Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
You’ve started to think about your brand look and feel, but how do you go about choosing the best colour palette for your logo? The right colours can give customers an introduction to your business values and aesthetic, but there are a few other factors to consider, such as colour association, trends and what colours look good together. In this article we’ll take a look at what logo colours are favoured in the UK, and get advice from one of our designers on how to pick the best colours for logo design.
According to our UK survey, blue and green are the colours that were most strongly associated with being trustworthy. This is often why businesses such as banks and insurance companies will incorporate one or both of these colours in their logo. In contrast, yellow and red were the colours most associated with feelings of being alert and catching attention. An example that uses this combination is Royal Mail, whose iconic logo uses both colours to stand out.
Interestingly, different colours are preferred by different age groups.In our survey, Gen Z (people aged 18-24) rate black as the best logo colour, whereas those aged 25 and over prefer the colour blue. This is worth keeping in mind as you decide on a logo colour. Depending on your audience demographic, the right logo colour could help you stand out as being more relevant.
The best colours for logos according to the British public:
- Blue
- Red
- White
- Black
- Green
We sat down with our UK Art Director, Adam Fulton, to talk about logo colours and how you can choose the perfect logo colour combination for your business.
What are some best practices when it comes to choosing logo colours?
Firstly, do some industry research. Have a look at the logos of your competitors and the giants in your industry. You’ll no doubt see similarities between a lot of their colour choices. This is no accident. Colour psychology can be an important part of choosing company colours. For example, as we saw above, in the financial industry you will see a lot of blues, as blue is often associated with trust and security.
My second piece of advice is to choose colours that reflect your company’s personality. Consider what personality you want your business to reflect to your target audience when choosing your logo colours. If you haven’t done so already, think about which attributes you would use to describe your brand to someone else.
Is it fun or serious? Affordable or luxurious? What colours best represent that personality?
If your company’s personality is fun and playful, making use of bright, vibrant and happy colours might be your best bet. If you are selling luxurious products, think more along the lines of rich, dark colours with golds or silvers.
How do you choose a logo colour combination?
When choosing your logo colour scheme, think about contrast. Having some darker colours paired with lighter, contrasting colours will go a long way. It’s likely the colours you choose for your logo will also be used across your website, social media pages, print materials etc., so you want to have colours that work well together.
Another good tip is to decide what your main colour is going to be and work from there. Once you have your main colour, you can use a variety of tools and techniques to decide which colours can be used in combination with it.
One of my favourite tools to use is a colour wheel. You probably remember them from school! Colour wheels use a combination of colour theory, art and science to explore which colours work well with others. Usually colours that are opposite each other on the wheel will look striking, or you can choose different hues of one colour to create a more subtle effect.
There is a lot of information online about colour wheels and colour theory, including colour wheel tools to help you make your choices.
What logo colour trends have you noticed?
The logo trend I see the most is simplicity, both in colour and form. Your logo will have to work on a variety of platforms and be recognisable at all sizes in today’s world. For this reason, you won’t see many logos with 3 or more colours in them, or a very complicated form which is difficult to identify at small size.
What’s your advice for making a logo feel timeless?
Timeless logos are difficult to create, even for designers. It’s the holy grail. Focus on making it simple and recognisable. Although colour choice is important for your logo, you should always try and make sure your logo works in black and white as well.
Your logo and brand colours are about reflecting your brand personality and connecting with your target audience, so try and avoid using your personal favourite colours for your logo and instead think of what colours with resonate best with what you’re offering and what your audience expects.
VistaPrint Tip
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Ready to create your logo? Work with a professional designer to help you get your look – and your brand colours – just right. Check out 99designs by Vista.
Vistaprint and the Vistaprint logo are trademarks of Cimpress plc or its subsidiaries. All other brand and product names appearing in this article and survey may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders to which Cimpress plc or its subsidiaries has no affiliation with or sponsorship from.
