Color Psychology in Logo Design 49
Color offers an instantaneous method for conveying meaning and message in your logo designs. It’s probably the most powerful non-verbal form of communication we can use as designers. Our minds are programmed to respond to color. The subliminal messages we get from color shape our thoughts. As humans our very survival is hung on the identification of color. We stop our cars for red lights and go on green, we look at the color of certain plants and animals to determine whether or not they are safe for us to eat or touch, the bottom line is that color is a very important part of our daily lives. It’s important for us as designers to use color appropriately and understand the meaning behind the colors we choose.
Red
Action, Adventure, Aggressive, Blood, Danger, Drive, Energy, Excitement, Love, Passion, Strength and Vigor
Red is an intense color. It can summon conflicting emotions from blood and warfare to love and passion. It is often used in logo design to grip the viewer’s attention and has been known to raise one’s blood pressure or make people hungry.
Red Bull: 1987 Designer Unknown
Red Bull gets a double dose of red in its logo and is a great color choice for a logo that represents an energy drink company. The company markets the drink as, “Red Bull vitalizes body and mind” and “Red Bull gives you wiiings!”. Both of these phrases reinforce why red was an excellent color choice for the logo. By accenting the red with yellow a loosely analogous color palette is created for the brand.
Pink
Appreciation, Delicate, Femininity, Floral, Gentle, Girly, Gratitude, Innocence, Romantic, Soft and Tranquil
Pink is a feminine color that conjures feelings of innocence and delicateness. It’s a softer version of red that can stir up visions of little girls, bubble-gum and cotton candy. The color pink is also widely associated with breast cancer awareness. It is often used in logos to add a feminine flare.
Barbie: 1959 Designer Unknown
The color pink is very prominent in Mattel’s Barbie logo and supporting branding material. It is a fitting color for a toy that is marketed to little girls. The typeface compliments the color choice and helps to reinforce the brands positioning by giving the impression of a young girl’s handwriting.
Orange
Affordable, Creativity, Enthusiasm, Fun, Jovial, Lighthearted, High-Spirited and Youthful
Orange is made up of red and yellow and can represent attributes from each of those colors. Orange is less intense than red but still packs a lot of punch. It is more playful and youthful than red. You can commonly find it used in logos to create a playfulness or stimulate emotions and even appetites.
Nickelodeon: 1984 Tom Corey, Fred/Alan Inc., Scott Nash
Orange is a perfect color choice for Nickelodeon who’s target audience is children. Orange is fun, lighthearted and youthful which reflects the TV channel’s programing. The design of the Nickelodeon logo supports the youthful theme with the paint spattered backdrop and playful typography.
Yellow
Caution, Cheerful, Cowardice, Curiosity, Happiness, Joy, Playful, Positivity, Sunshine and Warmth
Yellow, much like red, can have conflicting messages. It can represent sunshine and happiness or caution and cowardice. Yellow is bright and highly visible which is why it can often be found on caution and other road signs. Yellow is often used in logo design to get attention, create happiness and warmth.
McDonald’s: 1962 Jim Schindler
We all know the successful McDonald’s franchise (aka The Golden Arches) and their slogan “I’m Lovin’ It”. Like Red Bull, McDonald’s uses a loosely analogous color palette. The difference is that McDonald’s is mainly yellow which fitting for this brand that focuses on children, playfulness and happiness. The red works well as an accent color and has been know to raise ones blood pressure and evoke hunger. Incidentally, this color combination has influenced many other fast food chains.
Green
Crisp, Environmental, Fresh, Harmony, Health, Healing, Inexperience, Money, Nature, Renewal and Tranquility
Green represents life and renewal. It is a restful and soothing color but can also represent jealousy and inexperience. You can often find it used in companies that want to portray themselves as eco-friendly.
Animal Planet: 2008 Dunning Eley Jones
Green is suitable logo color choice for a TV channel who’s programing focuses solely on nature and animals. There’s a significant amount of controversy surrounding this logo. So whether you like the logo or not, I think we can agree that the various tones of green are right on for this channel. The color conjures up imagery of jungles, grasses and nature in general.
Blue
Authority, Calm, Confidence, Dignity, Established, Loyalty, Power, Success, Secure and Trustworthy
Blue is calming and can stir up images of authority, success and security. Most people can say they like at least one shade of blue. It is probably the most popular color in logo design and can be seen extensively in government, medical and fortune 500 company logos.
IBM: 1972 Paul Rand
The blue in the IBM (aka “Big Blue”) logo represents a company that is non-threatening yet stable and established. When Rand redesigned the IBM logo he replaced the solid type with 8 horizontal bars to represent “speed and dynamism”. While the logo typically isn’t used in its original blue today, it is still a very prominent color in the IBM brand.
