When it comes to branding, colours are essential. Even a small change, like Spotify's decision to change the colour of its logo to a very slightly brighter, mintier shade of green, can really throw people off.
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Can you identify these brands just by looking at their signature colours?
Some, like Tiffany's robin egg blue, are instantly recognisable.
These jewellery bags are hard to miss.
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That's why many brands choose to stick with their iconic colours, even trademarking the particular shade used in their marketing or packaging. Some are instantly recognisable — like Coca-Cola's red — while others seem to be only a few shades apart from those belonging to other companies.
Can you identify these brands just by looking at their signature colours?
Hint: You just saw it...
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Answer: Tiffany's robin's egg blue is iconic.
Hint: Travel
Answer: The colour red is used in every branch of the Virgin empire, from airlines to music production. Virgin's domestic flights branch (which ground to a halt last month) was even called Little Red.
Hint: Office supplies
Answer: Post-It's shade of canary yellow is trademarked by 3M. It had a spat with Microsoft back in 1997 over its notes software, which put movable yellow notes on your desktop.
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Hint: You pass one every day.
Answer: The green used in Starbucks' logo is part of one of the coffee giant's trademarks.
Hint: Media
Answer: The Financial Times started using salmon pink paper in 1893, precisely to differentiate the title from its rival at the time, Financial News. Pink paper also used to be cheaper at that time.
Hint: Cars
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Answer: The green colour of Land Rover is a legacy from the brand's racing years, when British cars were identified by the colour green, while Italians competed in red.
Hint: Energy
Answer: In 1915 when the company was first launching in California, Shell chose bright red and yellow branding with a specific purpose: it wanted to differentiate from the rest of the US market by the customers of California by reminding them State's Spanish heritage. The company trademarked its colours in 1995.
Hint: Shoes
Answer: Shoe designer Christian Louboutin won a court ruling in 2012 that prevents rivals from copying his distinctive red soles.
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Hint: Telecommunications
Answer: O2 registered this colour blue in 2009. Many of the venues sponsored by the mobile operator, like the O2 Arena in London and O2 World in Berlin, are also branded in this colour. The company's internal magazine is called The Blue.
Hint: Confectionary
Answer: Cadbury trademarked its own tint of purple, called Pantone 2685C, in 2012. Cadbury's parent company, Mondelēz International, also owns another chocolate brand with its own trademarked purple colour: Milka.
Hint: Beverage
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Answer: Champagne house Veuve Clicquot's products are known for their trademark yellow shade.
Hint: Shipping
Answer: UPS uses its trademark brown — called Pullman brown — as an integral part of its marketing. It's even the focus of the brand's tagline: "What can Brown do for you?"
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