A huge part of building your brand is creating a logo. You want it to be memorable and to evoke the right response by customers.
One way to do that is through color. Your logo colors can either help or hurt your customers connect with your business.
Before you choose these colors, read this article to find out how potential customers will perceive your business based on your logo colors.
Meanings of Logo Colors
Before we dive into the meanings of these colors, it’s important to note that the same color can have different meanings in other countries.
So before you get too attached to using a color, make sure it won’t have a negative connotation for your target audience if they’re not from your home country.
Red
A high-arousal color no matter where you go, red has different meanings attached to it. Typically, it means passion, excitement, but can also mean danger or aggression. Red can also provoke hunger.
Let’s consider the McDonald’s logo. The arches may be golden, but they’re always set to a bright red background. Why? Because it envokes feelings of hunger and urgency, so you subconsciously want to stop to eat there.
Orange
This is another high-arousal color that is related to warmth, balance, energy, and caution. In marketing, it encourages buyers to make impulsive decisions while presenting themselves as a fun company.
Amazon is a great example of a company that uses orange in their logo. Since they get twice as much online shopping traffic as the next-highest online retailer, it’s clear they’re doing something right.
Yellow
Yellow is a high-arousal color that grabs your attention. It can arouse different emotions based on its context since it’s associated with optimism and cowardice, and hope and betrayal.
Think about Best Buy’s logo for a moment. That bright yellow catches your eye and the company name lets you know they offer the best deals.
Green
Having represented fertility for many years, green is a cool and relaxing color linked to health, tranquility, nature, and good luck. On the other hand, it can also represent money or jealousy.
When looking for healthy food, you likely go to Whole Foods. Their green logo helps remind everyone what their company focuses on– natural food and health. Tropicana also has green in their logo for the same reason.
Blue
Blue is such a powerfully calming color it’s been shown to lower blood pressure. It denotes feelings of trust and security. It’s seen frequently in logos and brand colors because of this.
JP Morgan is one company that uses blue as a logo color. They want you to trust you with their money, and so demonstrate security by using blue. This helps them build long-term clients to invest with them.
Purple
This final low-arousal color was traditionally exclusive to royalty though it’s not used much in modern politics. Today, it may be found inciting feelings of mystery, spirituality, or arrogance.
With a crown in their logo, Hallmark uses purple to both encourage calm and remind their customers that they’re the king of the greeting card world. Many companies that use this color do so to show their imagination and creativity.
Best Colors for Logos
As you’ve probably already figured out, there aren’t any magic colors that will work for every business. So, you have to think about what type of customers you’re looking for.
Here are the two main types of customers you may be trying to get and the colors that you should use in your branding:
Impulse Buyers
To grab the attention of people that may buy from you once, you want to use the high-arousal colors red, orange, and yellow. This will encourage people to check out your business and quickly make a purchase.
Of course, you can turn these into repeat buyers, but if your goal is to get people through the door (or to your website), these bright colors will help do the trick. They’re exciting and will have your potential customers excited about what you’re offering.
These colors are generally better for companies that offer physical or digital products for sale. This is why many fast food restaurants and stores use these colors in their logos and marketing.
Long-Term Customers
On the other hand, if you’re looking to build long-term relationships with your customers through ongoing services, you want to use the low-arousal, trust-building colors. Green, blue, and purple are a great place to start.
These give your potential customers a sense of calm and make them feel safe with you. Whether they’re investing in your business or signing up for a monthly subscription, you want these customers to know they can trust you.
As you can see, these work best for businesses that encourage customers to stay for a long time. That’s why social networks like Facebook and Twitter use blue in their logos and color schemes.
When to Mix Exciting and Calming Colors
You don’t just have to pick a high-arousal or low-arousal color scheme when choosing your logo colors. In fact, there are a number of companies that use a combination of these colors to both build trust and encourage fast action.
Walmart is one such example. While their main color is blue to build long-term trust with their customers, they also include the attention-grabbing yellow. This gets customers excited about their products and encourages them to make more impulse buys.
Another company that uses this tactic is Seven Eleven. Its green outline and red and orange “7” on their logo serve their purposes. The bold red and orange encourage you to act quickly while the surrounding green makes you feel safe.
Want More Help with Brand Perception?
Now you have a better idea of what the best logo colors are for your business. This will help you communicate your company’s ideals to customers from the first moment they lay eyes on your logo.
There are so many other ways to improve the perception of your brand, and we would love to help you reach your goals. If you want help with creating a great perception of your brand, contact us today.
