After the Walk to End Alzheimer’s came to a close, we created a custom landing tab for the Association which has information about their support line, town hall meetings, and ways to donate to the Association.

When it comes to your identity and your website, there are a few basic parameters that we consider:

1. What is YOUR favorite color? No kidding. If you and your most influential board members all despise orange. Well then, orange should be eliminated from the spectrum of possibilities. Unless of course you sell oranges. Then you have a whole other set of issues to address.
2. Are there colors that are appropriate/inappropriate for your mission and your audience? Colors have different connotations based on culture, region, industry and issue area. Additionally some colors are simply overused in certain sectors. A common example is the “healthcare” scheme of muted blues and greens.
3. Are the applications of your brand collateral or your organizational structure that dictate certain hues or combinations? Perhaps signage and way finding is needed. Perhaps you’ll need to use color to differentiate between different programs or subsidiaries. No matter what, you will want to consider how your brand colors might work across different media and for different types of content.
4. Finally, how much emphasis do you want to place on color? Is it just one element in your kit of parts or is it THE most recognizable aspect of your identity. Are colors functional or purely for brand awareness and impact.

For example: H&R Block owns lime green thanks to the rebrand that happened a few years ago. Oh how we wish we’d been in the room when the ad firm presented that concept to the tax gurus. “Less is more! Its just a green block…that’s it. And its going to be huge!” And it is. On the flip side, there are just as many strong brands that rely on the symbol and the concept. Color is completely versatile based on the campaign or the application.

There are seemingly infinite possibilities when color is considered. Just be sure to acknowledge the value, do your research and trust your instinct.