Teaching children about politics starts with a lesson on the colours used by each party. It’s a simplistic distinction, but once kids understand there are red, blue, yellow, green and purple teams, it makes it easier for them to differentiate: with mainstream politicians battling for the centre ground, the colour of their rosette is often all there is to go by for voters, too.
Like any brand, a political party uses colour as part of its identity. From backdrops at conferences to the colour of posters and propaganda, colours provide recognition and a sense of belonging. As any party faithful - or football fan - will tell you, colour gives one a safe and instantaneous way to express tribal loyalty.
Some colours run deeper than others: red has been the signature colour of socialism since the French Revolution of the 18th century. The colour of blood, passion and fire, it is used to symbolise the workers’ struggle against oppression, the fight for fairness and the cause of socialism writ large. Although red is a vibrant colour, it also represents anger and can evoke a negative response. The British Labour party is intrinsically linked with red, but has used gold within its party colours since the 1931 conference, and a red rose – the symbol of social democracy – was added during a 1986 rebrand intended to modernise the party.
In the 1990s, Tony Blair famously favoured purple backdrops during party political broadcasts, and a purple tie. Seen by some as a show of arrogance and imperialism, it was an undoubted attempt to distance New Labour from the party’s left wing history.
If you’re a Conservative, of course, blue is the colour. Beyond politics, it’s a calming shade, one that represents caution, safety and reliability. The UK Conservative party has been associated with the colour since it was picked as a counterpoint to Labour’s crimson hue and, in line with the party’s policies, blue suggests traditionalism and responsibility. Slightly less positive connotations with lassitude and reluctance to change may explain why Margaret Thatcher introduced the “freedom torch” logo in 1977, in patriotic red, white and blue. And although Tories may be dyed-in-the-wool, their latest logo shows they are not exempt from a touch of green: in 2006, a tree replaced Thatcher’s torch to express the party’s alleged commitment to the environment.
The Liberal Democrats favour yellow (although they occasionally veer towards orange) and this may stem from the party’s historic leanings towards 19th century gold standard economics.
Today, their use of the colour, extending to yellow mood lighting on the 2015 general election battle bus, may owe more to the colour’s association with creativity and intellectualism. There’s also a more negative link to cowardice and criticism – and after a four year spell in a Conservative-led coalition, and disappointing results in public polls, the party could resort to a colour change to help reverse its fortunes.
Smaller, younger parties have chosen their shades with colour psychology very much in mind. UKIP, for example, plumped for royal purple, a colour that has been linked to nobility and wealth since the days when the cost of purple dye meant that only the rich could dress in the colour. Politically, purple is a neutral shade, so it suits parties with policies that may be considered on the fringe to position themselves a little more closely to the middle ground.
There is an obvious choice for a party with environmentalism at its core, and the Green Party uses the colour of nature and harmony in every aspect of its branding, including its name. Similarly, black is adopted by radical organisations across the political spectrum, from far right to far left.
With such strong and symbolic political links, many countries share similar colour codes to Britain – but there are exceptions, most notably the United States. There, the opposite blue/red binary system is used, where the conservative Republicans come out swinging from the red corner while the more liberally-minded Democrats duck, weave and fight back from the blue.
Introducing Valspar paint
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