Colour creates a reaction in everyone. The language of colour is communicated quicker to the brain than words or shapes as they work directly on our feelings and emotions. Since people react psychologically to them, you should choose the shades that most closely identify with your business or company theme. How the consumer reacts to signage colours is a key factor in determining whether they buy from you or not, so this is an incredibly important decision.

Choosing the right colour for your signage is more important than what you imagine.

Warm colours tend to encourage people to feel comfortable enough to relax and linger. If you want customers or clients spending extra time in your business or restaurant, you’ll want to pick from a pallet of colours that have comforting layers of oranges and yellows in them.

Yellow triggers the feelings of happiness, friendliness and is the most visible colour in daylight.

If you want your signage to be a real attention getter, yellow is a universal favourite. Yellow triggers the feelings of happiness, friendliness and is also the most visible colour in daylight. Yellow stands out from its background giving a clear message. In many European countries yellow is chosen as background colour for their traffic signage.

Red colour is powerful.

Red is a very powerful colour which stands out in a visually crowded environment. Many warning/emergency signs consist of a red background with yellow or white lettering and by using pictograms, the signs are multi-language and don’t need explanation, even if you cannot read the text. Red works great with black, white and yellow lettering. Advisable uses for this colour would be for warning signs, public spaces, and fast food restaurants, or in any indoor/outdoor environment.

Blue colour: depth and stability.

Blue is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence and intelligence. The colour blue works well with white lettering to be used as information signage. Advisable work areas would be highway signs, railway signs, hotel signage, retail signage, public spaces, indoor & outdoor usage.

Black and white combination is always professionalism and elegance

For professionalism and elegance that doesn’t age, black on white is always a good selection. In fact, a white background is a good choice for any strong contrasting colour. Black serves the same purpose when it supports very light or bright letting or graphics. With a black background, the lettering tends to stand out more than with other coloured backgrounds. With large lettering white on black works very well and yellow on black is a good combination. Advisable work areas for this kind of colour combination would be Airport signage, office building signs, visually overwhelming environments, hotel signage, indoor usage, etc.

As a final thought, remember to never use a light colour logo/text on a light colour background. For example, light yellow lettering on a white background will not show up. All pastels (e.g. pale blue, yellow, pink, light green) will not contrast against white backgrounds. Interestingly fluorescents, though appearing very bright, will not contrast on white. Choose a dark (high value) colour (e.g. black, navy blue, burgundy, red, forest green, etc.)

Similarly, never use a dark colour logo on a dark colour background. For example, black lettering on a navy blue background will not show. Lettering and background must always be of contrasting value in order to be readable.

To book a free consultation about your signage, e-mail (john@nationalcorporatesignage.com.au) or call us on 08 9272 2299 to discuss how we can help you to make the most of your brand.