How to choose logo colours

The colours in your logo will determine what thoughts and feelings potential customers associate with your brand. That means that strategically choosing your logo colour is one of the most important parts of your brand strategy. Keep reading to find out what responses different logo colours can evoke and how you can best convey your brand’s message in colour.

What meaning do logo colours have?

Colours are such an integral part of our daily lives that we often don’t consciously perceive them. What colour eyes does your partner have? What colour shoes do your friends wear? It’s probably pretty difficult to answer these questions. But when it comes to the logo colours of McDonalds, Coca-Cola or Facebook, the answer is likely clear.

Why is that? The answer is simple — colour psychology. The effect of colours isn’t just subjective. Whether or not we’re aware of it, colours have a big influence on our subconscious. How we experience colours depends on a number of factors that we don’t have control over.

Which factors have an influence on colour perception?

Choosing logo colours is more than just a matter of taste! For example, blue logos like those of Intel, Samsung and Meta have nothing to do with the favourite colour of their CEOs. There’s a wealth of detailed marketing analysis behind each of those logo colours. By getting to know your target group and buyer personas, you can increase your chances of choosing the right logo colour for your brand.

The effect that logo colours have is influenced by the following factors:

• Socialisation and culture: The meaning of colours is closely connected with social and cultural conditioning and, like these conventions, can also change over time. When designing your logo, you should know which meanings and effects colours have in the countries and cultures you do business in.
• Learned associations: Colour perception also has a lot to do with customs and personal experiences. For example, we’ve come to learn in some cultures that red operates as a warning signal. But it’s not always associated with emotions like anger. It can also evoke feelings of warmth and excitement. The context a colour appears in plays a big part in how it’s perceived. Pay attention to which colours are used in which industries. The age of your target group will also play a part.
• Colour trends: Which colours are in or out is constantly changing and can also vary depending on age group. The Pantone Color Institute publishes a yearly report on colour trends called the “Fashion Color Trend Report”. Don’t let yourself be seduced by trends. Your logo colour and corporate identity need to stand the test of time to boost your brand recognition.
• Psychology: Psychological studies like those by Lauren Labrecque and George Milne show that colours elicit emotions. That doesn’t always happen the same way for everyone, but it’s still worthwhile to look into colour psychology, especially as it relates to your target group.

What do the different logo colours mean?

If you choose the right logo colours, you can set yourself apart from the crowd without violating the rules of the game. By rules of the game, we mean that combination of your brand identity, target group and the factors influencing colour perception we mentioned above. Below we’ll give you an overview of the most frequently used logo colours, their meaning and some possible colour combinations.

Red logos and their effect

Babies first see the world in black, white and grey. Then, in the first few weeks after they’re born, they see red. Evolutionarily speaking, red functions as an intense colour signal for danger, fear and anger but also for excitement, love, passion and appetite. It warned our ancestors about poisonous fruit and insects, drew their attention to edible fruit on trees and emphasised emotions on the red-tinged faces of others. The effect and meaning of red is thus very dependent on the context. As a logo colour, red is often used in industries like gastronomy, food shopping, entertainment and fashion & beauty.

Blue logos and their effect

It’s not without reason that blue is one of the most popular colours in the world. The colour is serious and evokes trust in people. Logos in blue embody professionalism, stability and security. Blue stands for balance, a cool head and logic. It also evokes the ocean, the sky and a feeling of freedom and expansiveness. No wonder blue logos are used so often by future-oriented tech companies like Samsung, Intel, PayPal, IBM and Meta.

Yellow logos and their effect

Yellow usually has a positive effect and reminds people of summer, sun and lively energy. Depending on the colour temperature and nuance, yellow can come across as youthful and creative or elegant and noble. Even though yellow in combination with red or blue is one of the most popular colour choices for logos, you should think carefully about which colours you mix, lest your logo end up looking too gaudy or too snobby. Yellow is often used as a background colour to give a logo the effect of being softly nestled.

Green logos and their effect

Green is soothing for the eyes and the mind. That’s why a walk in nature often does so much good when you’re stressed or nervous. Unlike red and yellow, green doesn’t evoke any strong emotions and also doesn’t come across rational and cool like blue. It can be used in a number of ways and is currently popular with companies that focus on vegan lifestyles, eco-friendliness and sustainability.

Purple logos and their effect

In ancient Rome purple was a rare and expensive pigment that exuded luxury. In colour symbolism, purple stands for elegance, wealth and spirituality. One reason for that might be that it is a mixture of intense, emotional red and stable, balanced blue. Today purple comes across as rather playful and eccentric and embodies originality and creativity.

