Before you pick the colors you want for your logo, it is important you understand the consumer psychology behind colors.
The visual appearance of your product, or brand is what would drive at least 50% of customer patronage and engagement.
Whether bright, or dull colors, the first element a prospect observes about your brand, are the colors.
And these colors evoke emotions and help prospects make judgement and draw their conclusions about your brand.
So that means the task at hand is, how do you pick the best color for your logo?
There are 12 main colors, although on some other color wheels, there are 24.
However, there are millions of shades of these colors. But don't worry, we will work with the basics in this article.
There are tons of research on colors and the concepts they connote.
Red typically means danger, or romance.
Pink signals the feminine nature.
Orange signals vitality or adventure.
And white symbolizes purity, while purple depicts royalty.
These are the general concepts we attribute to colors.
However, interpretation of colors are also subjective, and sometimes, the general meaning we ascribe to colors doesn't work for everyone.
People perceive colors based on their personal experiences.
Armed with the knowledge of colors, and what they generally mean, your decision becomes informed, and easier to make.
Your brand identity must be in sync with the logo and its color. Your brand identity is made up of its tone, look and its reason for existing.
The color of your logo must communicate your brand identity.
If you want your brand to communicate durability and ruggedness, then brown should be top of your list.
If your brand appeals to the young and energetic, then red should be your go-to.
The point is, colors hold meanings, so does your brand identity.
If both meanings aren't in sync or share some similarities, then there would be some distortion in your brand's Identity.
When pondering on the color palette to choose, it is never a bad idea to take a closer look into the industry you operate.
Your competitors would most likely share similar range in terms of color (or even typography).
For example in the tech industry, the recurring color seems to be blue and white, as they help portray those companies as helpful and innovative, while in the food industry, red and yellow are the dominant colors (based on the fact that bright colors make us hungrier).
You can always get inspired by the colors your competitors use.
But if you want to be totally different (or daring), you can adopt other color hues or palettes that combine creatively to make your brand unique.
Not only do you have to consider what colors to use for your logo, you also have to consider if you want to use it both online and offline.
The color system used for logos displayed on social media platforms and websites, is different from the color system used for flyers or posters.
In graphics design, the two major color systems are RGB and CMYK.
The RGB color system (RGB is an acronym for red, green and blue), is used for digital design.
The colors red, green and blue are primary colors.
The CMYK color system is adopted in print media.
CMYK is an acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key(black).
CMYK is also referred to as a subtractive color system as the printed inks subtract the brightness that is usually reflected.
In choosing the perfect color for your logo, it is important to consider which color system to adopt, based on where exactly you want your logo placed, or how you want it to be used.
Ultimately, picking the perfect logo for your brand is going to be based on your brand identity and how unique you want to be. There are a lot of tools that can help you, but they shouldn't stifle your creativity.
