If a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture with recognizable colors may be worth a million, memory-wise. Although color is a “soft science,” there is substantial research that proves that color matters and also plays a pivotal role in all our visual experiences.

Research conducted at the Seoul International Color Expo 2004 documented the following relationships between color and marketing:

• 92.6 % of respondents said that they put most importance on visual factors when purchasing products. Only 5.6 % said that the physical feel via the sense of touch was most important. Hearing and smell each drew 0.9 %.
• When asked to approximate the importance of color when buying products, 84.7 % of the total respondents think that color accounts for more than half among the various factors important for choosing products.

Other research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.

Source: CCICOLOR – Institute for Color Research.

Everything we touch in our daily life has a color and we have a reaction to it.  This reaction depends on two primary factors- natural associations and psychological symbolism. People are comfortable when colors remind them of similar things.  Many people underestimate the power of color on us.

Furthermore, color may have both positive and negative symbolism. Two colors that constantly offer dual symbolism are red and blue.  Red is the color of blood and fire, which is energizing and bold, yet also, symbolizes danger in stop and danger signs around the world.  Blue has long been associated with loneliness and emptiness ‘ singing the blues’, ‘blue day’, and yet is the color of a beautiful sky and we have ‘blue chip stocks’.

The important aspect to consider here is that color is only one element of your overall branding.  It is the entire branding package that will present your product or service to the world.  Each element of this package must be carefully considered individually but then must be cohesively drawn together to create a powerful image.

Color has an emotional impact that can be both delightful and distressful. There are no absolutes for the sometimes contradictory meanings of color, but there are some logical sources for our human interpretations.

• Trends: current fads in color application.  Today, lime green has been a hip and trendy color in fashion and advertising around the world since the late 1990s.
• Cultural factors: depending on what country or religion a person is from will influence their interpretation of a color logo or symbol.  Muslims see green as heaven, in the US and Ireland this is luck. Other cultural color influences include currency, traditions, celebrations, geography, etc.
• Historic and political: the color of flags, political parties, royalty, etc.
• Religious and mythical: the colors associated with spiritual or magical beliefs.  Green aliens, white Heaven, red Hell.
• Linguistic: individual languages often use color terminology to describe things. For example, some islander languages refer to shades of green by comparison to plants in various stages of growth.

These factors and many others make up the psychological symbolism related to color.  Perhaps the most powerful factors though are the natural associations we have to color.

The psychoanalyst Carl Jung famously said that ‘colors are the mother tongue of the subconscious’.  While color symbols may differ between cultures and religions, there are still a number of color meanings recognized around the world.

Red is an accepted color of the sun, which gives life but can also take it away, and it is of course the color of blood.  In nature, red also signifies danger.  So perhaps there is no need for semiotics to explain why this color can make people anxious, passionate, elated or angry.

Blue- the color of the sky and the sea, vast expanses that give a sense of freedom and perspective- is said to make people feel calm.  However, it is also said to be a ‘cold’ color and a lonely one too.

Vivid green in nature emits an association with health and vitality.

With this in mind the following pages present some common color psychology that influences logo and brand creation and longevity.

Red

Alert, activity, life, passion, power, excitement, determination.

Much has been written about the color red and it is used extensively in logo and brand development.  Famous uses of bright red include Virgin, Coca Cola, Kit Kat and services like the International Red Cross.

Virgin’s brand values are Fun, Value for Money, Quality, Innovation, Competitive Challenge and Brilliant Customer Service.  The use of red is only one element (although a major element) in binding these values into their brand presentation.  It is important for you to consider how color will tie your brand together.

Red is strongly associated with colors from nature combined with linguistics.  As we run we often get red faces and some one will exclaim, “your face is blood red”.  It is a hot color.  Blood is red; the sun is fire which is red.

Choosing red is a good option if your branding strategy is for attention, excitement, passion and raw power.

Orange

Optimism, wisdom, warmth, spirit, action, happy, successful, open, vivid.

Orange is often used for its earthly connotations yet is a happier color than green.  For obvious reasons it is often used for orange drinks and food where the color is reflecting the product.  Similarly used for products containing vitamin c.

