A logo lies central in an organisation's visual identity system and it is a way of
communicating fundamental aspects about the organisation, such as the
organisation personality or the organisation's mission and vision. The logo, or
corporate visual identity, could be seen as the organisation's visual shorthand
that summarises these fundamental aspects. A design element such as
colour can be an expressive tool in terms of visual identity. The use of a
particular colour in the logo of an organisation conveys a specific message
about that company's identity and personality through the meaning and
symbolism that is attached to the colour. The corporate colour scheme of an
organisation can also aid in communication without being displayed in context
of the visual identity. The combination of both verbal communication such as
text, and visual communication such as images, through a design element like
colour, could provide an effective method of conveying information.
The nature of this study is descriptive. It examined the role played by colour
in an organisation's visual identity as a communication tool. The study
followed a qualitative approach, making use of a literature study and a case
study approach. In the literature study, the role of the graphic designer, the
visual identity and a design element like colour in the context of corporate
communication were examined. The sources of evidence used for the case
study approach, were questionnaires, as well as a colour analysis of the
corporate colour schemes of each of the selected case organisations as
utilised in their visual identities.
The research project attempted to determine the role of colour as
communication, as well as the motivation behind the use of a particular colour,
should such a motivation exist, and the communication intended behind each
colour. The project also attempted to determine the target markets at which
the communication is aimed; the research done by each of the case
organisations regarding colour symbolism and the suitability of the colour
regarding the target markets; and the importance attached to colour as a
communication tool. These questions were investigated through the use of
the questionnaires. The colour analysis was done to function as a control
mechanism to, for example, determine whether the intended message behind
colour correlated to the perceived message as determined by the colour
analysis.
The results from the questionnaires and colour analysis used in the study
showed that colour does play an important role in the selected case
organisation's visual identities. The results of the study also found, however,
that regardless of how important colour was viewed as a method of
communication by the respondents, certain factors exist which influence the
effectiveness of colour as a communication tool. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/335 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Fouché, Elizma |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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