Color Management: How To Improve Brand Consistency With Color Matching

You may be thinking, “Um, color management? The only thing my brand needs is more consistent business.” But that is where color management can help. Color management controls the quality and production of color for your brand.

Your brand’s color is a crucial part of your business’s success seeing as consumers will associate that color with your company. Having a clear and concise brand is integral in a world full of options and distractions. If a consumer has trouble identifying who you are as a brand, they will likely give their business to another company that can.

For over twenty years, LDI Connect has provided color graphic solutions to clients. LDI Connect works closely with prospects and customers to provide color management products and services after assessing their current color needs and goals. We at LDI Connect can help steer your company in the right direction as it pertains to color.

This article will cover what color matching is and how it can improve your brand’s consistency. We will also dive into why brand consistency is essential. After reading this article, you will have a better idea regarding the world of color management and how it can help your brand succeed.

 

What Is Color Matching?

Color management might seem intimidating for companies with no prior experience in the overall process.

For example, if a company lacks color management experience, it will be reflected in its logo. Meaning, their company logo and brand colors might appear different on various print surfaces and in contrast lighting. 

This is where the art of color matching comes in. Color matching involves the transferral of color across various platforms, technologies, and materials. Color matching ensures that the color that appears on your screen will adequately match the printed color. 

The process of color matching ensures that each specific color prints with the same hue, brightness, and saturation. This process will keep your brand consistent throughout your company’s marketing efforts.

 

Why Is Color Matching Important For Color Consistency?

When walking past a Mcdonald’s, there is no need to look up at its sign to remember what it looks like due to McDonald’s brand consistency and messaging. Its bright yellow and red logo appears the same on-screen and in person, no matter where a consumer is located.

While McDonald’s has had decades of experience in marketing and showcasing its brand, the idea is the same for any company looking to keep its brand consistent and with the utmost quality.

Uniform branding enables companies to get instantly recognized by consumers and ultimately builds trust along with that recognition. To stay away from brand confusion, companies need to use the same selected colors throughout their branding strategy.

Brand confusion can lead to consumers not knowing who or what your brand stands for, nor if your brand is affiliated with another company. 

 

4 Ways To Improve Brand Consistency With Color Matching? 

Assessing what processes, steps, and tools to utilize in the color matching process is vital for qualitative color management. Although the color is dependent on the device, abiding by a color standard is imperative in creating brand consistency. Most companies comply with either an RGB, CMYK, or Pantone Matching System (PMS) color standard. 

Colors act as the building blocks of any great brand. Understanding the impact a particular shade can have on your company’s image will help regulate your brand from project to project.

Let’s take a deeper look into some ways your company can implement an effective color matching process.

1. Create A Brand Standards Guide

A brand standards guide will act as your company’s instruction manual that includes the exact colors used for each application within your business. This guide will consist of an approved list of color specifications based on where and how the color will be represented.

For example, let’s say you have selected a color from the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and wish to use this color for your company logo moving forward. However, this color doesn’t appear the same when printed on merchandise as it does on your website. 

A well-documented guide can act as a roadmap for any employee looking for assistance in implementing your brand and ensuring brand consistency.

2. Use A Monitor Hood 

A monitor hood may look a bit strange. However, it is simply a computer screen cover meant to protect your screen and help mitigate any external ambient light.

A monitor hood can reduce glare and have a significant effect on perceived color accuracy. Having accurate color and contrast on your screen will help ensure your brand’s quality and avoid confusion.

3. Acquire A Light Booth 

A light booth, also known as a color matching cabinet, is an essential piece of equipment used for effective color management. A light booth is ideal for evaluating the color variance between various print samples. 

This booth is essential for visually analyzing and matching color under various standard light sources. While features may vary due to the exact light booth acquired, most light booths will feature:

• • User-friendly individual switches per light source.
  • No downtime or flickering.
  • Low heat generation for efficient high light.

A light booth serves as a great tool in ensuring that the edited print sample is precise to your liking and appears consistent throughout various lighting.

4. Utilize Color Matching Tools 

Color-matching devices such as spectrophotometers can capture, analyze, and measure color.

Spectrophotometers will ensure that color remains consistent from the early stages of design to delivering a project. These instruments can support your efforts in keeping your color exact by measuring the intensity of reflected light from a printed sample and effectively computing light absorption.

 

Need Help Matching Colors For Your Brand?

Color matching is an integral part of successful branding that leads to successful color recognition. Printing the same brand colors on various materials requires a level of understanding needed to create consistent outcomes. 

At LDI Connect, we assess our client’s current color infrastructure and look to see how it can improve. We provide color management equipment, tools, and customer service support; to ensure that our clients are set up with the proper color management foundation.

Let us help you with any questions you may have regarding color management. Speak with an LDI Connect representative today about managing color consistencies for your brand.