The Psychology of Blue: Its Meaning for Popular Brands

The Psychological and Cultural Meaning of Blue

Blue is located at the extreme end of the color spectrum and has the shortest wavelength. Most people, even those who suffer from color blindness or color weakness, are able to distinguish it. Beyond the blue spectrum is ultraviolet radiation, which is invisible to the human eye but can be seen by butterflies, some birds, and reptiles.

This color plays an important role in the production of melatonin, known as the "sleep hormone," which promotes nighttime rest and helps us stay awake during the day. When we are exposed to blue light, melatonin levels decrease, making us more energetic. However, as blue light decreases, melatonin levels begin to increase, promoting sleep. In modern times, we are faced with an excess of artificial blue light sources, such as computer screens, laptops, smartphones, and televisions, which operate at biologically unusual hours, negatively affecting the quality of sleep.

Blue is associated with feelings of calm and strength. It has the ability to relax, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony. This color evokes images of endless skies, deep oceans, and freshness and coolness. Blue affects the emotional state, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. It is often used in office interiors, as it promotes concentration and a work-oriented mindset. Blue lowers blood pressure and normalizes breathing. However, in excessive quantities, it can cause depression and a depressed mood. Furthermore, this color can reduce appetite, which explains the rare use of its shades in catering establishments such as cafes and restaurants. Throughout the 20th century, blue earned a reputation as a symbol of respectability and seriousness. Stylists distinguish it as a key wardrobe color, along with universal black, white, and gray. This is because blue combines beautifully with a variety of colors and is also practical and stain-resistant. For this reason, it is often chosen for uniforms and formal business suits. In interiors, blue walls create an atmosphere of calm and relaxation, although when paired with bright yellow and red accents, they can evoke more intense emotions.

Over time, attitudes toward the color blue have changed significantly across cultures. In ancient times, it was associated with foreigners and outsiders, but over the centuries, blue has come to symbolize peace and kindness in many cultures. In Christianity, the color of the sky imbued blue with a special mystical meaning, linking it to the Divine and eternity, which fostered a mood of humility. In the European context, blue symbolizes harmony, unity, and loyalty, reflected in heraldry, where it became the embodiment of goodwill, honesty, and nobility. However, in China and Latin America, blue is perceived as the color of mourning. For North Americans, this color is associated with power, fortitude, and freedom. In modern European culture, blue and light blue are predominantly associated with the male gender: parents choose clothes and toys in these shades for their sons, and mass-market manufacturers use blue for men's collections.

Blue is the most popular color in the world. A study conducted by Dulux Paints involving people from 30 different countries showed that 42% of men and 30% of women choose blue as their favorite shade. Furthermore, in 2020, the American Color Institute Pantone Inc. declared classic blue the color of the year.

In 2018, Adobe's Marketo Engage division conducted a study among the 100 most famous brands and found that blue is the most common color in branding and logo design.

For some organizations, this color symbolizes reliability, responsibility, and security. Shades of blue are most often preferred by those companies whose products or services should inspire consumer trust in the brand, as well as create a sense of calm and stability. This is especially important for those seeking to establish long-term relationships with customers.

Blue isn't typically associated with a strong call to action, as it doesn't evoke strong emotions or encourage impulse purchases. Let's explore how brands from various industries use blue in their visual identity, product design, and packaging.

Reliability: IBM

Modern IBM logo. Image: Wikimedia Commons

IBM logo from 1956. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The history of IBM is a reflection of the entire evolution of the computer industry. Since its founding in the late 19th century, when it began producing tabulating machines, the company has become a leader in information technology and a pioneer in technological innovation since the 1950s. IBM is credited with creating the first hard drive in 1956 and the floppy disk in 1971. In the early 1980s, the company introduced the first personal computer and laptop, and developed magnetic tape for bank cards, which also made significant contributions to technological advancement. Blue has become a key element of IBM's visual identity. In the 1960s, the company began to be called "Big Blue," which translates as "Great Blue" or "Blue Giant." There are several theories explaining the origin of this nickname, and one of them is related to the logo's color scheme.

