Choose your team colours

Just imagine you were forced to do your weekly grocery shopping while your vision was temporarily slightly impaired – perhaps you lost your glasses, or your contact lenses fell out.

In this state, imagine that while you can make out colour and shape of products, you struggle to make out the finer details of products, such as printed brand names.

Old Taskmaster would be willing to bet that, even in such a state, there are probably products where you would have little trouble in recognising the brand.

That purple box of chocolates, for example? Or the iconic red cola bottle?

For that matter, as you looked out through window across the car park from that primarily green supermarket, it would not be too difficult to pick which franchise that yellow and red hamburger joint belongs to – or for that matter the white and red fried chicken shop next door.

Colour schemes do not just make products more recognisable, they can be a rallying point for tribal loyalties. Think about your favourite footy club for a good example.

Even a colour scheme as unattractive as brown and mustard was powerful enough a symbol to help Don Scott ward off a proposed merger between AFL rivals Hawthorn and Melbourne in the mid ‘90s.

So it is utterly astounding to Old Taskmaster that too many businesses fail to use a consistent colour scheme.

Often, in terms of colour, what you end up with in many small businesses is a dog’s breakfast of colour schemes. The outside of the shop has a different colour scheme to its interior. Any colour texta or paint will do when handwriting a note on the shop window.

When the wall clock or the sofa was bought, there was no regard or even thought put into whether it matched the company colours.

And if you tried to find their shop based on the colours scheme on their website, you would be lost as they bear no resemblance to anything else connected to their business.

Does that sound like your business? Or are you planning a business?

If so, what does (or would) that level of indifference say about your brand? Are you really that indifferent to your branding?!

If not, Old Taskmaster says this: Pick out two company colours. These are the colours your team will wear as you compete against your rivals. They’re the colours on your standard as you battle your competitors.

Then be proud of your team colours. If you have any colour-related purchasing decision, choose your team colours. Make your colours signify everything that’s worth being proud about in your business.

Get it done – today!