Spring is the season when the colors come out, and not just in the many buds and blossoms that fill the gardens and trees which have lain dormant for months. If you spent any time at a commencement ceremony, you’ve probably noticed the plethora of colors found in the academic regalia. Some of the color schemes are attractive, some are bizarre, but they all tell a story.

Colors on the hood signify the academic area in which the degree was earned as well as the university from which it was earned. The university’s colors are easy to detect – the real fun comes from the colors that represent the content areas. I am not too displeased with the light blue that identifies my degree in education, especially when I consider what colors I might have been given to wear. Were my degree in music, I would be processing in pink – not the most manly of colors. Some colors don’t seem to match the content area to which they were aligned. Take fine arts for example. Artists do amazing things with vibrant colors, so why are their hoods a basic brown? Or consider business majors. Why would a group of people who spend their lives making green hood themselves in drab? Is that even a color? Guess I’d better ask someone wearing brown. To be fair, some of the hood colors make perfect sense. A degree in criminal justice will not only get you fitted for a midnight blue uniform, but a hood to match. And I was not surprised to learn that those people who strut around with degrees in government and public service would sport peacock colored hoods.

While I poke fun at the color of the hoods, I must be careful to remain respectful of one thing – the work that went into earning that degree. I may not be a fan of the colors of every hood, but I recognize the accomplishment that it represents. The person wearing these colors has worked, sacrificed, and disciplined themselves to earn a level of academic achievement that roughly 10% of Americans will reach. So while these colors may not be flattering or our personal favorite, they identify us as special within our discipline, setting us apart as uniquely accomplished within our academic areas.

The same can be said of a company’s website. Colors stand out; speaking volumes about your business, your product and your personal identity. Colors go a long way to establishing your brand and leaving a clear visual for your site’s visitors. Are your colors classic and clean? Are you searching for something fresh and bold? Or are your colors just not hitting the mark as well as you’d like? Talk to the experts at WD International. Let us help you show your company’s true colors!