One of my favorite blogs, ColourLovers, posted an entry today titled “The Colors of Global Brand Identities.” As a self-confessed color freak, I naturally found the post utterly titillating and delightful.

Some of the color palettes were immediately recognizable:

If someone had blocked the titles of the above and asked me to name the brand associated with each palette, I would’ve been able to answer immediately.

Others were not so obvious, and I must admit that I was disappointed with myself to not be able to recognize them at first glace:

I was especially bummed to not recognize this instantly:

How many times do I access Google’s main page and use its applications every day? Heck I go to their office so much that people are starting to think I work there. Bad Jenny!

Seeing all these colors in their various hues and shades evoke different brands and images, I wondered to myself: can colors represent people too?

I believe the answer is yes.

For example, I always associate the color baby blue with my friend Jun, because he once went through a phase where he only bought clothes and apparel in that particular shade. For my birthday one year, he bought me a pink hat, scarf, & glove set – he then immediately pulled out the same thing in baby blue, proudly declaring, “Look! We can match!” Personally I think he only bought me the pink set so he’d have an excuse to buy the baby blue one.  😉

I associate the brown shade of a potato with J, because he’s obsessed with potatoes and Mr Potatohead toys. In addition, one of my favorite sweaters of his is that exact color, and when I picture him, he’s usually wearing that sweater. Brown may seem like a bland, neutral color but that particular shade is very friendly, approachable, fun, and laid-back…just like him!

As for myself, I think of myself as a gray. Not any particular shade of gray, but just gray in general. At first gray evokes a boring feeling. However, I believe that the color gray has the ability to change the most drastically via the addition of other colors. Think about it – there are grays with strong tones of yellow, green, blue, etc. There are cool grays and warm grays. At first glace, simple and a bit boring, but upon further investigation, complex and highly volatile, and sometimes a bit harsh…yep, that’s me.

I associate my mother with deep purple for her proper and impeccable manners. My sister is a sparkly magenta for her full and vibrant personality. My friend Elyse is a pale pink for her beautifully soft voice and femininity. Jessica is a champagne gold for her bubbly and outgoing personality. I can go on and on.

Do you associate a color with yourself or your loved ones?