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There are thousands of colors and combinations from which to choose, so how do you know which colors are right for you? We’ve made it easy for you. If your company or products are traditional, consider navy, hunter green, burgundy, amber gold, deep gray or taupe. For a more playful tone targeting children, combine vibrant cools and warms such as hot pink with lime green or blue and orange. To create a look that implies elegance, try black, silver or gold. If spirituality is important to convey, use purples, mauves, blues and whites.
Bright red: energizing, provocative, aggressive, powerful
Burgundy: elegant, refined, expensive, mature
Orange: fun, whimsical, happy, loud
Bright yellow: enlightening, cheerful, friendly, luminous
Cream: smooth, warm, neutral, classic
Earth brown: secure, wholesome, masculine, rustic
Lavender: nostalgic, delicate, serene, floral
Red purple: sensual, flamboyant, creative, unique
Bright blue: electric, vibrant, happy, dramatic
Navy: credible, strong, professional, conservative
Aqua: healing, cool, refreshing, fresh
Bright green: fresh, lively, outdoorsy, spring
Pure white: clean, innocent, bright, airy
Black: powerful, elegant, mysterious, magical
Silver: cool, money, valuable, futuristic
Gold: warm, expensive, radiant, prestigious
A brand evokes certain feelings and gives a first impression to your customers. It’s the products and services you offer, the style in which you offer them and the customer’s overall experience.
Apple is one of the biggest branding success stories and has topped lists for the brand with the most global impact. Experts say Apple customers buy the brand rather than the product. The simple image of the apple has become synonymous with technology, pop culture and design. The company creates hype to its products by bringing life to mundane items such as equipment and software. And most importantly, the customer’s experience lives up to the image.
When you are creating or building upon a brand, think about the following:
- What are your values?
- Who are your customers?
- What are your traits?
- How do you want to be remembered?
- How can your image reflect your products or services?
Ask yourself these questions, and you’re on your way to creating a lasting brand.
Before you create a mission statement, you must first have a vision. What goals do you have for your organization? For what do you want to be known? What role will your business have in the community? What do you envision your organization to be in 10 years? After those questions are answered, develop a mission statement that coincides with that vision. The statement should be so concise that your employees and even your customers can recite it by heart. Inc. magazine suggests that a mission statement answer these three questions:
- What do we do?
- How do we do it?
- For whom do we do it?
Once you’ve developed a mission statement, it will be a valuable tool internally and serve as a guide for your core messages to the public.
Consider the following companies’ mission statements. They are all simple, yet very effective.
- Google: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
- 3M: To solve unsolved problems innovatively.
- Mary Kay Cosmetics: To give unlimited opportunity to women.
- Merck: To preserve and improve human life.
- Wal-Mart: To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people.
- Walt Disney: To make people happy.
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