Non-food and drink brands that have used orange successfully include Nike.  Although the tick is famous in its own right the orange is a well-chosen color for the brand.  Hutchison Telecom’s brand, Orange, has orange as its dominant color.  Its attractive, bright and cheery nature captures the attention of the spectators and gives the logo a contemporary look.

Green

Nature, growth, renewal, fresh and clean, fertility, adundance, vitality, healing

In Muslim countries, it is a holy color and in Ireland, a lucky color. It was the color of the heavens in the Ming Dynasty. Today’s greens provoke strong reactions. Love it or hate it. The color that won’t go away.

Lime green permeates the world of fashion, furnishings and advertising in the U.S. Combinations of yellow-green and orange are also hot.

Green is a very good logo color for food branding except sweets. People will always underrate sweets in the presence of green unless it has a mint or lime flavor.

Possibly the most famous rebranded logo in green is the BP flower.  Others include Starbucks, The Body Shop, Rolex.

Fuji film is an interesting case study.  If asked what color is Fuji Film most people associate the brand with green because all Fuji film boxes are green.  However the logo has consistently been displayed in black and red with the latest logo removing almost all traces of red.  Now Fuji packaging is moving away from green and into the gray and black because they wish to show more attention to innovation and technology.  Green being an earthly color does not reflect this enough for the company moving forward into the future.

This move away from green is an opposite trend from the rest of the world who are trying to leverage the push for increased care for our global environment.

Black

Importance, gravity, mysterious, smart, powerful, exclusive

For many reasons black is one of the most widely used color for a logo.

Traditionally when black is used for a logo as the only color it is combined with a particular font that solidifies the brand power.  Luxury brands such as Hermes, Bvlgari, Cartier all have a distinctive font that is used to present the black.

A brand such as Adidas uses black in its name and accompanying symbol.  It says simple, strong, classic, traditional.

Black is easy to print and can be combined with many other colors which it often is.  For example- BMW.  The BMW logo is symbolic of a white propeller blade, against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during the first world war. The strong black circle makes for a strong and robust logo that reflects its company image.

Harley Davidson is another black logo that is combined with a hint of another color.  The predominant color is black.  The brand has been built on the bad boy nature of black.

Black is also used for power symbolism.  Strong, sleek, solid.

Blue

Trust, calm, stability, serenity, cold,

Blue can be broken up into light blue, bright blue and dark blue.  Each has slightly different uses in logo design.

• Light- refreshing, cool, imaginative
• Bright Blue- truth, beauty, tranquil
• Dark Blue- gentile, quality, solid, traditional

Blue is one of the most popular colors in design.  Its use is very versatile and the trigger of psychological calm is an important aspect for many companies when offering their product or service.

The only product that blue does not work for is food.  Blue food is a rare occurrence in nature. There are no leafy blue vegetables and aside from blueberries and a few blue-purple potatoes from remote spots on the globe, blue just doesn’t exist in any significant quantity as a natural food color. Consequently, we don’t have an automatic appetite response to blue.  Of course some confectionary works with blue logos.  Refreshing drinks work well with blue.

Financial institutions and technology companies frequently use blue in their logo’s, most famous being American Express.  Trust our card, trust our system.

Pink

Friendly, soft, gentle, feminine, tranquil, innocence

In almost every culture, one stereotype emerges: pink is associated with girls, blue with boys.

However different values of pink have different effects on peoples emotions: light dull pinks cause calmness and decreased pulse while the deeper pinks have the opposite effect.  Seeing the color pink may evoke taste sensations of sweetness.

Magenta and bright pinks are outrageous, imaginative, innovative.

Pale/ dusty pinks are friendly, compassionate, faithful.

Pink is often used as a campaign logo, or as a one off collection in a line of products. Spa, healthcare and cosmetic products and services often use pink.   Famous uses of pink include Barbie, the pink ribbon for breast cancer support.

Purple

Knowledge, power, integrity, spiritual, visionary, royalty

Purple connotes luxury, wealth, spirituality and sophistication. It also symbolizes rank and authority.

In addition, lavender as a shade of purple is associated with imagination, fantasy, romance.  If your strategy is to whisk the market away on a journey like no other then shades of purple are the ones to choose.

