Beyond that, the sky was a bright blue with barely a cloud. Behind me was a truck trailer that featured shades of gray and multi-colored cars. I was in between two blue and white cars, which had great contrast. I was wearing an orange dress and was a bit sunburnt from the day before. But then we asked the second question: “What is the Starbucks logo?” Less than half of the respondents knew that the Starbucks logo was a mermaid. The first question was: “What is the color of the Starbucks logo?” Overwhelmingly, they all answered green or dark green. Over the course of a few months – both online and in person, we asked them two questions. My business partner and I conducted an informal two-question survey with some clients and colleagues just for fun. A few years ago, our company tested this theory out for ourselves. In fact, some companies have been relying on color memory for brand recognition more than logos. We know the color of the McDonald’s arches and Facebook’s background without even thinking about it. We can picture Coca-Cola red and Home Depot orange in our heads without actually seeing the colors. That is why some corporations copyright their brand colors. Without even realizing it, your mind engages in color memory on a daily basis.

Have you ever taken a picture with your phone and looked at it later to realize that it was a great image? This might surprise you but that picture just might make a great custom test image for color verification in your facility.

Black and white test print image