A cheat sheet to your logo’s ideal colour.
Determining the right colour for your logo is a crucial decision that significantly impacts how your brand is perceived. It's not just about aesthetics; colours can evoke emotions, establish identity, and leave a lasting impression on your audience. In this article, we'll explore the intricacies of selecting the perfect colour for your logo, providing you with the ultimate cheat sheet to confidently make this critical decision.
Logos impact brands in a big way.
Logos are everything you want to say about your brand without actually saying it. The logo should be instantly recognisable by your customers. The most iconic, well-known logos share a couple of traits:
They’re simple.
They use the best-suited colours.
They use colour in the right way
Selecting a logo colour is no trivial matter; it's a high-stakes decision that can shape the initial impression people form about your business. Your logo serves as the face of your brand, and in a world where first impressions matter, the colour you choose becomes a powerful tool for communication.
The 50-Millisecond Impression:
Research suggests that it takes a mere 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for individuals to form an opinion about your brand solely based on your logo. This highlights the significance of making a swift yet impactful connection with your audience. Crafting a memorable logo involves more than just visual appeal; it requires a strategic approach to colour selection.
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet:
Understand Your Brand Personality: Before delving into the world of colours, take a moment to understand your brand's personality. Is it playful, professional, or innovative? Different colours convey different emotions, and aligning your logo with your brand's character ensures coherence in messaging.
Consider Your Industry: Industry norms play a role in logo colour choices. While vibrant colours may suit a creative agency, they might not be the best fit for a law firm. Researching industry standards can guide your decisions and help your logo resonate with your target audience.
Colour Psychology Matters: Each colour triggers specific emotions and associations. Blue is often associated with trust and reliability, while red can evoke excitement and passion. Delve into colour psychology to align your logo with the emotions you want your brand to evoke.
Think Versatility: Your logo will appear on various platforms and materials. Ensure the chosen colour works well across different mediums and backgrounds. A versatile colour scheme enhances your logo's adaptability and visibility.
Consider Cultural Implications: Colours can have different cultural connotations. What may symbolise positivity in one culture might represent something entirely different in another. Be mindful of cultural nuances to avoid unintentional misinterpretations.
Test and Gather Feedback: Before finalising your logo, conduct tests and gather feedback. Present potential colour options to a diverse audience and consider their responses. Honest opinions can provide valuable insights and help refine your choices.
Choosing the right colour for your logo demands careful consideration, as it is the cornerstone of your brand's visual identity. By understanding your brand, industry norms, colour psychology, and cultural implications, you can navigate the decision-making process with confidence. So what colours say what?
The most common logo colours and use.
Image Credit: Canva
Every colour has its positive and negative connotations. Remember that logo design is art, and art is subjective. You’re never going to find a colour that is adored by the entire population. What holds significance is that your logo strikes a chord with your audience. Considering the time-consuming, labour-intensive, and costly nature of the logo creation process, the temptation to rush through it swiftly can be quite strong.
Going by the largest brands, here are the most common choice of colours picked:
Blue: 33%
Red 29%
Black, Grey, Silver: 28%
Yellow, Gold: 13%
Red:
Associations: Passion, energy, excitement, boldness.
Common Use: Often used to grab attention and create a sense of urgency. Common in food and beverage, technology, and entertainment industries.
Blue:
Associations: Trust, reliability, calmness, professionalism.
Common Use: Widely used in corporate branding to convey a sense of trustworthiness. Common in finance, technology, and healthcare industries.
Green:
Associations: Nature, growth, freshness, health.
Common Use: Often used by eco-friendly and health-related brands. Represents sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Yellow:
Associations: Happiness, optimism, energy, warmth.
Common Use: Used to evoke positive emotions and grab attention. Common in industries related to children, leisure, and creativity.
Purple:
Associations: Royalty, luxury, sophistication, creativity.
Common Use: Represents elegance and creativity. Common in beauty, fashion, and artistic industries.
Orange:
Associations: Energy, enthusiasm, warmth, creativity.
Common Use: Conveys a sense of vitality and friendliness. Often used by brands aiming to stand out and appear approachable.
Black:
Associations: Elegance, sophistication, power, formality.
Common Use: Communicates a sense of luxury and exclusivity. Common in high-end fashion, technology, and automotive industries.
White:
Associations: Purity, cleanliness, simplicity, neutrality.
Common Use: Used to create a clean and minimalist look. Common in healthcare, technology, and lifestyle brands.
Pink:
Associations: Femininity, sweetness, romance, compassion.
Common Use: Often associated with products or services targeting a female audience. Common in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries.
Brown:
Associations: Earthiness, stability, reliability, simplicity.
Common Use: Creates a sense of warmth and reliability. Common in food, agriculture, and outdoor industries.
Understanding complementary colours.
Primary Complementary Colours:
Pairs: Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Yellow and Purple.
Explanation: These pairs consist of the three primary colours and their complementary counterparts. Mixing any primary colour with its complementary secondary colour will result in a neutral or greyish tone.
Secondary Complementary Colours:
Pairs: Cyan and Red-Orange, Magenta and Yellow-Green, Yellow and Blue-Violet.
Explanation: Secondary complementary colours involve mixing a secondary colour with the primary colour that was not used to create the secondary colour. This pairing also produces high contrast and vibrancy.
Split-Complementary Colours:
Pairs: One base colour and two adjacent to its complementary colour.
Explanation: In a split-complementary scheme, the base colour is combined with the two colours adjacent to its complementary colour. This creates a colour palette with high contrast but less tension than a full complementary scheme.
Double-Complementary Colours (Tetradic):
Pairs: Two sets of complementary colours.
Explanation: In a double-complementary scheme, two pairs of complementary colours are used together. This creates a rich and diverse colour palette, providing more options for creating balance and harmony.
Triadic Complementary Colours:
Pairs: Three evenly spaced colours on the colour wheel.
Explanation: In a triadic complementary scheme, three colours are selected that are equally spaced around the colour wheel. This creates a balanced and harmonious look, and it is often used for vibrant and energetic designs.
Analogous Complementary Colours:
Pairs: Colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.
Explanation: Analogous complementary colours involve selecting colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. While they are not exactly complementary pairs, they share some similarities and can create a harmonious and cohesive look.
Neutral Complementary Colours:
Pairs: Combinations involving neutral colours (black, white, grey, brown).
Explanation: Neutral colours can also have complementary relationships. For example, combining a warm neutral colour like brown with a cool neutral colour like grey can create a balanced and sophisticated palette.
Now it’s time to decide on which colour/s you want to use for your brand. Don’t stress, this is something you’ll lock down over time as your brand develops. If you have a colour in mind, play with a complementary colour to bring it to life. This may be as simple as a black, white, or soft grey as a filler, or something more vibrant. Ensure that your branding is used consistently. Picking the exact shade on a colour wheel is next to impossible, but there are a couple of ways to ensure that you can pick the right colour every time.
Each particular colour has its own CMYK code and hex code. CMYK is most often used in print materials, whereas hex codes are most commonly used in web-based design. Whether you design the logo yourself or outsource it to a graphic designer, ensure that you receive the colour codes that will help you maintain brand consistency.
AI Tools to Pick Logo Colours
If you’re still stuck choosing a colour for your business logo, thankfully, there are AI tools that can speed up the process.
Instead of getting stuck in a colour wheel, check out these helpful AI to pick the perfect colours:
Colour Mind: Colour palette generator
Hue Mint: Colour palette generator
Looka: Logo generator
Namelix: Name and brand generator
