Blue is still the most predictable colour on the web
"When we released our report on the colors of the social web, based on data analyzed by our Twitter theme tool, we were surprised that blue was such a dominant color in people's profile designs. Was Twitter's default color influencing their design decisions? Or is blue really THE most popular and dominant color online? ...We decided to look at the colors in the brands from the top 100 sites in the world to see if we could paint a more colorful picture.
Turns out the blue-berry doesn't fall far from the bush. The web landscape is dominated by a large number of blue brands... but Red occupies a large amount of space as well. What's driving this? You might want to say that carefully organized branding research and market tests were done to choose the perfect colors to make you spend your money, but a lot of the brands that have grown to be global web powerhouses, started as small web startups... and while large corporate giants with branding departments spend quite a lot on market research, user testing, branding, etc. Lots of the sites listed above got started with brands created by the founders themselves with little to no research into the impact their color choice would have. I once asked Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook why he chose blue for his site design... "I'm color blind, it's the only color I can see." ...and now 500 Million people around the world stare at a mostly blue website for hours each week.
While the initial reasoning for the colors chosen may be trivial, the impact that these dominant players now have in the web world will surely influence the smaller startups that want to share in the positive color associations created by their bigger siblings... Once a rocketship of a web startup takes flight, there are a number of Jr. internet astronauts hoping to emulate their success... and are inspired by their brands. And so Blue and Red will probably continue to dominate, but we can have hope for the GoWalla's, DailyBooth's and other more adventurous brands out there."
(COLOURlovers, 15 September 2010)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
inCulto's Eurovision 2006 entry nation branding Lithuania
Client: inCulto; Design, direction & animation: PetPunk; 3D Graphic: Romanas Zdanavičius
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Kea New Zealand: Nation Branding Through Networking
"Kea is New Zealand's global network. Our mission is to connect New Zealand with the rest of the world by building a network of global citizens who take an active interest in the future of our country.
Kea's ultimate goal is for the home of the world's greatest travellers to become the world's leading nation without borders - for New Zealand to think, act, and engage more globally by utilising our offshore population of expatriates and honorary citizens.
While founded as the Kiwi Expat Association in 2001, Kea's activities are relevant to more than just 'Kiwi expats'. We are building a truly global network for New Zealand, which is equally important to New Zealand based organisations and individuals who are pursuing global opportunities, as well as citizens of other countries who have an affinity and interest in connecting with New Zealand.
Kea is especially committed to supporting organisations and individuals who help grow the New Zealand economy through international trade and investment, or help build New Zealand's brand and reputation on the world stage."
(Stephen Tindall)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Colour Space: The Coolest Shades in Corporate America
"Companies spend millions trying to differentiate from others. Yet a quick look at the logos of major corporations reveals that in color as in real estate, it's all about location, location, location. The result is an ever more frantic competition for the best neighborhood. Here's a look at the new blue bloods."
(Michael Rock, p.157)
Fig.1 Rock, Michael. (2003). 'Color Space Coolest Shades in Corporate America.' Wired Magazine.
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
