The colours used in your logo could be very important when you consider the emotions and feelings that colours can evoke in your customers. The design in combination with the colours in your logo can help convey a message and insure that your brand is instantly recognisable. Today we will analyse what the 5 most popular primary and secondary colours can mean for your branding message.
Blue is the most popular logo colour and is widely used to mean different things. Blue is thought of as a calming colour; however, it also represents loyalty, strength, stability, wisdom and trust. Blue is said to have a calming effect on people. Since blue is the colour of the sky and the sea, it is often used in company logos to represent the same aspects, so boating and airline companies often have blue in their designs. Many social media companies have blue in their logo: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Skype all have blue logos. Other successful companies using blue logos are hospitals, Scottish and Southern,BTGroup, and Barclays.
Red is a strong colour that can result in very definitive reactions. It can have different meanings, so be cautious about how you use red in your logo design. It is said that red can increase heart rate and make people breathe faster. This can be because of love, passion, sportiness, or aggression. In many cases it represents blood, danger, indebtedness, and is of course, the world-wide meaning for stop. Therefore, use care in applying red to your logo and accent what you feel is strong about your brand or message. Some famous companies that successfully use red in their logo:BBC, Red Cross, HSBC Bank, and Adobe.
Yellow is a cheerful and energetic colour that represents fun, happiness, sunshine. Yellow is the brightest colour to the human eye and because of that, is used to represent the sun in just about every culture on Earth. Be careful about yellow, because it can also invoke some negative feelings of cowardice or mean caution. When using yellow in your logo, be sure that it is in a position where it stands out and is bright, do not put it on a white background. Yellow can help your company convey positivity, hope, joy and warmth. Companies that use yellow successfully in their logos: McDonald’s, Good Year, Subway, and Best Buy.
Orange is the combination of red and yellow and therefore, it invokes a combination of the feelings they do. Orange is bright and warm and very youthful. Much like red increases the heartbeat, orange increases oxygen and stimulates brain activity of the person gazing at the colour. For that reason it is used in companies geared towards children or learning. Orange often represents fire, sun, fun, warmth or tropical images. Tropical travel destinations, health companies, and children’s companies have success with orange logos and designs. Other popular companies that use orange: Nickelodeon, Burger King, and Blogger.
Green represents Earth, nature, growth and money. Green is usually a relaxing colour and can have a healing touch. Many nutritional, safety, and pharmaceutical companies use green to represent healing; dark green can represent the military, money, or banking. The one thing to be careful about with green is that it can also be associated with greed and envy. However, when green is used right, it can be used to represent freshness, calm, wealth, or the environment, as most environmentally friendly designs are in green. Successful companies with green in their logo are Starbucks, TicTac, Lloyds, and Scottish and Southern.
