An excellent logo represents its brand. Consider McDonald’s and Apple. Their logos are shorthand for the company.
Logos are brand symbols. Many logos contain a hidden meaning, often the company’s past or a visual pun. Branding is about storytelling—how it’s people connect.
Colour also tells a logo’s story
A brand’s logo colour can convey a lot. Established brands often have a signature colour. Consider Starbucks’s white and green cups or Cadbury’s purple packaging. New brands use logo colour to target their ideal customer.
This article looks at how big-name firms employ colour in their logos, popular logo selections, and companies that think beyond the box.
Visual recall is why people design logos. This logo colour wheel shows how big-name brands employ colour.
Brand identity, logo colour
Colour is linked to brand identification. Lauren Labrecque and George Milne write in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science that “like a carefully chosen brand name, colour carries intrinsic meaning.”
Labrecque and Milne found that some businesses employ certain hues.
Over 75% of credit card logos use blue and 20% of fast food brands use red, but none of the clothing trademarks use red. However, 60% of retail companies are using red.
Visual signals might be an unconscious message about what and by whom consumers are being marketed to.
Trending: Fortune 500 logo colours
We looked at Fortune 500 logos for this article and infographic. Here’s a trend. These firms’ logos are mostly blue.
Blue logos are easy to grasp. Blue is a safe, elegant colour. Blue conveys security well for firms in Finance, Tech, Health, or Insurance.
Red is a bolder brand colour. Second-most popular? Food and Retail businesses are linked to red logos in the Fortune 500, supporting Labrecque and Milne’s findings on colour difference.
Purple appears in the Fortune 500, but pink doesn’t.
Logos, colour psychology
Logos, branding, and color psychology go hand-in-hand. This field examines how certain colours affect people.
Color psychology supporters believe it can trigger customer actions.
Researchers and marketers have identified colour response patterns. These aren’t foolproof. Red can be an exciting, attractive colour for one person and blood and gore for another. Context and audience matter a lot , Black can be stable, dependable, or edgy, tough. Culture, gender, and age affect how people see colours.
Colour psychology is grey
Insight? There’s no colour that will guarantee your brand’s success, but choosing the wrong hue can mean it’s overlooked.
Consumers have strong colour associations. Orange’s link with vitality may not be inherent to the hue, but rather a result of marketers using it to convey this message. Subconsciously, consumers recognise this colour’s message. Colour psychology becomes self-fulfilling.
Colour is physiological. Fluorescent signs can be so bright you have to squint. Some hues are bright and eye-catching, while others are delicate and soothing.
McDonald’s, whose emblem is often seen in food courts and Drive-Thru spots , uses this to its advantage. The golden arches’ vivid yellow works as a siren in these instances.
Logos
Trends affect logos. Many firms update their logos every five years to stay contemporary while maintaining their company identity. Consider your business goals when considering whether to follow logo design trends. If you’re building a little business drop-shipping fidget spinners, follow trends. If you want to create a business that lasts decades, try something timeless.
Common colour symbolism
Let’s look at colour connections backed by research.
Logo creation in 3 phases
(1) Market research
Who is this business for? Logos should appeal to ideal customers. Consider the competition. Your brand strategy will determine whether you’re more comfortable breaking with tradition or following trends, but knowing what’s out there is vital.
(2) Choose a logo
Logos can be wordmarks or symbols. A wordmark focuses on a company’s name. This type of logo uses a good typeface and bold colours. A symbol logo uses iconography to stand out.
(3) Colour scheme
Consider the brand associations you want. What colours help? Your logo colours may be displayed on your website, business cards, etc.