Colorful Impressions: Exploring the Use of Basic Colors in US Trademark Publications of 2023
Aug/02/2023
Color plays a crucial role in branding and trademarks, creating distinct identities and evoking specific emotions. In an intriguing study in 2023, we dove into US trademark publications and found trends relating to the use of basic colors in their names, revealing state-wise preferences and interesting associations with generic keywords. The study discovered that 16.9% of the trademark publications in California, the state with the highest percentage, include a color in their names.
New York followed with 8.5%, Florida at 9.17%, Texas with 7.17%, and Illinois, where the percentage was 4.14%. Delving into the data, 11 heatmaps showcased the predominance of specific colors in each state. For example, yellow had a 16.36% share in California and a 9.09% share in Florida and Ohio. California also led in terms of white trademarks (15.2%), with New York (13.24%) and Florida (12.25%) trailing behind. Other color-related trends showed an affinity for purple in California (26.32%), Illinois (7.02%), and Maryland (7.02%). Pink enjoyed popularity in California (16.67%), Florida (10.6%), and New York (9.85%). California seemed to favor bright hues, leading in the use of orange (28.79%), green (18.4%), and blue (17.9%). Conversely, more neutral colors found favor in different states, with gray appearing predominantly in Alabama (12.5%) and California (12.5%), and brown showing up in California (20.83%) and Rhode Island (10.8%). Interestingly, black, one of the most used colors, had a 13.5% share in California, followed by New York (10.9%) and Florida (9.5%). A glance at these color preferences reveals cultural nuances and potential marketing insights. However, the distribution largely corresponds with the total number of trademark publications, which are higher in larger states.
When examining trademark naming with color references, black emerged as the favorite with a 25.2% share. Green followed closely with a 24.5% share and blue with 23.2%. However, the data only considered generic keywords, excluding color references in names and surnames. The most common additional keywords paired with color names were 'blueprint', 'girl', 'collar', 'big', 'group', 'label', 'woman', 'club', 'diamond', and 'company', offering further insight into prevalent branding trends. For a detailed overview, our word cloud offers a comprehensive visual representation. The purpose of this study was primarily to satisfy curiosity, although the findings provide insights for marketing purposes. Understanding these color trends in trademarks can offer businesses a nuanced approach to branding and market positioning, reflecting both regional preferences and national trends.
