Why do so many technology companies, particularly those who serve the telecommunications industry, use blue as their dominant logo color? In doing some research for a client on WiMax technology, I came across a list of WiMax Forum Member Companies that made my head spin…It’s hard enough to differentiate all those company names that have no meaning (many of them undoubtedly made up by a team of overpriced consultants)…do we have to get confused even further by their painfully uniform (and mostly boring) look? Can we please rally all the graphic designers together to put an end to this madness?
Yes, blue is a “cool” color (literally and figuratively) and it’s often recommended for technology becuase, as the old color wheel tells us, it’s “linked to consciousness and intellect” and, oh by the way, it’s a masculine color and a favorite of corporate America to boot. Hooray. But how many variations on a single theme can one human being process?
When you have the golden opportunity to create an identity from scratch, or even refresh an exsiting one, you’d first check out the competition and the other companies in the industry – wouldn’t you? And when you saw that everyone else looked pretty much the same, wouldn’t you want to stand out, be different, be memorable? Come on, tech people. Show us a little red or yellow. Think about what your technology does to help people connect – that’s emotional, right? That calls for at least a little warmth. To hell with the color wheel. Think deeper, take it to a higher level that reflects your company’s individual traits and merits and translate that into a unique look that communicates your specialness. Leave the blues to B.B. King.
