Colours

Cornerstones

Estonia is a country of positive surprises. This on one hand shows in our everyday lives full of contrasts, and from there in a magnified way it reflects to the communication of Estonia.

Colour palette of the communication is a powerful means to emphasize this. To the contrary of a general opinion Estonia is not a boring and gray place, but rather a site worth discovering, with colourful inner world. If you look closer you will find it everywhere – in our traditional clothes, nature and even our eyes.

	This is an important part of the brighter gamma of our historic memory. The red stripes on Kihnu skirts, vain embroidery on Setu sleeves and flaunting lilac tones on socks and trousers. In addition an inviting flushed strawberry or a tempting blueberryin the moss. This is a worryless invitation to enjoy life.
	This is a symbol of our intelligent ability to adjust – summer skies, fresh twigs and clean water – these are symbols of something downright fresh and viable. Add to it the modern terms like ambivalence, innovation, ambition – concepts that refer to wisdom, aspiration and ampleness.
	This is a country growning grain to become bread. This is the golden blooming of dandelions, this is the sunset of August evenings, this is the colour of pine bark and hearty self baked bread. This is the gamma of traditions and heritage.
	This is the bright dusk of a winter day and the cool cheek of our seas. Most of our people have bottomless blueish-gray eyes and our sky has a similar gamma. Iceland moss and aspen bark, clay and dignified old drift logs. This is the upright influence of the seasons and a strong, but modest essence of our people.

 

Colour palette

Tourism, business, immigration and inner tourism are the four communication areas of the Introduce Estonia conception. Each area according to the matrix is based on the influence of two cornerstones. This combination is called the main gamma.

The communication of an area is not always stricktly delimited by two cornerstones of the main gamma (e.g. nature tourism where sedentary is replaced with Nordic influence). In cases like that you can get help from the colour gamma of the replacing cornerstone or additional gamma. Additional gammas of each area are defined by the matrix.

It is always advisable to use the main gamma. Only use the additional gamma if content of the work being branded requires it.

Usage

Usage of colour takes place on two levels: the sign wih slogan and the gradient. For the sign and the sloagan one cornerstone gamma is used, and for the gradient another one.
For the gradient you can use:

• the whole gamma of a cornerstone;
• a randomly chosen fragment of the gamma gradient;
• only one randomly chosen colour within the gamma.

For the sign and the slogan one suitable colour is chosen from the cornerstone gamma.

Example
The following example is a print commercial’s branding in the area of business.
Use of colour in the area of business derives from the mutual effect between the Nordic influence and progress. Somber blue is picked from the Nordic influence gamma, being the colour for the sign and the slogan. For the gradient the whole progress gamma is chosen.

It could also be the other way around: colour of the sign can derive from the progress gamma, and colour of the gradient from the Nordic influence gamma. The designer has to evaluate, which combination suits best for each specific commercial.

For other designs the colours of the sign and the background also have to be chosen according to the principals of the matrix (see the series of combinations beside the commercial completely following the colour logic of the area of business).

Colour codes

To simplify the choice three colours of each gamma have been defined. Use of all other tones in the same gammas is allowed.