Purple is often used with book stores, or spiritual brands, children’s brands and confectionery.

However, because it is rare in nature, purple is rarely used in logos.

Yellow

Happy, fun, optimistic, playful, sunny

While it is considered as an optimistic color, yellow is the most difficult color for the eye to take in. On the other hand, yellow color symbolizes positivity and buoyancy.

Gold as a shade of yellow reflects illumination and wisdom.  Yellow or gold is almost always combined with another color to help the eyes.

McDonalds golden arches are a classic use of yellow for fun.  Ferrari is interesting as the logo is almost entirely yellow yet we all associate Ferrari with red because it is most often represented on red.  Fun and fast!

Gray

Integrity, maturity, innovation, style

With strong links to chrome, silver and platinum materials, the use of gray is very powerful by itself or combined with another color.

It is not as harsh as black and can be used either in replacement of black or in combination with black.  The Mercedes Benz logo uses black for the text but the emblem is gray shaded to represent chrome.  The Honda emblem is another gray/ silver logo example.

Software companies like gray because of the innovation connotation.

Tag lines are often presented in gray in a logo.

Turquoise/ Aqua

Generosity, elation, motivated, active, dynamic

Aqua. The name means water. This color is often used for nature, or for products that elicit freshness.  A blend between blue and green, the blue represents the water and the green represents parks and nature. Think of things in nature that are cool… such as the sky, sea, clouds and grass.

Aqua is vibrant and vivacious, tells people there’s something different and exciting about this product.

Brown

Stability, earthy, reliable, gentile, classic

Brown is a natural color that evokes a sense of strength and reliability.  It can also bring to mind feeling of warmth, comfort, and security. It is often described as natural, down-to-earth, and conventional, but brown can also be sophisticated.

Brown also stimulates appetite especially when combined with peach or strawberry pink.

White

Hopeful, truth, new, luxury, pristine, untouched, virgin

White is never a logo in itself, for obvious reasons- without another color it cannot be seen.  It needs to be outlined or presented in a negative with a contrasting color.

It is important to consider in its use as a combination color.  Black & white has a long proven powerful association.  White combined with any dark color will give a gentile, powerful image.

When combined with soft colors it does the exact opposite and will further soften the pale color.

Mixing colors

Logos that combine colors are developing a further story for the reader.

American Airlines is saying we are bold but trustworthy.  Visa and Mastercard are both combining colors that show trust (dark blue) and orange (wisdom and success).  Pizza Hut is fun and casual, and Microsoft is all embracing.  There is a never-ending list of multi color logos.

Choosing two colors for a logo, or one, or three is not the most important part when designing the logo.  Also consider costs for reproducing 2, 3, and 4 color logos in printed material.  Consider management costs measured in time ensuring that staff, the media, suppliers reproduce not 1 but 2, 3, 4 colors correctly.

Create a story.  Every logo needs a story.  By using more than one color you should be adding to this story.

Tips and Tricks

Don’t try to reinvent the color wheel by using unusual colors.

Psychologists have documented that “living color” does more than appeal to the senses. It also boosts memory for scenes in the natural world.  Don’t create a new color just for the sake of it- a basic rule is that if you can’t find it on a Pantone color chart then don’t use it.  (Pantone is the universal color system used by designers worldwide).

Be careful when combining colors

A complex area of color theory is how color behaves in relation to other colors.  Compare the contrast effects of different color backgrounds for the same red square.

Red appears more brilliant against a black background and somewhat duller against the white background. In contrast with orange, the red appears lifeless; in contrast with blue-green, it exhibits brilliance. Notice that the red square appears larger on black than on other background colors.

Again the Pantone color system has numerous charts and books on which colors work best together.

Learn from famous brands

As a business about to embark on a new logo, of course you want to be different and you should aim to be.  Keep in mind that the world’s most famous brands have the world’s most famous budgets to research all this logo and brand psychology.  So learn from what they do, how they present their logo and how it is always intrinsically tied into their overall brand strategy.  Contact us if we can be of further assistance in your next logo project.

Written by Lindsay Frangs for Creativeblox.com Copyright 2007,  All rights reserved.