By Marty Davis, President of Alder Color Solutions

Most people think of a brand or logo as a simple shape or icon. The word “brand” itself leads us to remember the literal branding of livestock by marking them with a shape using a hot iron—but a brand is more than that. Specifically, the colors themselves become an integral part of the recognizable image that embodies your brand.

Who can think of a Coca-Cola logo other than red, a Ford oval other than blue, or the Nike Swoosh not being orange? As the artist and teacher Josef Albers said, “Color seduces us, it beguiles us, it swindles us!” Managing those specific colors and using them appropriately becomes paramount in branding, and keeping consistent is critical.