What the Color of Your Logo Says About Your Business

Business Invoice

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Would you ever buy a toy for your toddler in solid black packaging? Would you trust your hard-earned money with a bank with a bright kiddy logo? Wouldn’t it feel odd to be biting into a burrito surrounded by greenery?

We live in a colorful world and, believe it or not, color has an enormous impact on business and consumerism. Don’t buy it? According to research 93% of purchasing decisions are made on visual perceptions with a whopping 80% of people agreeing that color increases brand recognition. Luckily, you can use this information to design the perfect logo to attract the right customers to your brand. We’ve broken down ROY G BIV to give you the tools to design your perfect logo:

Red- Exciting, Attention Grabbing, High Energy and Passion

You’re driving down the road and what do you see? KFC, McDonald’s, Wendy’s... Before you see red and start cursing about how many fast food restaurants are taking over your town, stop to think that maybe they got your attention over gas stations, supermarkets and post offices because of their bright crimson signage. Logos in red scream energy and are sure to catch the eye of your consumer. And before you raise a red flag just yet, saying you can’t use scarlet because you don’t sell food, think of the Red Cross- they need as much attention as possible and call on people to act with charity donations.

We recommend using red logos for food and beverage companies as well as technology companies.

Blue- Secure, Calm, Honest and Trustworthy

On the opposite of the high energy red, blue hues are calming, relaxing and provide a sense of high quality to a brand. Brands like Ford are classic American brands that people have trusted for over 100 years. Think it’s out of the blue that healthcare companies like Met-Life use cobalt? When it comes to your health, you need full trust in your doctors and insurance to keep you alive and well. Credit card companies such as Visa also rely on blue to convey a sense of security when dealing with your money and personal information.

We recommend blue for businesses that create hand-made products, operate locally, deal with health/medicine and provide financial services.

Yellow- Playful, Optimistic, Adventurous, Enthusiastic

Can you not smile when you see bright yellow? Social apps such as SnapChat saw the golden opportunity to portray their app as playful with a yellow logo while the bright logos of Post-It and Bic can cheer up any dreary office. Brands that offer products for creatives, such as Best-Buy and Nikon, can appeal to imaginative adults through their golden branding.

We recommend a yellow logo for companies that are creative, want to appeal to children, and create household products.

Orange- Happy, Sociable, Friendly, Affordable

Strolling down the children’s toy aisle and seeing tons of tangerine? That’s no accident as orange is associated most closely with products designed to make you happy. Nickelodeon is so synonymous with orange that their Kids’ Choice Awards features a carrot-colored carpet instead of the typical red. And don’t think orange is reserved for kids- companies that cater to adult hobbies (such as Penguin Publishing) also feature the color. This cheerful color can even help your customers believe your product is more affordable, a clever trick used by e-commerce behemoth Amazon. Orange you glad that now you know the power of orange?

We recommend orange for technology products and children’s products.

Purple- Imaginative, Creative, Nostalgic, Playfulness

If there’s one fast food chain that breaks the mold of the red logo it’s Taco Bell. But with their playful food inventions (who else would think to create a taco shell out of a Dorito?) it’s easy to see how purple suits their company. Quite literally, live game streaming site Twitch also cloaks their logo in plum to promote playfulness. Aside from being playful, purple is also the color of nostalgia, so it’s no surprise that Hallmark, a company that directly profits off of emotions, would pick this hue for their advertisements. By picking this color your business will without a doubt be born into the purple of respected businesses.

We recommend using purple for brands who wish to advertise specialty products and lifestyle goods.

Green- Health, Growth, Natural and Organic

Even though you may have a green thumb when it comes to business, the connection between health brands and green logos should be clear. Interestingly enough, McDonalds in more healthy-conscious Europe features the iconic yellow arches on a green background instead of the traditional red in order to rid the company of it’s unhealthy stigma (they still sell Big Macs and McFlurries however). Subway, with their notoriously disgraced former spokesman, created an entire campaign stating that their sandwiches help you lose weight. While a global phenomenon now, Starbucks’ logo underwent a major rehaul in 1987 and added green in order to promote growth and freshness. With the trend of businesses being eco-friendly using green can lead to your own tremendous growth.

We give the green light to businesses that sell health products, food, and household items to use green in their logos.

Black- Sophistication, Luxury, Intelligence, Classic

Every year fashionistas come out saying “orange is the new black” or “plaid is the new black” but let’s face it: nothing can replace black. Black screams elegance and better yet, goes with anything. That’s probably why black is used by most clothing labels such as Adidas, Chanel and Nike. Want a logo that won’t age like the BBC and New York Times? Black and white is the perfect combination. With 28% of businesses using a black/greyscale logo you can be sure that a dark high-contrast logo will put your business in the black and add some green to your bank account.

We recommend using black for clothing companies and businesses that sell high-end products.

Multi-Color- Positive, Playful, Bold

It’s hard to believe nowadays but back in the 90’s Apple was bordering on bankrupt before Steve Jobs rebranded the company to include color. Not only did they introduce the new iMac in five crazy colors (referring to their competitor’s computers as bland, beige and boring), they were equipped with matching-color logos. Monster media companies such as Google and NBC have taken advantage of rainbow designs, passing advertising expectations with flying colors. Better yet, only 5% of businesses use more than two colors in their logo so by using a multitude of hues you will stand out in a sea of plain red, black or blue advertisements.

Multicolor logos are recommended for start-ups, media companies and businesses that sell technology.

With advertising, the customer is always right so it’s necessary to know how they will respond to your logo. It’s not so much as which color you think looks pretty, but more so how they make your customer feel. Now that you’ve taken a basic lesson in color science it’s time to get out there create a riveting logo for your company. Don’t forget that once you create your masterpiece logo you can upload them to your invoices at Invoice Home to increase your branding power. Grow your brand and improve your businesses by using our 100+ invoice template designs that can show your customers your true colors.

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