, contrasting colours in a palette.

As well as communicating quality and luxury when used in branding or product design, purple can convey vision, purpose, truth, and authority. Its appeal would be in the offering of something that’s possibly decadadent, a product which we would aspire to have and own.

The colour palette above illustrates how he ‘Cadbury purple ‘ looks at odds with these other variations of pink and yellow, the colours don’t relate and the potential design is in danger of making the brand  look inferior. To promote its most positive qualities whether in branding or product design, create a palette around the chosen variation of purple using colours sharing similar characteristics.

You might also be interested to read about:

Pink branding – it’s not just for girls!

Which colour turns you off?

Going for gold

3 Quick tips for using colour in branding

There is no doubt that 2012 is officially the year in which the UK is officially ‘trending’. Following on from last years’ Royal Wedding, we have just enjoyed the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and are preparing ourselves to host the Olympics. The colours red, white and blue have manifested themselves across all manner of product design and memorabilia.

Pantone’s Diamond Jubilee Guide

However, it’s not just the colours of our national flag that have been trending for a while now, but attention has turned towards the personal colour palette of the Queen herself. Whilst Pantone and London advertising agency Leo Burnett have launched a limited edition Diamond Jubilee colour guide commemorating some of the Queen’s most memorable fashion colour choices, D.I.Y store and paint retailer Homebase have identified several paint colours inspired by the Queen’s colour choices that have been “flying off the store’s shelves”.

All these colours share common characteristics in that they are soft, light, blueish tones. These are typical colours we describe as being a ‘summer’ palette, their slightly ‘bleached’ out delicacy mirrors many of the colours we see around us in the natural world at this time of year. A summer personality is described as calm, balanced and understated. Classic, they appreciate quality and good design.

The colours blue and pink appear to dominate the Queen’s palette and the palette as a whole expresses her personality. Whilst blue can appear quite authoritative, softer hues can be soothing and inspire trust. Soft and approachable, a summer pink, (the ultimate feminine colour!) expresses the part of one’s personality that is nurturing and empathetic.

This palette of colours work well for a sophisticated, perhaps classically inspired interior. Softer blue can be mentally calming and so useful to consider in rooms where rest or quiet contemplation is required. Pink is physically soothing, and worth considering for bedrooms and bathrooms .

Other colours from the Homebase range that work well with this palette are: Meadow, Sky, Summer jasmine, Oyster, Mocha, Pebble, Dove grey and Putty.

Find out more about colour and your personality at in:colour’s ‘Exploring Colour in Your World’ workshop Saturday 21st July 2012! Click here for details!

Continuing the theme of ‘red’ I wanted to talk about the effect of colour in branding and design.  When we think of ‘Mega-brand’, Virgin, the colour we will associate with any of its products, is red. But how do we perceive this colour in relation to the brand – does red accurately convey the values and qualities of the Virgin ‘empire’, the third most recognised brand in the UK?

The Virgin Brand

Diverse and independent, Virgin’s businesses are licensed and branded under the Virgin group banner. The customer franchise is strong and applied to a vast range of businesses across sectors including music, finance, leisure, travel, communication and cosmetics.

Customer service oriented and fun, the Virgin ethos believes in delivering quality, innovative and value products whilst being authentic. The company values are listed as such:

• Fun – enjoyment and humour
• Value for money – simple not cheap
• Quality – attention to detail, not expensive for the sake of it
• Innovation – challenging convention, but not for the sake of being different
• Competetive challenge – responding to consumer needs, not being irrelevant
• Brilliant customer service – delivered by empowered, professional people

Colour cohesion is important in brand design to communicate authenticity. Research in to the relationship between marketing and colour has found that colour increases brand recognition by up to 80%. Taking a look at some of the logos for different Virgin branded products and services, it’s apparent that as much diversity exists in the colours of the different brands as in the Virgin group itself. Criticism exists that Virgin’s multi brands don’t make a comfortable fit visually or culturally. Are we becoming confused as to who Virgin are anymore?

Because overall the ‘business personality’ of Virgin would appear youth-orientated, fun, confident and with its roots based in music, communication and travel; I would be looking at hues from a light, clean, fresh palette of yellow based colours to mirror these qualities (spring).  I would choose different hues within this group to express the individual qualities of the brand products maintaining both visual and brand integrity.

While the colour red fits the bill for expressing any qualities in branding relating to action, courage, movement and energy;  the qualities of fun and value for money are best represented by the colour orange, a hue combining red and yellow linking physical colour red’s action with yellow’s confidence. Orange relates to our feelings of comfort and enjoyment. There seems to be confusion in what the Virgin red is? (Slightly orangeish Pantone Warm Red C would work best).

‘Quality’ is best represented by the colour purple, and ‘innovation’  best represented by turquoise blues. Some gravitas is required within these brands, particularly in Virgin’s finance venture – Virgin Money. We want to trust that this fun, forward thinking brand can be trusted with our money, so slightly stronger (spring) blues ought to be considered to communicate trust and efficiency!

Learn more about how colour affects branding and our daily lives in our one-day workshop – click ‘Exploring Colour in Your World’ Satuday July 21st 2012

According to reports in one daily newspaper on Budget day the Labour party front benches ‘were awash with ties in epsicopal mauve’ and more recently our prime minister and his wife have been photographed wearing the colour purple. What can this mean?

Normally we associate the Labour party with the colour red which is physically stimulating but there are times when other qualities need to come to the fore when planning for a possible future victory.

Considered a ‘regal’ colour purple is a symbol of authority and rank. Before more modern dyeing and colouring processes the colour purple was difficult to obtain and therefore usually only worn by royalty, the higher echelons of the church and the very wealthy.

Although purple may not be considered a colour  for ‘partying’, none the less a prospective governing or official group could do worse than adopt purple as a colour; it expresses aspects of the ‘higher mind’. The purposeful and authentic qualities of purple that Gordon Brown and his team are favouring would seem to show that they share a sense of truth, quality and authority.

Other variations of purple might be described as violet, lilac, lavender, mauve and heather. Currently still a strong high street colour, the lighter or softer variations may make us appear more approachable and wearing or surrounding yourself with purple would help you to find inspiration and develop your imagination. Team purple with a complementing version of yellow and you have a visually inspiring, winning, confident and powerful combination!

NEW – Bookable online spring/summer  workshops!

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we harness its benefits? The Power of Colour Psychology Weekend Workshop 22nd/23rd May and 24th/25th July

If colour is a language – what are the colours of your business communications saying about you? Colour Your Business Workshop 8th June and 6th July

Personal style is a growing profession – differentiate yourself with an enhanced knowledge of colour! The Secrets of Colour Workshop May 14th.