Why Cahoots is going with green instead of the color blue.

I will begin by informing you that blue is actually my favorite color.  However, when it came to choosing colors for our start up’s logo and design I was not excited about using blue.  Why?  It didn’t seem refreshing, new, or eye-catching.  Indeed, the color blue has become the status quo of social media.  The three current major social networks all use blue as their dominant color.

Oh wait what’s that green and black owl doing on the end?!   Our icon is definitely not like the others.  When everyone is doing the same thing, it’s very easy to make a contrast.

So why are the social media giants using blue?

• Mark Zuckerberg is actually red-green colorblind. Blue is the color he sees best.  That is a huge part of why Facebook is blue.
• Blue is the most favored color universally, so it is the safest to use.  In turn, its use is likely increased due to blue being ‘safe’, and this meaning is reinforced by those playing it safe.
• Blue is the color of the sky and sea, it is a soothing, calm color.
• Blue is associated with positive meanings like loyalty, intellect, communication, and reliability.

However, the color blue also has some negative connotations:

• It is associated with sadness and depression “the Blues”.
• It is associated with coldness and rigidity.
• It is associated with boredom and being conservative.

These negative connotations do note bode well with my vision for Cahoots.  During hard global economic times I want something associated with energy and renewal, not calmness and the status quo.  I don’t want the color of safety and being conservative.  Being an entrepreneur means taking risks, not playing it safe.  So that brings me to the color green.

What we like about green:

• Green is the color of life, renewal,growth and vitality.
• Green is the color of sustainability, and much of our vision is about sustainability.
• Green is associated with adaptability and flexibility.
• Owl eyes look proper green (logo).
• Where so many are using blue, green stands out.

If I were to choose blue over green it would mean choosing to be a follower rather than a leader. So the color of Cahoots will be green.