In 1956, IBM approached Paul Rand to design a new logo to symbolize a transitional period in its history, involving a change in leadership. Rand updated the typeface, giving the logo an air of confidence and stability. Despite positive feedback from the company, the designer himself was dissatisfied with the result. He was concerned about the details: he felt the logo looked too heavy, and the letter "M" seemed disproportionate compared to the other symbols. In 1972, 16 years later, Rand returned to his design and refined it, adding eight horizontal white stripes that intersect the letters. These lines create the effect of movement and dynamics.

IBM's core principle is to use powerful, reliable, and safe technologies, and the blue color of their logo has remained unchanged for fifty years.

Freshness: Gillette

Gillette shaving products. Image: Gillette

Gillette Planet Kind skin care products. Image: Gillette

Working with a new machine in the lab. Image: Gillette Facebook page*

Gillette Venus women's razor. Image: Gillette Venus

Gillette founder King Camp Gillette developed and patented the T-shaped safety razor using disposable thin blades in 1901. A unique feature of this razor was its opening comb, allowing for easy replacement of dull blades. Previously, for a quality and painless shave, men could only rely on the services of a barber, which was not available to everyone. Gillette made shaving a simple, hygienic procedure accessible to everyone. In 1915, he further expanded his marketing efforts by introducing a razor designed specifically for women. Initially, Gillette targeted young, driven men striving for success and victory. In its advertising, the brand created the image of a dynamic youth, whom many aspired to emulate. However, in recent years, the company has begun to move away from traditional notions of masculinity. As a result, the advertising slogan also changed, from "There is no better man for a man" to "There is no better man than you."

Advertising poster from 1905. Image: Flickr

In the 1990s, blue began to be actively incorporated into razor design, and today it has become one of the main colors that characterize the company. Gillette offers both completely blue razor models and combination options, where blue is always present. The women's line is also dominated by blue tones, which distinguishes it from traditional women's products, which are usually designed in pink shades. In addition, blue packaging can be found on almost all Gillette products, including disposable and reusable razors, gift sets, and shaving and aftershave gels.

Rejecting traditional notions of masculinity, Gillette maintains the use of blue, associated with freshness and cleanliness, which is typical for personal care products.

Calm: Bounty

When we hear the name Bounty, our imagination conjures up a picture of an exotic tropical island in the ocean, surrounded by coconut palms, with flawless white sand and transparent turquoise water, like on the packaging of the bars of the same name. Unofficially, "Bounty" is the name of the islands in Thailand, where the filming of the advertisement for these sweets, associated with paradise, took place.

An interesting point. When studying the map, you will notice that Bounty is a small archipelago consisting of 13 uninhabited islands located in the Pacific Ocean. These islands have a rather harsh climate, where temperatures rarely exceed 11 degrees Celsius.

Franklin Mars, the founder of the Mars company, pioneered the evolution of sweets when he introduced the Milky Way bar to the world in 1923. Today, the company has expanded its horizons, producing pet food, sauces, and a variety of confectionery products. Mars-branded bars, which include such popular names as Snickers, Twix, and Milky Way, have varied appearances and compete with each other on store shelves, but they all ultimately contribute to the same company's revenue.

The Bounty coconut bar, symbolizing elegance and tenderness, appeared on the market in 1951. Its name, translated from English as "Generosity," originally did not have a bright blue design. However, over time, this color began to dominate the packaging, gradually displacing other shades from advertising materials.

Bounty bar. Image: Bounty

Bounty is available in two variants: one with dark chocolate, wrapped in red packaging, and the other with milk chocolate, which can be found in blue. However, the red bar is extremely rare for sale in Russia, while the blue version is readily available in almost any store.

The soft blue packaging creates an atmosphere of calm and tranquility. Combined with images of the sky, ocean and green palm trees, it evokes associations with the sea and warmth, as if transporting us to a beautiful tropical island.

