There are few aspects in design that are as vital as color. Color can evoke reactions, emotions or even action all without using words. You all unwittingly do it when you choose your favorite shoes that match that shirt just right or relax in your favorite room in the house it helps to lighten or dampen your mood. The combination of colors sets the mood of your design and activates the strongest emotional trigger in most logo designs. Colors are strongly linked to emotions in the human psyche. Different moods are attributed to different colors and you can use these different colors to achieve different ends.
Two of the biggest powers behind color is the ability to evoke emotions and the psychological meaning that helps to inform choices. Picasso had it right when he said “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”
Let’s take a look at some of the emotions colors:
Red
Red is a warm color that has been traditionally associated with love, hate, passion, excitement, and intensity. This is the reason you see a lot of car ads, or anything related to love or hell using some shade of red. As it’s also been associated with danger or bad behavior, red can also be seen as a status symbol “that you have arrived” like when used at red carpet events.
Yellow
Yellow is considered on of the brightest colors and tends to be used to invoke joy and caution. It’s commonly associated with happiness, optimism and often used when you want a bright pop of happy energy. Yellow is an incredibly attention-grabbing color and it’s regularly used in construction signs.
Blue
Blue often elicits stability, trust, and serenity, however it’s also associated with sadness. The meaning and symbolism of blue can be heavily reliant on the shade of blue. Light blues can be refreshing and calming while dark blues are great for corporate designs where reliability is a featuring trait.
Orange
Orange, in its purest form is vibrant and bright, gives off an energetic vibe similar to yellow, but is much more subdued in comparison. It’s commonly used to evoke feelings of friendliness, confidence and warmth. Orange can be ideal for designs that want to give the feeling of being “cozy” and warm.
Green
Unsurprisingly green, a cool-toned color is considered as earthy and has been associated with freshness, safety, and growth. This is why you’ll see most nature, healthy food, related companies use green for their branding. I know you have probably heard the phrase “green with envy” so alternatively, green can also represent envy and jealousy. Going with the same theme as “abundance”, green can symbolize wealth especially in countries where their currency is green.
Colors are one of the most simple yet most powerful aspects of a logo. Some people take it for granted, but color choices should always embody the personality of your brand.
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What color do you think reflects your brand?
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