The Conservative Party, formally known as the Conservative and Unionist Party, is one of the major political parties in the United Kingdom. The party’s official colour is blue, which represents the party’s political positioning towards the right of the political spectrum.
The colours associated with the Conservative Party date back to the 19th century when political allegiance between the Tories (ancestors of the Conservatives) and Whigs (ancestors of the Liberals) was represented by blue and orange sashes respectively. Since its formal establishment in 1834, the Conservative Party has used the colour blue for branding and communications to visually distinguish itself from opposing political parties.
Over the last two centuries, Tory blue has become deeply ingrained in the party’s identity and recognition. The shade Pantone 281 is used across all official Conservative Party materials from stationery to campaign posters to digital communications. Blue is intuitively associated with the right-wing politics, capitalism, establishment and traditionalism espoused by the Conservatives.
In the political landscape of the United Kingdom, blue has enduringly set the Conservative Party apart from its main rival, the Labour Party, which uses red. This clear visual delineation between red Labour and blue Conservatives has become an iconic part of British political culture.
The Origins of Tory Blue
The association between the colour blue and right-wing British politics has its origins in the political divisions of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The terms “Whig” and “Tory” were first used as insults for the two major parliamentary groups of the Exclusion Crisis around 1678-1681.
The Whigs tended to support religious tolerance and constitutional limitations on the monarchy. They originated from the more radical reformist parliamentarians. The Tories were conservative royalists who believed in upholding the hereditary and absolute power of the monarch.
In order to visibly declare their factional allegiance, Whigs and Tories took to wearing orange and blue cockades (ribbons) respectively. Orange was chosen by the Whigs because it was seen as symbolic of Protestantism and William III, the Protestant Dutch king who had taken the British throne. The Tories selected blue, which had been used by supporters of Charles II during the English Civil War and represented royalism.
By the early 18th century, the terms Whig and Tory had broadly come to represent ideologies rather than just parliamentary allegiances. The Whigs evolved into the Liberal Party which dominated the political landscape of the Victorian era. The Tories eventually became the modern Conservative Party.
Blue as the Conservative Brand Colour
As the Tory Party was formalised into the Conservative Party in the 1830s, blue was firmly established as the party’s representative colour. This was cemented under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel, who commissioned the first official party logo which prominently featured the colour blue.
In 2006, David Cameron’s leadership launched a major rebranding of the Conservative Party in an effort to modernise its image and shake off accusations of being the “nasty party”. While some aspects of the branding were overhauled and softened, the core blue colour was retained as an important part of Tory identity.
Today, different shades of blue are ubiquitous across Conservative Party communications whether in print or digital media. The specific pantone hue used for the main logo and brand materials is Pantone 281, a medium-brightness blue. Slightly darker shades like Pantone 289 are sometimes used for accent colours.
| Usage | Colour |
|---|---|
| Main logo and brand colour | Pantone 281 |
| Accent colour | Pantone 289 |
Blue is an intuitive choice to represent the Conservatives for several reasons:
- It sits on the right side of the light spectrum, correlating with right-wing politics.
- It has authoritative and traditional connotations befitting a historically establishment party.
- It evokes conservatism and stability rather than radical change.
- It contrasts strongly with the main rival Labour Party’s red.
Some studies have suggested blue elicits trustworthiness as it has associations with truth, security and reliability. This may give the Conservatives an advantage in branding over parties that use more emotionally arousing colours like red.
Blue vs Red in British Politics
The juxtaposition between Conservative blue and Labour red has become an iconic dichotomy in British politics. The strengths of this visual shorthand are that:
- It quickly identifies the two major parties’ differing ideologies.
- It taps into historical rivalry between left and right.
- It simplifies the political landscape into a two horse race.
This clear delineation between red and blue was muddied somewhat by the adoption of yellow by the Liberal Democrats and orange by the SNP. However, the Conservatives and Labour have maintained their signature colours which continue to dominate the visual language of British politics.
