Any time you approach color in a design, ask yourself if the color you are using meets common conventions and expectations. While many designs will offer you a free reign of color choices and palates, some colors really ought to be used for specific purposes. In certain industries, cultures, companies, and circumstances, specific colors have been used and reused, establishing cultural and psychological connections between a color and its associations. If you break away from the conventions, you may disrupt your audience’s expectations, creating confusion, disconnects, or, possibly, offense or even dangerous situations.
Color and Cultural Nuances
Color has cultural significance and can change meanings to people with different backgrounds. In Western cultures, for example, black is typically used to refer to death. In India, however, white has a similar connotation. Red suggests luck in China, whereas people in Middle Eastern countries typically view green as lucky. When attempting to make connotations with color, be sure you recognize which colors best represent cultural means for your audience. Refer to color rule Create for the Culture for more information on cultural interpretations of color.
Color and Industry Trends
Many industries tend to follow patterns in use of color and, generally speaking, it’s good practice to keep within your industry’s conventions. You may have noticed, for example, that most chain restaurants in the United States—McDonald’s, Arby’s, Carl’s Jr., Chipotle, KFC, Denny’s, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, and on and on—use red as their primary logo color, with yellow used as a close second. If a food establishment sells primarily ice cream or dessert, though, the colors change to blues, purples, and pinks. Other industries follow similar patterns: real estate businesses use a lot of green; comunications companies uses almost eclusively blue and black; airline companies use red and blue; and apparel companies use black and red.
Color and Systems of Severity and Danger
In the United States, we use several color systems to represent levels of danger. The Department of Homeland Security uses a terrorist advisory system with five levels of danger, each with an associative color: Low (green); Guarded (blue); Elevated (yellow); High (orange); and Severe (red). The National Forest Service has a similar system for fire danger. In general instructions, signage, and technical writing, red is supposed to represent “danger,” orange is supposed to represent “warning,” and yellow is supposed to represent “caution.” Be sure to always use the correct, standardized color for the meaning you are trying to convey.
Color and Wayfinding Signs
Wayfinding systems, particularly on roadways, follow a color pattern to help drivers quickly recognize meaning. In the United States, green is used for distance and location; blue for services; white for laws and regulations; brown for landmarks and points of interest; yellow for caution signs. When using color to help give people directs, either follow the standard convention in your industry, or create one that you use consistently.
Color and Brand Strategy
Organizations with strong visual branding make a conscious effort to use precisely the same colors in all of their marketing materials. Following color conventions helps your customers quickly recognize a particular product or service. Always follow your style guide. See Rule #39 for more insights into creating and following style guides.