Colour Theory in Healthcare Corporate Identity

Color In Corporate Identity

Brands work as guarantee for consumers – if the consumer associates a brand with an attribute considered relevant in the product category, that brand will be chosen over its competitors (Christodoulides & Chernatony, 2010). For a brand to be successful, it must identify the needs of its target market and come up with a value proposition with the aim of satisfying them. A brand’s value proposition is “the set of benefits or values it promises to deliver to consumers to satisfy their needs” (Kotker & Armstrong, 2018). Those values define brand’s identity.

One of the brand’s fundamental roles is differentiation. It’s crucial that the brand is distinct from its competitors – it must design a differentiating identity. Brand’s identity is set by the organization, i.e. it is outlined and constructed internally in order to reflect the messages and the values that the brand aims to convey (Mindrut et al., 2015). Brand’s identity includes several elements, that must be managed in the interest of creating a cohesive and distinctive brand image.

Brand image, unlike its identity, finds its origin in the consumer. The image is the set of perceptions that a consumer has regarding a product or organization – it results from the associations between the sensory stimuli caused by the brand and the attributes relevant to the evaluation of the product or service in cause (Dubois, 1993). Therefore, the organization must manage its communication efforts in the name of assuring that brand image corresponds to the brand identity.

Clifton and Simmons (2003) claim that brand’s identity is constituted by two aspects: visual and verbal identity. These two identity aspects must be cohesively managed in a way that allows the efficient communication of brand’s values, mission, vision, beliefs, strategies and characteristics. Verbal identity aims to distinguish the language of a brand and it’s composed by its name – and that of its products – its slogan, tone and the way it tells stories.

Visual identity, on the other hand, comprises the graphic components: logos, symbols, colors and fonts. The design and color of the logo, along with the color associated with the brand (which usually coincides), especially, constitute a vital part of visual identity and play a very important role in the brand’s communication efforts (Ward et al., 2020). A person's preferred color can influence the perception of a brand (Yu et al., 2018).