What is Color Symbology

This study aims to analyse the colours associated with Portuguese healthcare units and medical centres—namely the colour of their logo, through environmental colour mapping—and understand if the colour management choices match the desired perception of a healthcare unit and identify new colour combinations that can serve as a differentiation factor and simultaneously get the desired interpretation of the brand. The logos of 24 healthcare centres were randomly selected. The images were collected through the SNS web page dedicated to each facility and were later processed in Adobe Photoshop CC. The colours of each logo were catalogued and sorted according to their hue. It was observed that the majority of the colours used corresponded to blues and greens, which was to be expected considering their symbolism: stability, calm, relaxation, and serenity. Lastly, four new colour schemes were created, which, in addition to being differentiated from the previously identified schemes, are evocative of desirable characteristics for a brand associated with a healthcare unit.