Architectural Color: Branding in the Built Environment

BY BILLY ROSBOTTOM, STO CORP.  | November 2016
A brand is more than a logo. It’s more than a product, program, website, service, presentation, person, formula, system, concept, package, sample, claim, placement, sign, or promise. A brand is neither a shape nor a color, a flavor nor a soundbite. It’s all of these elements, or nothing at all. In fact, a brand may be something within us, defined by the experience we have. A company trusts that the aforementioned components will provide information that galvanizes its position and relationship with its audience. But our perception will ultimately create the loyalty—or lack thereof.
CocaCola HQ
Prominently used by Coca-Cola and several other global brands, red is an arresting, attention-getting color that elicits a call to action. PHOTO: © CLAUS GRAUBNER, COURTESY OF NPS TCHOBAN VOSS
While color is only one element of the larger brand experience, it exerts a powerful influence on consumer behavior. An article in Fast Company reports that almost 85 percent of consumers cite color as the primary reason they buy a specific product. The writer, Rachel Gillett, cites research that shows “people make a subconscious judgment about a product in less than 90 seconds of viewing, and a majority of these people base that assessment on color alone.”

Originally published in D+D • November 2016

To read more of this article, please click the link below.

View the full article
TRADE PRESS ARCHIVES