Colour is a powerful thing. It’s a form of non-verbal communication that can alter our behaviour and impact how we feel both online and offline. Colour can affect how a brand is perceived, defining a companies identity with the ability to instantly evoke a sense of trust and reliability in the viewer. Research has found that colour increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent, and influences 50 to 85 percent of customer purchasing decisions, being the first thing a consumer will notice about a brand’s logo. Colour can be identified with historic events, can denote an occasion or a moment in time, and now even social media has prevailing colours.

This year Pantone turns 50, and to celebrate their anniversary the colour authority have created the infographic below titled Celebrate Color. It’s an iconic look at the history of colour, spanning from ‘The Psychedelic 60s’ of hot pink and vermillion orange, all the way up to ‘The Expressive 00s’ with aspen green and lavender aura. This interesting piece also looks at the ‘Colors of the Year’ from it’s inception in 2000 up until now, and even identifies the top colours in social media for 2012. A bit of visual nostalgia and a handy guide for channeling past trends into future work, this infographic is definitely worth a look. Let us know what you think in the comments below.