- [Instructor] I often see brands and marketing collateral
that leave out the color selection to the last phase.
While they may create a harmonious palette,
they leave it to just defining hex, PMS,
RGB, and CMYK values.
Considering that color is one of the first forms
of communication we notice, how about we consider color
to build these initiatives and trigger a certain emotion?
Emotions hook our attention, positive or negative.
After all, 80% of the brands are recognized by color alone,
so it's definitely worth a try.
Before we dig in, I want to show you a process I use
when working with my branding clients.
I start by digging deep
into understanding who they appeal to.
I'm talking about a real human being,
not just an imaginary avatar.
If you want to learn more about how I define this process,
check out this movie from another on my courses
on LinkedIn Learning.
Once I define this, along with their positioning,
brand attributes, mission, and vision,
I build a stylescape inspired by this person,
like what you see here.
Stylescapes help us gain an overall aesthetic
and brand appeal before we get into the actual design.
Typically my version of this process always starts
with color and how their clients want to feel.
Then I infuse that into the brand personality
and use inspiration from other brands,
signage, and typography.
I'll typically pull images from the internet
to refer as inspiration only.
This can be an incredibly powerful process to use
as you choose to incorporate classic blue.
So let's take a look at some applications and examples.
This example is from a rebrand from one of my clients.
Their target market was focused
on providing seminars and self-improvement workshops
to the Spanish-speaking community in San Antonio.
I used classic blue to elicit trust in their branding
and balanced it with other hues found
in the Hispanic culture to create a deeper connection.
Now let's look at a different example.
Maybe you want to send a unique holiday card like this one.
You can try using metallic paper and classic blue
for an eye-catching result.
Classic blue almost always makes us think of the ocean.
We think of our environment
and the vast possibilities the ocean holds.
Here's an illustration from a design that I did
that used classic blue to raise awareness
about coral bleaching.
Corals turn vibrant colors
as their last plea for help before they bleach out,
so shifting the coral color
to a classic blue supported this message I wanted to share.
Classic blue is such a versatile color
that it even applies to athletics.
In this brand, I pulled on this hue to connect
with the health, running, and the love of the outdoors.
This company was focused on getting families
to spend time outside and run for a cause.
This paired well with other high-energy hues
that supported the mission of the brand.
Since classic blue is a versatile shade,
we can see this hue applied in almost any
of your marketing and branding efforts.
We don't have to be confined to just one hue or feel limited
to the colors that we can complement them with.
As you saw, when done right,
we can leverage classic blue in new and innovative ways,
all while pulling
on those strong characteristics that it offers.