Purple
Ceremony, Expensive, Fantasy, Justice, Mystery, Nobility, Regal, Royalty, Sophistication and Spirituality
Purple implies royalty, mystery, spirituality and sophistication. Because purple is the combination of red and blue, it has both warm and cool properties. The color purple can be found in many education related and luxury product logos.
Hallmark: Designer Unknown
The Hallmark company uses the slogan “When you care enough to send the very best.” The use of the color purple in the logo supports the marketing message of the company. It implies royalty, expense and sophistication which is reinforced by the crown icon that hovers over the type.
Brown
Calmness, Depth, Earth, Natural, Roughness, Richness, Simplicity, Serious, Subtle, Utility and Woodsy.
Brown indicates nature, woodiness, and utility. Brown is used in logos related to construction and legal logos due to it simplicity, warmth and neutrality. “What can Brown do for you?” is the tagline for UPS which might be one of the most recognized brown logos.
UPS: 1961 Paul Rand and 2003 FutureBrand
UPS uses the color brown to differentiate itself from the competition (i.e., the USPS and FedEx). While the color may be received by many as utilitarian, boring or conservative, UPS has taken ownership of the color and used it as a point of distinction. In the 2003 redesign the introduction of yellow brings some warmth, friendliness and a certain richness to the mark.
Black
Authority, Bold, Classic, Conservative, Distinctive, Formality, Mystery, Secrecy, Serious and Tradition
Black is technically, the absence of all color. It’s a powerful and conjures authority, boldness, elegance and tradition. Black can be found in many logos for its boldness, simplicity and sophistication.
James Bond 007: Designer Unknown (© 1962 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation)
The James Bond 007 logo is solid black. The color choice for the classic spy movie’s logo works well. The color represents the authority, mystery and sophistication that is a part of 007 movies.
Grey
Authority, Corporate Mentality, Dullness, Humility, Moody, Practicality, Respect, Somberness and Stableness
Grey, is somewhere between black and white. From a moral standpoint, it is the area between good and evil. It is also known as neutral and cool. Grey is often used for the type within logos because it is neutral and works well with most other colors.
Swarovski Crystal: Designer Unknown
The logo for the luxury brand Swarovski, maker of lead crystal glass, is grey. The grey could be viewed to represent the lead that is a part of the product the company makes, but also represents the respect and authority that comes from the history of a company that has been around for over 100 years.
White
Cleanliness, Innocence, Peace, Purity, Refined, Sterile, Simplicity, Surrender and Truthfulness
White is the universal color of peace and purity. It can often be found in logos as reversed text or negative space.
Girl Scouts: 1978 Saul Bass
While green may be the more prominent color in the Girl Scouts logo it also uses the negative space to create the silhouettes of two faces. The combination of the silhouetted faces and the white create a certain purity and innocence in the logo.
As you can see these colors can be found in logos we know and recognize. Often the designer has considered the meaning of the colors when choosing the palette for the logo. Next time you’re designing a logo remember to ponder the meaning of the colors you choose and do so wisely. Just remember, color psychology consists of culturally created ties that can change over time and location. It is by no means an exact science and is still largely based on anecdotal evidence.
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49 Comments so far. Keep 'em Coming.
#1
By Igor
06.01.2009 at 05:41 PM
Thank you for this post. I made very similar post some time ago but I didn’t write as many colors as you did. Thank you once again:
And this is my post:
http://tinyurl.com/cwa5me
#2
By David Airey
06.02.2009 at 02:50 AM
Hi Erik,
Some nice logo examples there. The Barbie design would’ve made a great addition to a previous post I made about hand-written logos. I hope you’re well.
#3
By web2000
06.02.2009 at 07:45 AM
Your article color psychology in logo design was well writtern. Your examples well support your statements!
#4
By Umbraco Developer - Vizioz
06.02.2009 at 11:26 AM
Hi Erik,
A great article, thanks for posting. I am currently going through creating a new logo with a graphics design friend so very apt timing!
Cheers,
Chris
#5
By blestab
06.02.2009 at 01:18 PM
Very informative aricle, could’nt have come at a better time.
#6
By Allan
06.02.2009 at 01:59 PM
You may want to point out that your descriptions here are almost entirely cultural and may not be applicable in various cultures around the world.
I would also argue that describing pink as ‘feminine’ is an example of a cultural association that is both sexist and rapidly changing. In contrast, describing blue as ‘authoritative’ highlights the sexist dichotomy between it and pink.
All in all, not a terrible article, but not really enlightened or forward-thinking either. Thanks for publishing all the same.