Orange logos and their effect

Orange is often the go-to colour when red is too strong and yellow is too soft. A mix of yellow and red, orange comes across as calming, life affirming and positive. It evokes sunsets and fall colours and is thus associated with change, youth and originality. As a warm, positive colour, orange exudes an aura of openness and playfulness. It’s suited to brands that want to position themselves as unusual, refreshing or open minded.

Brown logos and their effect

Brown evokes soil and wood. It’s associated with a connection to the earth, groundedness and permanence as well as masculinity, rawness and tradition. Warm brown tones also give off an atmosphere of comfort and peace. Brown is especially popular for gastronomy, traditional craftsman’s brands, outdoor products and eco-friendly companies.

Black logos and their effect

Black never goes out of fashion and always focusses on the essentials. This makes it one of the most frequently used logo colours across industries. It stands for modernity, credibility, elegance, minimalism and clarity. It’s mostly used with a white background but can also easily be combined with other colours. Black logos are best suited for brands with a serious or luxurious message and identity. They also work well for modern, confident and timeless looks.

White logos and their effect

White logos only work with background colours. In colour psychology, white embodies innocence, flawlessness, purity, freedom and peace. Brands that portray themselves as reliable, conscientious and high quality often combine white with a black background to communicate depth, seriousness and elegance. Just like black, white is a flexible logo colour that offers a number of advantages.

Grey logos and their effect

Logos in shades of grey get the best of the worlds of black and white. Not too light, not too dark and all the while associated with timeless elegance, maturity and seriousness. The minimalist look of logos in grey tones endows a brand with reassuring seriousness, timeless style and fashionable simplicity.

Logos with multiple colours

Logos that integrate a number of colours are usually used by multidisciplinary companies that work in a number of industries. The colours embody entrepreneurial versatility and creativity, as you can see in Microsoft and Google’s logos. However, multicoloured logos aren’t suited to every case — they can easily end up looking cluttered and overly playful. A combination of two or three colours is often the sweet spot.

How to pick colours for a logo

Your company’s logo is often the first impression that your target group gets of you. Need help choosing logo colours for your brand? Take a look at the following steps.

Step 1: Defining your brand identity and target group

The best logo colour for your brand is going to depend on its message and identity. The first question to answer for yourself is who your target group is and which colour can best be used to reach them. First work on defining your brand and your target group, then you can start thinking about logo colours and their effects.

Step 2: Take a look at what factors influence colour perception

Read up on what effect colours have in different contexts and how that should influence design and colour schemes. Some of those factors include socialisation, culture, learned associations, trends, demographics and psychology.

Step 3: Learn best practices

Take a look at what your competition is doing and draw inspiration from their successes. Analyse competitors’ logos, common colour palettes in your industry and what the most successful companies in your field are doing.

Step 4: Follow design principles

• Less is more: Logos compress your brand message into a very small space. Use this space as efficiently as possible. That means not using too many colours at once and being wise about colour combinations.
• Individuality and originality: Even though you should look at what the competition is doing, it’s important to stay in touch with your brand’s own individual fingerprint. This can be expressed in logo design as well as colour nuances and combinations.
• Logo size and logo format: The right colours for your logo will also depend on the logo size and the logo format. Powerful, intense colours will look even more intense and possibly even alarming if your logo is too big. On the other hand, smaller, discreet logos in cool blue or white tones can quickly get lost in the crowd. Use colours wisely in connection with your logo’s size and format.

Step 5: Professionalism is the top priority

Use professional tools like InDesign, Photoshop or Photoshop alternatives. We provide tips on how to find the right logo design software. Check out our article if you’re looking for tips on how to create a logo.

A design agency can also be of help if you don’t want to delve into the world of pixels and colour systems like CMYK and RGB.

Step 6: Testing and getting feedback

Don’t finalise your logo without testing it first. Your logo should be able to show off its colour effects in a variety of sizes. Get feedback from business and personal contacts or test the effects of your logo colours with professionals.

Logo colour tips for startups

The way that customers perceive a new startup has a lot to do with the company’s colours. When you’re planning your brand impact, think about your corporate identity as a whole. Your colour palette provides a chance to create a consistent brand identity that will be used for logos, digital media, advertising, products and much more.

Define your colour palette and design language all in one place by creating a style guide for your website.

Summary: Choose your logo colours consciously

Colours guide the eye, evoke emotions and can have a subconscious influence on purchases. Choosing your logo colours is thus an important part of the process of designing your logo. Closely analyse your target group to find out which factors should play the biggest part in your colour decision. Look at competitors and take inspiration from their logo colours and design.