Color Wheels
With our beloved Volvo in the shop for a few days, we’ve been suddenly thrust back into the world of rental cars. The biggest watchwords this time around were speed and efficiency. I mean, wow. A few answers typed into that handheld device out in the parking lot and we were out of there. Thank you, have a good day, goodbye!
Shopping the various rental companies online, the logo nerd in me was struck by the way every brand, the big guys and the little guys, has laid claim to a color – bright yellow for Hertz, Kelly green for Enterprise, “we-try-harder” red for Avis, etc. Each logo consists of the company’s one-word name in a simple sans serif font. And then, there’s that color!
It’s no secret that brands use color to foster recognition and stimulate buyers, and there’s some fascinating psychology behind that. At Cronin Creative, when we present newly designed logos to clients, we initially display them only in black & white. Otherwise, the client is often too distracted and influenced by whatever color we’ve chosen to objectively consider the logo itself. Color is that powerful in the equation.
Color brings the emotion and the passion; blue feels stable and secure, red evokes boldness and trust, yellow elicits freshness and vivacity, and green is all about nature, peace and well-being.
As graphic designers, we consider logo color carefully. It’s endlessly expressive, and it is often the key to differentiating a brand in a crowded market. Take those rental car companies for example –same industry, same business model, same cars. It’s those proprietary colors that grab your attention and bring you back
I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom from the ever-colorful RuPaul: “Life is about using the whole box of crayons.”
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