This time I want to delve more deeply into one of the primary colours and look at a particular shade which is significant in my part of the world (and indeed, across the whole World).
There are many shades of blue such as sky, azure, teal, baby, cyan and royal, to name a few. But it is Oxford Blue which demands my consideration this month.
I’m based in Banbury, and over the years, a lot of business has come from Oxford and its environs, and Oxford Blue (or derivations of it) is the corporate colour of choice for a lot of companies in the region. It is a rather dark navy blue and is officially no.282 in the Pantone colour system.
The Pantone system is a clever way of ensuring consistency of print colour, so that whether a printer is in Barcelona, Brisbane, Bangkok or Boston, they can print exactly the same colour. There are hundreds of designated Pantone colours for every colour in the rainbow, and for each there is a simple ink mixing recipe. For some companies, their corporate colour is inviolable and this process protects that.
Oxford Blue is the official colour of the University of Oxford, and the dark blue crest is seen all over Oxford, whether in the college buildings or the many gift shops selling Oxford souvenirs. It is also the colour of Oxford University Press, the largest university press in the World, the work of which can be traced back to the 15th Century.
Oxford “Full Blues” and ”Half Blues” represent the highest sporting honour at the university and are awarded to those taking part in sporting endeavours against other colleges, in first teams and second teams, respectively. Those receiving these awards are entitled to purchase Blues merchandise, dependent on their achievement, and we can assume it will all include a lot of dark blue.
So, where did Oxford Blue colour come from? It has been suggested that Charles Wordsworth and Thomas Garnier chose a dark blue colour to represent Oxford in the first Boat Race in 1829. The colour being borrowed from “Harrow Blue”, since Wordsworth had attended Harrow School. (In a similar way, the light blue/green of Cambridge may well also have been inspired by “Eton Blue”).
Oxford blue, indeed any dark blue is a great solid colour. Like some other colours, it goes with anything and can look stunning in a room as feature wall, with other colour accents, whether they be a bright green, a burnt orange or a lemon yellow.
Oxford Blue – Dark Blue – Navy Blue – what do these colours all represent?
They are widely considered to evoke feelings of trust and stability and less attention-seeking than lighter shades of blue. Perhaps better words might be tradition and convention, and with that in mind these colours are often chosen by the professions to represent their brand.
While there will be exceptions to the rule, a firm of solicitors, accountants or insurance brokers are less likely to have hot pink, or lime green as a corporate colour, and more likely to employ black, grey or a dark blue. There are nothing wrong with other colours, of course, but when looking after legal matters and financial matters, it is probably true that potential clients may be initially won over by a web-site filled with sober, rather than an exciting colours!
I have many promotional products offered in this darker shade of blue. A lot of (better quality) pens will usually be offered in black, as well as silver and dark blue. Notebooks too look very classy in a rich blue colour, especially when debossed, and I have produced several umbrellas with all dark blue panels, with a contrasting print on one or four panels. I can supply some great thermal bottles in this colour and everything else from powerbanks to hoodies, bags to ceramic mugs and lanyards to baseball caps.
Please ask for me for what is new in the world of promotional merchandise, what I think will work for your specific campaign, and what will be an engaging and interesting to give to your potential client.
Imagine putting the extraordinary in the hands of your next client!