Strength and style: Kenzo on masculinity

Kenzo Homme. Images: Rafal_88 / Shutterstock

Perfume Kenzo EPKH EDT. Image: Kenzo

Kenzo L’Eau Kenzo Aquadisiac perfume. Image: Kenzo

Kenzo Takada, a Japanese designer and fashion designer, presented his debut women's clothing collection in Paris in 1970, instantly attracting public interest. After 13 years, he decided to expand his horizons and began working in men's fashion. Currently, the Kenzo brand offers a variety of luxury products, including clothing, footwear, accessories, and home decor.

In 1988, the Kenzo brand introduced its first women's fragrance, Kenzo de Kenzo. Three years later, the first men's perfume, Kenzo Pour Homme, came to market, housed in a rich dark turquoise bottle. Today, this scent has become a true classic, remaining on sale and keeping its bottle unchanged for three decades.

In its men's line of fragrances, Kenzo uses blue as a symbol of masculinity. The bottles and the perfumes themselves vary from a rich dark blue, almost black, to deep blue-green and translucent blue shades. Even with an emphasis on environmental responsibility, which is one of the key values of the brand, blue remains central to Kenzo men's collections. Inspired by the freshness of water, the brand creates light, blue-and-white bottles for L'Eau Kenzo and dark blue Aqoa Kenzo. Kenzo Pour Homme is shaped like a bamboo stem, with a color palette ranging from dark turquoise to light blue. Kenzo L'Eau Kenzo Aquadisiac draws inspiration from the depths of the sea, and while the women's line features anemone petals in vibrant hues, the men's fragrances are tinted blue.

In modern society, the color blue is associated with masculinity, which includes qualities such as strength, flexibility, determination and self-confidence. Kenzo Takada actively uses this symbolism in his work.

Trust in the era of social networks and instant messengers

Icons of popular social networks and instant messengers. Image: Facebook* / VKontakte / Twitter / LinkedIn / Skype / Telegram / Zoom / Jitsi Meet

Try arranging the social media and messaging app icons on your smartphone by color scheme. You'll likely find the largest number of blue and light blue icons. Almost all popular social platforms, such as Facebook*, VKontakte, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as a number of communication and video conferencing apps, have chosen various shades of blue as their primary colors.

This coincidence is no coincidence. Social platforms use a friendly communication style to create an atmosphere of trust and promote interaction. The association with reliability and technological advancement also plays an important role, since users share their personal data with social networks. Moreover, blue is considered one of the most popular colors among modern Europeans, which makes its choice in social network design entirely justified – such products must appeal to a wide audience.

The first social network to become truly popular, LiveJournal, was founded in 1999. At that time, it did not have its own logo, and a funny goat named Frank became the community's symbol. Blue dominated the site's interface, and it was used for hyperlinks by default. In 2000, the LiveJournal logo, depicting a blue pencil, was introduced. Three years later, another social platform, LinkedIn, was born, with the last two letters of its name enclosed in a blue square. Facebook followed, and later Pavel Durov, the founder of VKontakte, also began using blue.

A surprising fact is that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg* explained his choice of blue by saying that he is colorblind. This means he has difficulty distinguishing between red and green, while blue is clearly visible. The social network's logo, first introduced in 2006, has undergone several changes, but its color has always remained the same.

Video conferencing has seen a significant increase in popularity in recent years. The first internet messenger appeared back in 1996—ICQ, which allowed users to exchange messages of up to 450 characters. The logo, featuring a green flower, served as a symbol of online presence. Then came Skype, the first "blue" messenger to offer voice calling, but at the time, it failed to surpass ICQ in terms of user numbers. Modern communication apps like Zoom, Telegram, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Jitsi Meet, and others can easily be grouped on your smartphone by color, and that color is blue. However, some social platforms and messaging apps opt for alternative color schemes that deviate from the traditional "blue canon." For example, the Odnoklassniki logo is orange, while the communication icons on the iPhone are green. In future issues, we will discuss in detail the meanings hidden behind these and other colors.