The importance that colours play within the business world should never be underestimated. When chosen correctly, colours can help you enhance your message and make it memorable.
Did you know, colour is so powerful it can:
- influence our learning and comprehension by up to 75%
- increase brand recognition by up to 80% (e.g. The letter “M” in yellow on a simple red background is all we need to see to make a connection with McDonald’s)
- convey a message at a single glance
- influence brand likeability and purchase intent
The use of colours in branding
When creating a brand, the choice of colour can play a significant part in influencing the association and opinion consumers have with that brand. At times, the reason for the choice of a particular colour can also be very diverse.
Let’s take a look at the colour Red for example. Psychologists suggest red to be a hunger stimulant, therefore it would make sense that food outlets like Red Rooster, KFC and McDonald’s would use red in their logos.
However, if we also consider the famous logo for Target (which consists of the red bullseye), the red was chosen because it grabs attention and represents passion and energy.
While both ideas for using the colour red are very different (i.e. one being a hunger stimulant, the other standing for energy and passion) they are both successful because the important factor for both is the context.
Understanding the industry context is an important factor, and it determines the colours that marketers choose for companies to use in their branding.
Based on the above psychology of colours, the following are a couple of examples of branding within different industries.
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical branding is about health, vitality, well-being, and optimism. It, therefore, makes sense that a company like Pfizer would have a blue logo, which in context represents calmness, health, and well-being. Whereas, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has an orange logo that represents the company’s care for its customers.
Automotive
Red, blue, and silver are popular colours within the auto industry, with silver being the most prominently used. This is no surprise as silver represents a sense of luxury, power and success. Within the context of the auto industry, blue represents reliability (Ford) and red represents confidence and excitement (Mitsubishi).
Use of Colours within PowerPoint Presentations
Most business presentations are created in line with the company’s brand style guide. In PowerPoint, this is generally done by setting up templates and masters to ensure visuals are expressed consistently across all communication.
In cases where you have some free reign or choice of colour in your presentation decks, here are some interesting facts and tips to help you with your colour choices.
Red in presentations
Red is a colour that needs to be handled with care and understanding.
It carries a broad range of cultural attachments, so if you are using red primarily throughout your presentation, it’s important to understand your audience, particularly if they are foreign.
For example, in the middle east red symbolises caution and danger, in China, it represents luck and happiness, and in Eastern Europe for many it still symbolises communism.
As many of us know, within the finance industry, red is also a colour used with negative connotations. Seeing a number in red in a finance report, table, chart or graph generally means a loss of money, being in the negative or “being in the red” as they say. This is something to keep in mind when creating graphs and charts for your presentation. Don’t use red if you want to convey positive figures and reports.
In other cases, the use of red can be a good choice if your presentation is about a new food product as red is thought to increase appetite. It’s also a good colour to create attention and excitement, such as with a new product, service launch or pitch. It is also one of the best colours to convey love and passion, so if you have a feminine product such as perfume, red could be a good choice of colour.
Yellow in presentations
Yellow is a great visible colour that attracts attention. It is generally seen as inviting and optimistic. It’s a great colour to use in presentations to draw notice to or highlight something (such as keywords). It’s a great choice of colour to use if you want to deliver a positive message.
Orange in presentations
If you would like your audience to take action (and you have a call to action within your slide deck), then orange is a great option. It is the colour of success, innovation, encouragement, and change. It’s a great choice of colour if you are hoping to inspire your audience in some way during your presentation.
Blue in presentations
Blue is a very popular colour in business presentations and is highly used as a background colour on slides. A dark blue background, with light text, is great for conservative corporate presentations.
Blue represents responsibility, trust, calm, health, and mental clarity. For this reason, it’s a great colour to use if you are in the health, financial or technology industries. It’s also a great colour to help instil a sense of dependability and confidence in your content and what you are saying. For this reason, it’s popular with presenters and trainers.
Green in presentations
Green is a colour commonly used in PowerPoint presentations by educators and trainers as it helps to generate discussion. It’s also a fantastic colour to use if you would like to present or discuss environmental issues. But you don’t have to be talking directly about the environment to use green. On a symbolic level, green also signifies fresh new beginnings and growth – making it ideal for a presentation about new directions, planning and road mapping.
Grey or Silver in presentations
Grey (or silver) is a great choice of colour if you are looking to soften the look of a white slide. It works well in almost all presentations no matter what industry and looks fantastic as a light grey slide background with dark text on top. If you are in the automotive industry and you need to choose a colour for your PowerPoint presentation, then grey or silver would be ideal, as they both symbolise wealth, success, power and affluence.
Tip: If you find that black or white is not working for you on a slide, try grey. You may find it to be the best alternative!
Purple in presentations
Purple (or lavender) is a feminine colour and is ideal for emotional or spiritual presentations. It is a colour primarily chosen in presentations by women as they resonate with what the colour represents to them, being creativity, intelligence, sophistication, spirituality, royalty, wealth and revenue.
Black in presentations
Basic black is a strong, confident, and definite colour that should not be overlooked. It is a good option for PowerPoint presentations that contain content with financial information.
Black absorbs light and on a large screen, it helps to give “white space” without the blinding glare. It also helps you pack a punch in your presentation. Its dark background allows your content to shine because it contrasts so well with bright colours. It allows your elements to pop and stand loud and proud during your presentation.
Tips on Colour Contrasting within Presentations
When deciding on what colours to use in your PowerPoint presentation, it’s also important to consider what colours work well together, both in terms of readability and aesthetic appeal.
For example, yellow text on a white background is not a wise choice if you want to make an impact.
The best colours for slides all have high contrast, as this is what makes them easy to read and what makes the elements pop. For example, a dark coloured background, like navy blue, works well with light coloured text.
This is where a presentation designer can make a world of difference. They are experts in crafting high impact presentations. They are experienced in what colours will pack a punch together and best work with your message.
Conclusion
Colours help to spice up our designs, give life to presentation decks, and make them visually appealing. They are also a powerful psychological tool for pitches and business presentations because they have the power to influence an audience’s decisions and emotions.
There is no doubt that choosing the right colours for your business and presentations will help you communicate your message more clearly.
Still not confident in what colours to choose? Contact the
PowerPoint presentation design experts at Slidesho today!
