Tag: Brand Strategy

Firstly, I want to say a big thank you to Modulyss for raising awareness of the importance of colour in design. In their most recent Modulyss Talks session, held yesterday 5th Sept, they discussed an interesting topic, ‘The Impact of Neuroaesthetics’ with Karen Haller, who runs a behavioural design consultancy.

For decades, over 30 years, I’ve been fascinated by colour and its impact on us mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s a subject that I’m hugely passionate about and it’s one I’m always keen to understand more of, not only to apply to myself, but also for my clients.

Having studied with Karen a couple of times over the past five years with a focus on colour and its application and use in brand and marketing, and more recently from a creative artistry stand point, I jumped at the opportunity to be ‘virtually’ with people who share my passion for colour, have a thirst for knowledge, and are keen to understand more about how they can use colour positively in our personal and professional lives.

For clarity, at the start Karen defined ‘What is Neuroaesthetics’ as the field within neuroscience, that explores how our brain perceives, processes, and responds to beauty, art and design. And that it’s NOT creating spaces that are just aesthetically pleasing, creating a wow factor, slavishly following trends, or pleasing the brain with a dopamine hit.

“Neuroaesthetics emerged in the late 1990s, and nobody is clear on who coined the term, but a simple definition is that neuroesthetics is the study of how arts measurably changes the body, brain, and behaviour and how this knowledge is translated into practice,” said Susan Magsamen, founder, and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Let’s dive in

Throughout the talk there were many refreshers about what I know already, but there are always some nuggets that stand out and resonate, or perhaps land differently, deepening my understanding. So, in the interest of sharing and spreading my love of colour and its application with you, here’s some key takeaways to ponder and reflect on.

Nuggets and takeaways

• Colour has duality, both positive and negative
• From a colour psychological stand point, it can influence our metabolism, appetite, body temperature, water regulation, sleep, autonomic nervous system, and even our sexual and reproductive functions
• All colours drive and create a different energy, response and emotion
• We don’t live in a grey world, we live in a colourful world
• Grey hides things in plain sight, it wants to recede, to hide, it doesn’t want to be seen
• When we think about colour, we also must consider pattern, scale, shape, texture and placement as they all interplay
• The right colour in the wrong proportion won’t work
• If it’s a colour, we’ll have an emotional response – neutral doesn’t exist
• Colour isn’t just a visual stimulus, it delivers an emotional response

Target market

Wherever you’re using and applying colour, in your brand or your business; in all instances, understand your target market. When working with a client, always get clarity on their target market and audience, this will help create the desirable outcomes that your clients will want to see.

As Karen mentioned during the webinar, from an interior design perspective, in a hospitality interior design space, in a restaurant or café, imagine an environment that creates the behaviours your client wants to see – excited, relaxed and staying longer, talking, networking, dining, eating and drinking, and ideally turning into a repeat customer. In a workspace, depending on the brand and business needs, there will be a very different set of requirements.

Remember, when applying colour, make your KPIs measureable as we do want to know we’ve got things right; we can’t see or measure a mood or a feeling, but we can measure behaviour.

Unlock potential, create change

From a brand strategy perspective and in the projects I lead and get involved with, when a company is rebranding their colour palette will be an evocative and foundational point for discussion. Of course, a brand is much, much more than a colour palette, and that’s a topic I’ll touch on separately, but for now, remember, colour is emotion, it makes us feel something, and a brand will want to connect with its customers on an emotive, emotional level – not just sell its products and services.

I’m a very intuitive person and like to feel into and connect with what my clients want, which means really listening to what they say, and what they don’t. I also like to dig deep to understand their values, vision, purpose, what they want to create next for themselves, their teams and for their business. So, whether I’m feeding back following a 121-consultation process or a group brand strategy discovery workshop, I will back up my thinking with logic and information, not just a hunch.

Immersive memorable experiences

Fundamentally, colour creates immersive and memorable experiences. Humans are complex beings, we all have different needs and we all react and respond differently to our environment, be that at home, our work space, and when out socialising. What appeals to me, won’t appeal to everyone, and that’s a good thing – we’re all unique.

Let’s continue to use the power and application of colour to celebrate our differences, to build environments that encourage positive change, and build brands and businesses that are a force for good.

Have a colourful weekend!

Links for reference

• Quote source – Artandobject – How art is scientifically proven to help brain health, Feb 2023
• Discover more about Modulyss
• Discover more about Karen Haller