Colour Psychology in Branding: Choosing Logo Colours
In marketing businesses, colours are known to communicate more profound meaning and make something extraordinary.
Imagine a world where everyone could only see black and white versions and no colours would exist… subconscious happiness would probably be hard to come by.
Colours are known to bring everything to life. Even the leaves on a tree have different shades of colours in every season and impact humans every time they are beheld.
Therefore, colours are a powerful communication tool that can easily influence one’s mood and physiological reactions.
That is why many brand owners intend to create a strong psychological impact on the buyers. They use colour psychology in Branding to make their image attractive and entrap a larger audience.
For instance, take a look at this website’s logo. It has a red colour that is known for passion and this website has a good combination of colours like red and white.
The website centres upon gaming tech and the red and white colours have been carefully selected to attract the gaming audience, i.e. passionate and enthusiastic gamers.
Plus, it also depicts the sincerity among gamers and how it can even turn out to be peaceful and stress-free. That is how each marketing strategy uses a variety of colours to show compassion and warmth to the vast majority.
So in logo designing, colour combinations and the chosen colours play a huge role in making an enormous impact on the consumers. Let’s look at what colours mean and how colour psychology in Branding depicts deeper meanings.
Types Of Colour Schemes
Colours have a way of blending and presenting you with a beautifully coloured combination, triggering you with happy thoughts and feelings (or otherwise).
Have you ever wondered if there are any types of colour schemes? If not, then you are going to know something new. Take a look:
- Analogous
- Monochromatic
- Complementary
- Split complementary
- Triadic
- Square
- Rectangle (or tetradic)
Every colour has a more profound or hidden meaning that can only be known when you do thorough research, but I will make it easier for you to save you from spending loads of time researching.
I will be discussing most of the colours, which will impact the vast majority of the audience.
1 – Red
Red is a vibrant and most visible colour full of energy, power, and passion. Red sort of captures the attention of every individual as it screams for a sudden action. That is why you see a red colour on firetrucks, and whenever one passes by, it can be alarming to all.
Plus, the colour red is filled with loads of energy, like being bold and youthful. Furthermore, it is a colour that is loved by a majority of people around the globe.
Red colour also shows intense and strong emotional reactions. So it is said that upon seeing a red, it creates a sudden spike in the heart rate and a considerate rise in the appetite too, that is why you may see a lot of red hues in many food-brand logos.
Loads of restaurants or brands related to food or snacks often use red to attract attention.
As Spoon University points out that the red colour speeds up the blood flow. Once the blood flow increases, it speeds up your metabolism and makes you hungry, like craving for more—for example, Lays, Mcdonalds, KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s etc.
So if you want to attract others towards your products and websites by creating hunger in your audience, then believe me, “Red” is the one for you.
2 – Blue
If you plan to create your logo with a blue colour, then understand that the psychology of blue in Branding depicts some profound deep meanings.
It is considered to be depicting a calming, logical and peaceful effect. Moreover, it makes your brand appear reliable and trustworthy.
Usually, you must have seen blue logos on water bottles, and blue being the colour of the sky and ocean, you may automatically feel the satisfaction of quenching your thirst.
So if you want to set your audience’s mind at ease about you being a trustworthy and reliable brand, you should consider filing your logo with blue as it is considered more inviting and send friendly vibes to the audience. The best examples of a blue logo are those of Facebook and Twitter.
3 – Green
The colour green is universally known to represent nature, something fresh regarding health, etc. When you gallivant in the mountains, all you experience is tranquillity, and when you breathe that fresh air, you feel full of grounding energy.
And you find balance and harmony, also evoking a feeling of relaxation and healing. Being the colour of nature, green represents growth, renewal and rebirth as well.
Green is also associated with wealth and money, and you often see this colour on the currency.
When you have chosen to go with this colour, understand that it means you want to convey to your audience that you are highly organic and your company is environmentally friendly.
It can also be suitable for financial companies because it would be a subconscious reminder of money.
The most prominent examples of the companies or brands having a green logo are Acer, Starbucks, Android, Tropicana etc.
4 – Yellow
This yellow colour evokes the feeling of being cheerful and of complete happiness. It can be seen as representing optimism, lots of energy, youthfulness and the feeling of being enthusiastic. Plus, whenever you see a yellow colour, it generally gives you the vibe of friendliness and hopefulness.
Yellow colour can also be the colour that quickly grabs people’s attention as it is also considered a sign of caution.
That is why you may see this colour in caution signs that you can find on the roadsides that quickly give a clear idea to the people of whatever lies ahead of them.
