Color is very important and it is what lights up our lives every day. Each color carries with it a lot of meaning that can affect each and every one of us in a different way. When it comes to logo design, the colors that you use in your logo are very important for exactly that reason. Each color has subtle psychological effects on the viewer and you need to be conscious of this when deciding on a color to use in your logo.
Here is a brief explanation of the colors most often used in logos and what each of these colors means. Use this outline as a guide when choosing the color for your next logo.
White
White is mostly associated with peace and purity. It is a very calm and relaxing color that can be used as a principle color in your logo or to add contrast to the background of your logo. White can also be very effective and clever when it is used as negative space in a logo.
Yellow
Yellow is a happy color. It is usually associated with the sun, warmth and good-times. It is a very bright color so it is great for signage and eye-catching logos.
Orange
Orange is a fun color that is often seen as light-hearted. Many children’s companies use the color orange, as it is associated with both youthfulness and playfulness. Orange is also a very bright and catchy color so it is great for signage.
Red
Red is one of the most powerful colors to affect our psyche. Red is associated with pain, blood and war while it is also associated with love, romance and passion. If you decide to use red in your logo, be sure to match it with the appropriate symbolism so that it has the desired effect. Red is a very powerful color and lab tests have even shown that it raises people’s blood pressure when viewed.
Pink
Pink is usually associated with women and it is most often used in logos for women’s organizations.
Purple
Purple is often seen as a very regal color and as such, it is often used in luxury brand logos. It denotes feelings of royalty, nobility and sophistication. Purple is a calm color that is also often seen in education logos.
Blue
Blue is the most common colors used in logo design. It is a calming color that is often associated with confidence, loyalty, authority, security and power. Blue is a very powerful color that is used by thousands of companies worldwide. Banks, governments, technology companies, security companies and so many more use blue as their logo color of choice. Think Facebook, IBM, Skype… and the list goes on.
Green
Green is becoming increasingly used color in logo design, as it is strongly associated with the growing eco movement. Green is a calm color that represents the environment, healing and harmony.
Brown
Brown is a very neutral color that is perfect for companies that are warm, simple and serious. Brown is often used in professional logos (ie. lawyers logos). Because brown is also a woodsy, natural color, it is also often used in construction logos.
Black
Black is a bold and powerful color. It usually shows authority and strength while also being the color of choice to denote class, distinction and elegance.