Out of the Blue

The sky and the sea are blue. We speak of “the ocean blue” and “nothing but blue skies.” Blue makes us feel comfortable. The color blue is everywhere and it has a certain effect on us, depending on its shade. Let’s explore the many ways something – this time, a color - can be used in business and life, deftly weaving our water theme as we typically do, shall we?

Big Blue

Maybe because it’s in the flag, companies and customers love blue here at home. Any coincidence one of the most dominant companies of all time is called Big Blue? IBM’s blue logo led the technological way for decades. Its chess playing expert system was aptly called “Deep Blue.” Meanwhile, Microsoft’s 4-windowed logo has a blue window signifying calmness, the MS Word application, and the Windows background on your computer - all with just that one color. Not to be out-blued, Google’s logo leads with a blue capital “G”, and has a second little “g” – also in blue for good measure. Not convinced about blue in business? Eight of the top 10 U.S. companies by revenue have the color blue in their logo somewhere: Walmart, Apple, ExxonMobil, UnitedHealth Group, Berkshire Hathaway, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen, and Alphabet (Google). So there is Big Blue and there is blue in the big ones.

In Providence, R.I., visible from the Interstate 95 highway, you will find a big blue bug on a building’s rooftop – a sign for Big Blue Bug Solutions (see for yourself: https://www.bigbluebug.com). Why is it blue? I have wondered for years. And, when is the last time you saw a blue bug? Ah, never. Switching gears, remember hearing about the Blue Light Special at Kmart? That’s the aisle where one would rush for the flash discount upon hearing, “Attention Kmart shoppers...” It seems that companies don’t just focus on being in the black, they focus on being in the blue too.

In clothing, navy blue pants are classic for menswear in the office. Chase bank staff wear blue shirts. Notice I am always wearing a blue jacket in the photo at the end. But what if you are a blue-collar worker and you want to be casual? Donning blue jeans might be a good idea. Elvis might have relaxed wearing blue suede shoes - just don't step on them! Blue is on uniforms too. Police wear blue - it signifies security. So tied to blue are they that “Blue Lives Matter” is actually a thing, even though the blue comes off after work. Just an observation, it doesn’t necessitate a blue-ribbon commission or a special retrospective episode of Hill Street Blues. Another observation, the color of the police’s flashing sirens are…blue.

Blueness Globally

By now you know it is no coincidence that the United Nations flag’s background is blue. A white world map is in the middle with blue all around. The European Union flag is blue with a circle of 12 stars inside. The blue there represents the west. The stars represent unity. And, due to challenging circumstances to say the least, we are all now familiar with the Ukrainian flag’s blue top and yellow bottom. The blue is for the beautiful blue skies over their farmland below.

On the lighter side, ever hear of the Mongolian blue spot? It is an irregularly shaped birthmark on the backside that mysteriously disappears by puberty. It is flat and wavy - like the ocean. In the ocean, the color of the largest mammal? You guessed it, blue – as in Blue Whale. Those whales have gotten rarer, with only about 7% of the population they had 100 years ago. There are roughly 18,000 in the great blue yonder today. However, they aren’t as rare as the 1-in-100 million blue-colored lobster caught in Maine last November. In any case, hopefully no whale or lobster, or blue fish for that matter, slips into a blue hole because those large marine sinkholes can be dangerous. They lack oxygen, and without oxygen, well, one would turn…wait for it...blue.

Around the world, historically, the noblest of us all have been referred to as blue bloods. These socially high-ranking families don’t actually have blue blood of course. They got this term from a permanent skin condition known as argyria, where silver has built up in the body over time, causing the skin to look bluish. So, though silvery, their blood is not blue, it is red. Tangentially, many people actually believe our blood is blue on the inside. Not so! Want blue blood? Draw it from any of these true blue bloods: horseshoe crabs, snails, spiders and octopi.

For older women everywhere, even for those well-off enough to use Bluetooth technology, the best berries for bones – including teeth – are the blue ones. Over time those blueberries might help keep bones strong. Crack your bones and you'll be singing the blues. Bones cracking can also lead to a critical status or “code blue” in the hospital. To sum, power those bones with blueberries and avoid the blues.

Blue Devils

On the campus, head over to the U.K. and enjoy the Cambridge Blue at the University of Cambridge. This is a lighter blue than the deep Oxford Blue. For a blue echo, say “Go Blue” to anyone wearing University of Michigan clothing and you will hear “Go Blue” right back. In the Carolinas, the specific shade of blue is really important. Duke University’s dark navy blue – also known as Academic Blue – is a far deeper, more stable and elegant blue than Carolina’s informal, lighter, softer blue, defined as Pantone 542. Note, the author unapologetically suffers from blue bias. After all, Agile Rainmakers has dark blue as one of its primary colors. This is in honor of Duke.

By the way, all the service academies have blue in their colors, save West Point. Army blew blue away.

No Blueprints

There are countless ways to look at business and life. We have used blue as a filter today so we can highlight the significance of the symbolism of calmness and security in business, and of unity and wisdom in life. We could have used a filter that considers shapes, sizes, numbers, retention metrics, profitability, cost, market share, customer satisfaction, design considerations, degrees of discipline, complexity, innovation, inquisitiveness, safety, fairness, mental flexibility, longevity and an infinite number of others. There are no blue laws on this. On any day, including Sunday, there is just a willingness to consider things in ways you never have before and discover what there is to discover, which may come seemingly out of the blue.

This was fun - it cured any springtime blues I might have had. What’s next for you? Maybe go see Blue Man Group again? Perhaps watch the Blues Brothers again, this time on blu-ray? Maybe visit Blue Bayou and find happier times as Linda Ronstadt sang. Here's an idea. Grab a Blue Moon - beer that is - and listen to Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, sing…Blue Moon.

In closing, there really are no blueprints in business and life. So, I wish you nothing but blue skies as you create your own blueprint and sail the ocean blue. Hue knows what blue can do for you?

Here's to you and your awesome future.

Until then, keep your feet on the board and keep riding your wave!

Robert J. Khoury

CEO Agile Rainmakers