So you’re setting up a new business and you’re going to need a logo . . . but you’re struggling to find out what are the best logo colours to choose. . .
. . . and you go online to look up colour theory . . . and psychology . . . and you might even search for The best logo colours 2017 . . .
. . . trouble with that is. . . how long do you propose your business is going to last then? . . . what the heck happens in 2018 . . . or 2019 . . .
. . . . if the best logo colours change next year. . . does that mean your whole logo needs to be re-colourized? . . . (I’ll expand on this later) . . .
but generally the answer lies in the words of my 11 year old son . . . . “ Hell No! whoa whoa” . . .
. . . your logo needs to be a solid and stable emblem that is durable and long lasting across decades. . .
. . . which is probably why I would advise you to steer clear of researching the best logo colours for 2017 (or whatever the current year is).
And those charts that explain the hidden meaning behind certain colours . . .
. . . take a step back and think for yourself . . .
most of the colour representation we use comes from colour associations that are solid and and long lasting across decades. . .
. . . natural colours that are unchanging and unchangable . . . so they mean the same thing every year.
. . . and if you stop and think about it you already know all this stuff . . . but its what all the charts will tell you . . .
The best logo colours associations
Green – [Grass, Trees, bushes, leaves, gardens, luscious fields and countryside ] . . . for nature and eco natural calm soothing.
Blue [sky, water, sea, freshness, cool, cold, ice, refreshing] – often used for cleanliness and hygiene, natural bottled waters.
Purple [royal rich luscious quality expensive / feminine, magic] – associations come from the fact that purple dye was originally extremely rare, and thus expensive and only royalty could afford it.
Some colours can have almost opposite meanings, Red [danger, fire, anger or love and passion]. . .
. . . Yellow too [brighness, sunshine, flowers, or illness, warning] can mean different things in different situations.
Brown [dull earthy, autumnal, sweet, rich warm chocolatey, sweet] again different associations.
So yes there are the obvious ‘safe’ associations . . . but if you look around different brands and products, you’ll find every colour in every sector . . .
. . . as manufacturers try to appeal to us and make their products and colours stand out on the shelves to compete for our attention.
So instead of trying to use the best logo colours for 2017 maybe you should make sure you do the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing.
Do best logo colours even matter that much?
Because your logo colours, and therefore your brand colours . . . will span across the defines of what is best for a particular year, and also will everyone elses . . .
. . . then from this perspective the best logo colours defined by an online chart do not matter that much . . .
. . . it really does not matter what colours you choose. . .
However, from the perspective of that best logo colour being part of your business and branding for as long as that business is a part of you . . .
. . . then the best logo colour you choose really does matter a lot . . .
The definition of the best logo colours will be different for everyone, and will not relate to a year . . . or necessarily a sector either. . .
. . what mattersis what is the best logo colours for you . . . is it a colour that you like? . . .
. . . because if you like it you will be able to feel a passion for it, you will therefore also have an affinty toward the logo design that uses it . . .
. . . so you will be able to smile with pride, proffer and push and glow with positivity when you hand over your branding material that will be adorned with your best logo colours . . .
. . . you will also be able to stand tall and wear it well when you are dressed in your uniform /business branded T-shirt that is dyed in your best logo colours.
Changing your best logo colours each year?
to expand on my previous comment . . . if the best logo colours change next year. . . does that mean your whole logo needs to be re-colourized? . . .
I would not recommend doing the whole logo in a single colour that changes each year . . .
. . . in order for this to work you would have to be able to build up brand recognition quickly and have a strong texture or image based logo, so that the colour was almost secondary.
If you really have a strong desire to follow the trends,
. . . then maybe something to consider would be a cleverly designed logo which had a strong base of black only / or black and white with a single element that could be picked out in a particular colour . .
. . . maybe a shadow, or an outline, or an underscore, . and that element changed each year to a new colour. . .
. . . maybe by suffixing the year upon your logo (in that years colour as well) then each change would be more perceptible to your clients . . .
A good way to justify your choice as the best logo colour for that year would be to choose the Pantone colour of the year
. . . you would have to commit to it of course whatever the colour (convert it to its closest cmyk split for cost effective printing) . . .
. . . but done cleverly, it could be part of your marketing. . . in a loosely similar vein to how google recreate versions of their online logo on specific significant anniversary days.
Choosing your best logo colours
So now you are not restricted by what you colours you think you should be choosing you can go with your gut . . .
. . . instinct will tell you what is acceptable / you feel comfortable with in your particular business sector . . .
. . . and the rest is down to what you like.
Choose colours that are around you in your office, your clothes, it doesn’t really matter, and then match it to a professional referenceable colour
. . . get hold of a pantone colour reference book (your graphic designer will have one), or . . .
you can http://www.pantone-colours.com/view pantone colours online here (on screen representations are not as accurate and are dependent upon the calibration of your monitor)
you can also look up colours and find the closest equivalent for HEX [web] and CMYK [print] at the pantone colour finder website.
How many best logo colours
- I would recommend 2 – 5 colours as the best guide for a logo.
- If in doubt select a few more and play around with how they work, you can always delete some later.
- Remember these colours need to be used throughout all your branding and every bit of marketing and promotional or print that you produce so think about which colours will work best for which things.
- You might need to add grey or black for additional things like text printing on your flyers and website
- And once you have sorted colours, don’t forget about choosing your fonts as well . . . . google fonts is a great place for free web friendly fonts you can download too.
- If it all gets a bit too much ask a graphic designer for some help. . .
This blog is created and written entirely by Linda Wild Thanks for reading. Linda x