During election campaigns, political maps assigning blue to Conservative seats and red to Labour seats have become a mainstay of reporting. Safe seats are symbolised through increasingly darker shades.
When televised election debates started in 2010, the set designs and candidate podiums continued the red vs blue visual shorthand. This provides an instant subconscious context for viewers when party leaders appear in front of their respective backgrounds.
Tory Blue in Marketing and Branding
Blue is deeply ingrained in the Conservative Party’s branding and marketing communications. Its core brand assets from the logo to fonts to website design predominantly feature various shades of Tory blue. This creates strong brand recognition across all touch points.
For general print communications like policy brochures and manifestos, Pantone 281 is the default colour used across headers, text and decorative elements. To maintain visual interest, darker blues like Pantone 289 are used for occasional accent colours.
The Conservative Party website and digital communications also employ blue across the user interface. Variations in tone and shade add visual hierarchy while retaining the core branding.
During election campaigns, different slogans may be used from one year to the next but blue is the constant throughout. From the classic “Labour Isn’t Working” posters of 1978 to “Time for a Change” in 2015, Conservative campaign branding consistently anchors itself in blue.
This lockdown of blue in their communications assets gives the Conservatives a major advantage in reinforcing brand awareness and recognition. Research in neuromarketing has found that colour increases brand memorability by around 80%.
Reaffirming Tory Blue in Party Conferences
Party conferences are a key opportunity for the Conservatives to reinforce their branding by immersing audiences in blue visuals. Through stage design, decor, lighting, video content and attendee dress code, Tory blue is woven through every aspect of the conference experience.
Digital backdrop screens and other staging will feature different shades of blue. Lighting will also wash the stage in blue hues. The present Conservative Party logo is prominently displayed as a centrepiece.
Attendees are encouraged to wear blue clothing showing their party support and affiliation. This creates a sea of blue in the audience visible to television audiences at home.
Party leader speeches are strategically crafted to take advantage of this blue-centric environment. Leaders will talk of taking the party and country forward to the future in order to frame blue as dynamic and forward-thinking rather than simply traditional.
Conferences allow the Conservatives to tap into the full sensory experience of their branding. Surrounding audiences in blue makes Tory brand values more tangible through the associations and emotions evoked by blue.
Use of Blue by Centre-Right Parties Globally
Blue is by no means limited to the Conservatives in UK politics. Internationally, it is widely used by centre-right and conservative-leaning political parties to communicate their positioning.
In the United States, red is more generally associated with the Republican Party rather than blue. However, Republican blue became a popular alternative after the closely contested 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany uses blue which matches the party’s Christian democratic and liberal conservative ideology. The Austrian People’s Party adopted the same Pantone blue hue used by the Conservative Party in the UK and CDU in Germany.
Other major centre-right parties using blue include Forza Italia in Italy, the Liberal Party of Australia, the National Party in New Zealand and the United Future Bluegreens party in Croatia.
This convergence on blue across many right-leaning parties globally reaffirms the intuitive associations of blue with stability, conservatism and the political right in the collective psyche. It taps into a shared visual language.
Conclusion
While Conservative policies and priorities have evolved over the centuries, the party’s iconic blue branding remains a constant. Tory blue originated from historic political divisions in the 17th century to become indelibly ingrained in the identity of the modern Conservative Party.
Blue intuitively communicates the principles of stability, conservatism and the political right that the party continues to champion. The memorable contrast between Conservative blue and Labour red dominates the visual battlefield of British politics.
By maintaining brand consistency across communications touchpoints from digital media to party conferences, blue has become visual shorthand for the Conservative Party and its values. This gives the party an advantage in recognition and building political allegiances.
The Conservatives’ effective brand lockdown on blue provides a blueprint for centre-right parties globally seeking to communicate their ideology and positioning through colour. Tory blue endures as a key asset in the Conservatives’ electoral arsenal.