#7
By Erik at Logo Critiques
06.02.2009 at 02:13 PM
@allan Thanks for reading, but maybe you didn’t get a chance to finish before posting your comment. The last couple sentences of the article read, “Just remember, color psychology consists of culturally created ties that can change over time and location. It is by no means an exact science and is still largely based on anecdotal evidence.”
By no means is this is the end-all-be-all list. I’m merely trying to give some insight, for designers and other interested readers, into the widely accepted associations with color.
You may be correct in saying that perception of some colors is changing, however at the current time I believe this is a pretty close approximation of today’s perspective, at least in the U.S. where I live. Again color psychology isn’t an exact science…
#8
By Allan
06.02.2009 at 02:17 PM
Indeed, apparently I missed those last few lines, my apologies
#9
By Louis
06.02.2009 at 04:00 PM
Excellent article. Definitely saving this link.
#10
By Farooq
06.03.2009 at 12:29 AM
Really nice concepts can anybody help me to create my company logo im a web developer and i want people to suggest me which color will be good for it.
#11
By Mo
06.03.2009 at 06:21 AM
Fantastic review. I am lovin’ it
#12
By Srividya
06.03.2009 at 08:07 AM
It is an insightful posting. As I’m in the process of re-designing my website, it has been very helpful to know the connotations attached to colours.
#13
By Kris
06.03.2009 at 10:23 AM
Make me reliaze that color can speak too
#14
By Diego
06.03.2009 at 12:26 PM
Bookmarked and will use for future reference. Thanks
#15
By Jacob Cass
06.03.2009 at 11:31 PM
A thorough article Eric…
An article to add onto this one: How To Use Colour In Logo Design To Effectively Communicate The Right Message. Written by Alex Charchar (@retinart).
#16
By Anna Schibrowsky
06.04.2009 at 05:03 AM
A good article full of design insights, but certainly not color psychology. Color psychology IS an exact science based in research. Color psychology has found that orange is perceived as strength, pink reduces aggression, blue is perceived as gentleness and reduces appetite and so on.
#17
By Manish Khatri
06.04.2009 at 10:02 AM
Really cool! psychology… will definitely help me in my new work.!
Thanks for sharing.
#18
By Holly
06.04.2009 at 10:04 AM
Hi! This is a great article. Thanks for sharing.
I did just want to point out one little thing — When referring to the printing process, black is actually the presence of all colors, not the absence. It is the absence of all colors when referring to light.
#19
By LaurenMarie - Creative Curio
06.04.2009 at 10:10 AM
I love critical looks at design and you did a great job with this one, Erik! I’ve heard that the red/yellow combo evokes hunger as well. I think because they are warm, energizing colors—like food! Ketchup and mustard. We don’t see much blue in our food, so it would be counter-intuitive to have a blue logo for a restaurant.
It would be interesting to look at this topic from other cultures’ perspectives too; like in Asia, where white represents death instead of purity and red is good fortune.
#20
By Jay
06.05.2009 at 05:47 AM
Thanks Erik for this article.
I have been asked to create a couple of logos and this came at the right time.
I am looking for a good book on colour psychology. Any recommendations from anyone?
#21
By dimaz arno
06.05.2009 at 06:03 AM
Yeah now i’m understand why i always pick green and blue as my favourite logo color.
Thanks Erik, is it any article similar like this but about the logo shape?
#22
By Raja Sandhu - www.RajaSandhu.com
06.07.2009 at 04:33 PM
Hi! -
Interesting article. Much like most of our other perceptions in and of society have changed, so too, has our view on “Color Psychology in Logo Design “...Well at least in my case. I tend not to follow much of the studies done in the 50’s and 60’s, blotch testing etc…
We no longer look at a youth standing with his ball cap sideways on the street corner as a ‘thug’ or ‘pusher. Or observe a male colleague in a pink polo top and second guess their gender preference. Far analogy I know, but I hope the point gets across about evolving perceptions.
Since the trend of some major corps in terms of their brand marks using transparencies and gradation of tones(i.e MasterCard logo) others have followed suit. You would figure with the clout the bigwigs have and resources on recent colour psychology, focus groups and the rest of the gamut, I think that things might have changed on this subject.
Considering the above, what do you think gradients and transparencies invoke?
- Raja
#23
By Dexter
06.10.2009 at 04:27 AM
Very nicely presented in a simple manner. Really liked it
thanks.
#24
By Phaoloo
06.10.2009 at 11:08 PM
Nice descriptions for colors.
#25
By John
06.11.2009 at 09:04 AM
Nice article. I would add, however, that some of these associations are cultural. Eastern and Western cultures share many of the same associations, but not all.
