What the colour of your stand says about you

When your eyes see colours, these trigger sensations in the brain that make a strong impression of a company’s image. The corporate image of your company, the style of your brand and the image of the people who work in your teams are all facets of the personality you want to sell.

When you take part in an event, the colours you choose should create a certain mood, boost your capacity to attract the attention of visitors to the trade fair, and make you stand out in the crowd.

 The colours you use to decorate your stand at a fair are more than just paint; they’re instruments that influence and change the mood of those working there, and the potential customers visiting the fair. If the overall look of your website, stand, store or office décor, brochures and visual graphic identity puts people in a better mood, they will be more likely to form closer ties with the brand and to come back and visit you again. This means far more than using the company’s corporate colour.

It means understanding what colours signify and using them to support your message with your stand design. The colours you choose have a remarkable effect on the decision-making process.Colour can be used to control your audience's reaction while visiting your stand and to encourage certain behaviours. Here is a guide to commonly used colours and their impact on visitors to your stand.

Light, warm shades

Beige, yellow, orange, pink, red and similar. These are eye-catching, active colours that look friendly, and can trigger feelings of value and energy. Light, warm colours make spaces and stands look larger, and they may also appear to be nearer. They are highly visible, so restrict their use when they are among paler colours. White is used at a lot of trade fair stands because it creates very luminous spaces.

Cold, light colours 

Lavender, silver and blue add subtlety, beauty and freshness. These cold, shiny colours look modern and professional when combined harmoniously with grey. This is a particularly pleasant scheme for businesses, trade and services, particularly health products, cosmetics and medicine.

Dark, cold colours

Purple, blue, turquoise, green and navy blue give a sensation of stability and quality. These shades are often combined as complementary colours. Although they are not eye-catching, they will highlight your content.

Cold, dark colours are frequently used in business to give a feeling of ambition, and of workers with special characteristics for state services, science, the automotive and IT industries.

Dark, warm colours

Gold, purple and brown communicate tradition, luxury and relaxation. They are a wise choice for expensive, elegant designs to appeal to the young and wealthy. Mixed with cold colours, they have a modern, innovative appearance. Perfect for brands in the financial, consultancy, architectural and art worlds.

Neutral colours

White, grey and black provide contrast and make other colours stand out. They lack any particular message on their own. Neutral colours set off their neighbouring shades and boost the effect of other colours.

They are used everywhere, since they work well in a wide variety of applications. Black can be combined with bright colours, white as well as with dark colours, because it is a classic, and creates almost universal combinations.

How to apply colours when creating your design and assembling your stand.

A simple set of colours can succeed in communicating thoughts without words to impact your audience. The choice of colours should be a clear reflection of the mission of your brand that attracts potential customers.

The relationship between colours is key to their impact. Sepia and reddish brown colours recall past times and tradition, combinations with navy blue look dynamic, while black and white in equal doses have an intrinsic feeling of depth.

Once again, there are no perfect colour choices. Some are common, others less so. Warm colours call visitors to action, while cold shades have a calming, relaxing effect. A red mark on a light background is expressive, but when placed on a cold background it becomes far warmer. The greater the contrast, the more powerful the message. And, surprisingly, many successful campaigns have broken the colour rules, using opposing colours to influence markets and set trends.

The fewer colours used in the design, the easier it will be for visitors to the fair to remember. Pick two or three main colours and the message emitted by your stand will be easier to understand and will stay in visitors’ minds for longer.