Green: The Hue for Luck, Nature…and Handbags?

Get to know this optimistic and calming color 

Spring has sprung, and look at what it’s brung: renewal, prosperity, and maybe even a few leprechauns. With green, our color of the season, there’s a lot to explore when it comes to design and branding. 

From aspirational yellow-green to zippy lime, let’s jump into how you can renew your branding with green during springtime. 

Green: Hopeful, natural, lucky

Whether we’re celebrating St Patrick’s Day or enjoying the outdoors during spring’s awakening, green is everywhere these days. 

Green is THE color of the spring season, especially when you consider leading brands are using it to make statements that grab attention. For instance, Pantone released color trends for the trendsetting New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023, and wouldn’t you know it? Classic green and lovebird green made the lucky list.

You’ll also come across shades of green when browsing seasonal displays in-store, even before Easter arrives. Don’t be surprised if green continues to be the color of choice for brands that want you to feel assured during the uncertain economic climate.  

The psychology of green

Green is associated with feelings of optimism, relaxation, and calm. There’s no surprise that green is closely tied to nature, especially this time of year. Green is a confident color choice, whether you’re featuring hopeful yellow-green (reminiscent of young leaves) or traditional pine green (strong and established like stately trees).

In addition to associations with health and celebration of life, green is also connected to good fortune and wealth. For instance, the luck of the Irish. Some places go all out when celebrating St Patrick’s Day, like how Chicago has a tradition of dying their river green each year. Closer to home for us, Boston is no stranger to loving the color green, whether it’s cheering on the St Patrick’s Day parade in Southie or rooting for the Celtics at TD Garden.

Using green in your marketing

Did you know that consistently using the right color in your marketing can improve brand recognition by nearly 80%?

Fashion brand Kate Spade partnered with the Pantone Color Institute to create Kate Spade Green. It’s what they’re calling their “heritage hue” to celebrate Kate Spade’s 30th anniversary.

Kate Spade even launched a “We’ve Got A Thing For Green” campaign on their website. The vibrant page smartly features on-trend Kate Spade products dominated by the brand’s very own shade of green. 

Screenshot of Kate Spade Green webpage
Green is so on trend this Spring that Kate Spade has their own heritage hue

Websites & main brand colors

For brands that want to consistently reinforce associations with nature or prosperity, you’ll often find green throughout their branding. In particular, websites and apps tend to include green to indicate the reassurance of an action going well, like success messages for transactions. They can also show up as reassuring CTA buttons or calming website health checks.

Brands that emphasize green as a key aspect of their visual identity are often associated with nature, relaxation, eco-friendliness, and safety. As such, some popular brands associated with nature or food that prominently feature green include HelloFresh, John Deere, Starbucks, and Whole Foods.

Green-forward logos from HelloFresh, John Deere, Starbucks, and Whole Foods
Green-forward logos from brands associated with nature or food

Because green is also associated with luck, prosperity, and growth, it’s common for financial brands to use green throughout their marketing. For instance, H&R Block, Quickbooks, Fidelity, and TD Bank.

Green-forward logos from H&R Block, Quickbooks, Fidelity, and TD Bank
Green-forward logos from brands associated with finance, prosperity, or growth

Make your competitors green with envy

Grow your company’s branding and marketing efforts with some help from our color and design experts. Use the form below to reach out and we’ll help you bring in the green.

You may also like...

BrandingCopyDesignWeb Design

Ask an Agency: "What Am I Forgetting when Vetting an Agency?"

Welcome to Ask an Agency, an advice column where we answer your questions. First up: What should a first-time client keep in mind when choosing a creative agency?
Design

Zipcar, a Partnership Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The world’s largest car-sharing network partnered with Expand to bring to life the good news and rich data in Zipcar’s 2021 Impact Report and other deliverables.

Contact Us

Howdy! Share a few quick details so we can help you.

    We respect your privacy and time. For details, check out our Privacy Policy.

    For general inquiries, email us at hello@expandcreativegroup.com