If you choose this colour for your logo design, make sure it’s not too bright to cause eye strain or be unpleasant. Just make sure to choose a suitable shade so whenever the customers see your logo, it conveys the right message of happiness, friendliness and positive energy.
5 – Orange
You get the colour orange by mixing red and yellow, two of the primary colours. But what does this colour symbolise? Well, it is known to be a warm colour that displays happiness, enthusiasm and excitement.
It is also known to be associated with being playful, energetic and fun. It is energetic in the sense that it is associated with health too.
You often must have seen this colour on calcium tablets that provide people energy by making them strong and energetic.
Marketers usually use this orange colour to highlight essential elements that call to action, and it is a well-known tactic that works well on impulsive buyers.
Amazon, Firefox, Fanta and Shell etc., are the famous examples that have orange-based Branding.
If you want your logo to send out the message that it is friendly, fully energetic, and cheerful, then orange would be perfect for your logo because it would make your brand seen as light-hearted and confident.
6 – Pink
Pink is usually a soft, sweet and feminine colour that presents warmth, energy and a fun vibe. Pink often portrays sweetness and love, and that is why you see this colour in the logos like Dunkin doughnuts, Baskin Robbins, Barbie, Hello kitty etc.
The pink colour in the logos is usually associated with femininity, and it is generally used in the logos to attract or target women. That is the reason you get a sense of the girly image.
And if you are going to sell sweet food items, you need this pink colour in your logo to convey a message to the audience that your company is lively and fun and playful.
7 – Purple
Purple is a colour that displays royalty, wisdom and respect. It is linked with creativity and imagination too.
This purple colour psychology in Branding can be associated with luxury and decadence, for example, Cadbury, Taco Bell, Yahoo, Ralph Lauren etc.
Purple colour also portrays a sense of fantasy, mystery or magic that evokes a feeling of wisdom and imagination. That is why you often see this colour in a variety of shades in the logos of beauty brands, especially those with anti-ageing products.
Due to its luxurious and imaginative depiction, it attracts consumers who would like to be seen as wise or wealthy or the ones who are more inclined towards magic or mystery.
Moreover, the purple colour usually has a royal character as in olden times, people created the purple dye from snails, and it was known to be expensive.
Only the ones who were wealthy, like the royals, could afford them. That is why you see the purple on high-end products that emphasise the premium notion of the brands like Rolex, Hallmark Crown Royal etc.
So if you are presenting the world with a high-class item, then purple is the proper colour psychology in Branding to attract consumers.
8 – Grey
Grey or a silverish colour can often depict class, maturity, modesty, stability and neutrality. It is used so that the people who see this colour can associate it with timelessness and composure.
That is why you mostly see this colour on famously renowned brands logos like Mercedes Benz, Apple, Nissan, Wikipedia etc.
The grey colour can also be associated with negative emotions like depression or sadness. But it does have a positive connotation, too, and it brings out the glamorous side and can be seen as an elegant and beautiful colour.
9 – Black
Black is an all-time favourite colour of many people in the world. Black colour psychology in Branding can be shown as assertive, sophisticated, highly elegant, serious and exclusive.
This colour can often be plain, but it shows the elegance and glamour of luxurious products.
If your company has a black logo, it probably means that you aren’t using it to attract attention. But you want your company to be seen as a well-established company with a strong reputation and elegance and want your logo to be part of that desire.
And you don’t need any flashy colours to send a message. Some examples of famous brands that use black coloured logos are; Black & Decker, New York Times, Adidas, Puma, Nike, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Polo, Honda etc.
10 – White
White colour always blends with other colours quite beautifully and enhances or pops the colours when used as a combination.
White colour is usually represented as pure, safe and clean. It is often associated with sincerity, peacefulness and simplicity.
White can be seen paired with black in an attempt to portray balance, harmony, and neutrality. Almost every brand has a black-and-white version of its design.
Conclusion on Colour Psychology in Branding
Conclusively, when marketing arises, never take anything lightly; each is used for a purpose, even the colours.
Colour psychology in Branding can make a strong impression on various consumers and influence purchasing decisions.
That is the reason this article is compiled together to show you what every colour depicts and has a deeper meaning to it and why many companies’ logos are filled with colours.
So whenever you are going to market a product, website, or open up your own company, give the colours a hard thought.
Author Bio: Sarah is a content writer. She likes to create informative content to create awareness among many. She also loves to game and can be often seen writing about gaming tech or hardware for Gamingverge.com.