#26
By Custom Web Design
06.11.2009 at 04:25 PM
Like the post, I may have to redo one like this with examples of my own work
#27
By Wolfan
06.12.2009 at 07:07 AM
I like this article, and agree with a lot of the points made.
By the way, the girl scouts logo has three faces not two since it’s also meant to signify diversity. :-D
#28
By Jude
06.14.2009 at 12:06 PM
Nice summary. You may be interested in a magazine column I wrote on color for the graphic-design mag STEP inside design. (I also tweet regularly about color at http://twitter.com/joodstew.) In it I explore odd cultural histories for each color, connecting anecdotes, facts, and other factoids in a “web” of associations for each color.
Hard to explain but very fun to look at; you might find it interesting.
You can download my color-columns here:
Gray: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is gray final.pdf
White: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is white final.pdf
Purple: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is purple final.pdf
Orange: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is orange final.pdf
Green: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is green final.pdf
Brown: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is brown final.pdf
Blue: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is blue final.pdf
Pink: http://www.judestewart.com/downloads/step color is pink final.pdf
Thanks,
Jude Stewart
www.judestewart.com
http://twitter.com/joodstew
#29
By d65blade
06.17.2009 at 06:57 AM
Wow, what an information about the psychology of colors! I’m a newbie in designing logos and this is great stuff. Thanks for posting!
#30
By maria
06.21.2009 at 04:23 PM
Great analisys. Thanks for sharing.
#31
By Lhinton
06.26.2009 at 06:02 PM
Black is the combination of all colours not the absence of them.
#32
By Cathie
06.30.2009 at 11:21 PM
Great article. I teach colour psych to web design students, and will be sharing this with them.
#33
By Alex Hayes
07.03.2009 at 08:21 PM
Thanks for a very helpful article - concise with clear examples. I’m amazed at how many people don’t actually read before they comment, however…
#34
By Dylan
07.06.2009 at 05:16 PM
Wow, I had no idea color made such a difference and meant so many things! Thank you for a great read and the awesome example logos.
#35
By angudurai
07.17.2009 at 02:37 AM
its very useful for me great analisys.
#36
By Marc Swarbrick
08.05.2009 at 06:42 AM
In print, black is a pigment that doesn’t reflect light. In a monitor/screen environment, it’s the abscence of light.
Good list, now it would be nice to see how the differing shades of these colours shift the meaning - say with green you want ‘environment’ and not ‘money’ to be conveyed, which varation of green would lend itself to this? Do you move through the spectrum towards yellow because of the ‘sunshine, warmth’ aspect?
#37
By Aero River
08.28.2009 at 12:39 PM
Thanks for sharing. I bookmarked this page.
#38
By Web Site Tasarım
09.12.2009 at 06:33 PM
Really cool! Thanks for sharing.
#39
By Mark Spenser
09.15.2009 at 04:16 AM
What an amazing post! I would like to thank you for sharing it. You are putting very good effort into the stuff you post.
#40
By Kiran
10.04.2009 at 01:22 AM
its really great article for logo designing…Thank You So Much
#41
By Ben Hurtisson
10.07.2009 at 03:47 PM
Very interesting article about logos. All these logos can properly used in web design of any complexity.
#42
By Koca Mustafa Paşa
10.12.2009 at 04:19 AM
Great archives! Thanks for sharing.
#43
By Attitude Design | Graphic Design Portfolio
10.14.2009 at 05:15 AM
Thanks for a great post - some really interesting points to consider when choosing a colour scheme.
#44
By Vishnu
11.03.2009 at 06:34 AM
Really Great collection! It’s nice to know all these things…!
#45
By Fast food coupons
11.12.2009 at 05:27 AM
That is one big thank list! Thank you for your good sense of humor and kindness.
#46
By Dr.D.Radhakrishnan Nair
12.04.2009 at 11:07 PM
Marvellous!
I was hunting for knowledge in this area. I got certain pointers. Thank you very much.
I wish this study could turn to Indian aesthetic research on colour in art!
#47
By navanath
12.18.2009 at 05:43 AM
great and very useful, thanks.
#48
By itsashirt T shirts
01.15.2010 at 01:27 PM
I think you described the colors very good, I am a orange man, I just love that color!
#49
By Melissa Myers
01.20.2010 at 01:38 AM
This is a really interesting post. Great information for someone to have when designing a logo for their business.
I work for http://www.freelogoservices.com and think this would be really useful for people creating free logos on our site—it helps small businesses learn some designing knowledge which is great for organizations looking to bypass the hefty cost of hiring a graphic designer.