Design the Color of Your Brand logo According to These 3 Principles

• Meaning of color: What do you want to communicate?
• Single or multiple colors: What is your best option?
• Think globally about the color of your brand logo

What do brands convey through the colour of their brand logos? The colour of your brand logo can help your brand stand out from the rest and stick in people’s minds. What do you imagine when you go down the street, and in the distance, you see a big yellow letter M? You would automatically think of McDonald’s. But would you think the same if it had no colour? Probably not .Some brands have their brand logos so positioned that you can easily recognize them on the streets. But beyond the letters and the design with which they are made, colour most impacts a person’s subconscious.

Colours not only connect people with brands but also dictate the look and feel, express identity, and, most importantly, create the personality of the brand itself. Can you imagine if the brand logos had no colour? It should be more difficult for us to remember them and distinguish them from others. The human mind is designed to respond to visual stimuli, and the colour is one of the factors that most defines that response. Colours have meaning in our culture, so graphic designers must analyze the psychology of colour and its relationship with brands to bring resonance to their designs. How can you ensure that your brand logo has the right colours to create an impact on your brand? I’ll present three principles that can help you choose the best colours for your brand logo:

Meaning of color: What do you want to communicate?

Colour has the ability to stimulate or depress, create joy or sadness, and awaken passive or active attitudes. Some of the colours give us a sense of serenity and calm, while others induce anger and make us feel uncomfortable.

All colours, including black and white, have implications in the design of a brand logo. This must be combined with the use of tone and shadows to achieve a result that draws people’s attention and remains etched in their memory.

The colours you choose should be based on what you want to communicate with your brand, be it bright and cheerful or more neutral and sophisticated. The right colour can unleash a buying impulse.

Thus, the question you need to start with is: What image or impression do you want to give?

Each of the colours conveys a different message:

• Red: Red implies passion, energy, danger, or aggression. It also stimulates the appetite.

• Orange: It relates to something fun, jovial, and accessible. It is generally seen as an innovative and modern colour.

• Yellow: It is a warm and friendly colour. However, it is usually related to cowardice since it is used for warning signs.

• Green: Typically used for “green” and natural businesses, such as organic, vegetarian, and vegan food. It is also used in financial products.

• Blue: The most commonly used for corporate brand logos. It transmits professionalism, seriousness, integrity, sincerity, and calm. At the same time, it is a colour that is related to authority and success. Very popular with financial institutions and government bodies.

• Purple: Speak of royalty and luxury. They also imply wisdom and dignity.

• Black: This can be used for two different purposes. The first to imply power and sophistication, and the second to imply crime and death.

• White: It relates to purity, cleanliness, and simplicity. Generally, all brand logos need a black and white version.

• Coffee: It is usually used for products related to rural life and the exterior.

• Pink: It is fun and flirtatious. It is usually associated with feminine products.

Single or multiple colors: What is your best option?

There are brand logos that are uniform in one colour. However, there are others that combine several colours to have a greater impact on your message. Like for example, the Google brand logo. Having multiple colours in the brand logo can imply that the company offers a wide variety of products and services. They convey the feeling of diversity and inclusiveness, as do the rings of the Olympics. In fact, some of the most recognized brands in the world use only one colour for their brand logo. If you are going to use two colours, it is recommended that you choose two that are opposite on the colour wheel so that they complement each other. Or you can also use different shades of the same colour. These same principles apply when choosing to create a 3-colour brand logo.

Think globally about the color of your brand logo

Is your company a global corporation? If so, you must be careful when choosing the colour of your brand logo. This is because there are different ways of interpreting colours based on culture. For example, red is related to a lucky colour in China but represents death and mourning in India. Also, consider other brand logos that are in the same market or that are similar to yours. You don’t want people to mistake your business for someone else because of a bad brand logo design! In summary, the important thing when designing your brand logo is to think about what you want to communicate, how many colours you want to use, and what is the place of your brand in the world. Based on these principles, what do you think your brand logo colour should be, or what colour combination would be the most suitable for your brand?