Whether you are planning to design a new logo for your brand or give your old one a facelift, color is an influential aspect to experiment with. But of course, you need the right one. There’s no one-color-fits-all approach after all! One way to simplify this will be to understand the popular color associations based on color psychology, different cultural interpretations of colors, and the way different colors are associated with different industries. 

In this blog, we’ll particularly discuss color choices based on what feels relevant to your industry. 

Before we talk about this, let’s talk about logo design from a brand identity standpoint. Why is a logo so important to brand identity? 

Logo design – 5 reasons why it’s a dealbreaker in brand identity 

Well, a brand is more than its logo. And brand image or a brand’s reputation will be so many little things summed up. But a brand’s logo definitely has an important and irreplaceable place in all this. Want to know why? We’ll give you 5 reasons: 

1. First and foremost, it is about first impressions. A logo is the first thing most people notice about a brand and you want this first impression to be a lasting one. 
2. Your brand logo introduces your brand to your customers. It tells them what your brand offers or what your brand values the most. 
3. A logo tells your customers how professional and reliable your brand is. A poorly designed logo does not send the right signals about your brand. Will you take a brand seriously if the brand does not take its logo design seriously? 
4. Visual elements are easier to remember. So, if your logo manages to accurately summarize your brand, there’s a strong visual element for your customers to remember your brand by. 
5. The quality of your logo, its relevance to your brand can all influence your brand image, the perceived value of your brand. 

Okay, so the logo design is important. But why is the color of the logo a big deal? Do you think your logo will have the same impact if you change the colors? Probably not. Let’s talk about the significance of color in logo design. 

Reasons why choosing the right color is important in crafting a logo 

• About 85% of purchase decisions are influenced by colors alone. When there’s a feature-packed smartphone released, have you noticed that some colors sell better than others? And this is despite the fact that everything under the hood remains the same in all these variations. That’s a good example of how people subconsciously judge products and make decisions based on colors. So, you need the right color on your logo which is going to act as the face of your brand. 
• Colors and emotions have an unshakeable connection. You’ll want your logo design to evoke all the right emotions and therefore you need the right colors in it. 
• Your logo color has another critical role to play and that is brand differentiation. It helps you show your customers how your brand is different from your competitors and why your brand is worth considering even in a crowded market. 
• The right colors in your logo help humanize your brand by establishing your brand personality. For example, a kids’ fashion brand cannot appear formidable or too formal. So, subtle colors, pastels, and warm palettes work better than more serious colors like black. 

Kimp Tip: Your logo color often forms the basis for your brand colors. And we know that brand colors are foundational blocks in branding. So, use the right strategies to choose your logo colors, in other words, your brand colors. 

For a few quick tips on choosing the right brand colors check out the Kimp blog here. 

Best logo color – 6 ideas to explore in 2023 based on your industry 

Having spoken about the role a logo plays in brand identity and the role a logo color plays in a logo’s success, let’s talk about choosing these colors, shall we? To make the decision simpler, let’s talk about different industries and the most popular colors in each and then talk about ideal combinations to try. 

Does the industry a business belongs to have a role to play in the choice of logo colors? To answer this, here’s a little activity for you. Visualize a logo design for a technology company. And now visualize a logo design for a restaurant. What colors did you visualize these logos in? If you chose blue for the tech company and perhaps red/yellow for the restaurant, you are not alone! 

Over the years, with several brands choosing certain colors, we’ve learned to associate specific colors with specific industries. Or at least there are some colors we just do not imagine for specific industries. Would you find it easy to accept an all-red logo for an organic vegetable store? That’s how the rapport between industries and logos works. So, we’ll give you a few examples of popular colors across a few industries to help you shortlist your options for the best logo color more easily. 

1. Healthcare 

Blue, a color known to evoke trust happens to be one of the most popular colors in the healthcare industry. Lighter tints of blue are also known for their soothing effect. So, using this color in your logo means that you can use the same as the primary color in your hospital branding to create a calm ambiance. 

McKesson is one of the leading names in the healthcare industry. But the brand also caters to medical technology solutions. It has an interesting take on the traditional wordmark logo style. While playing with the baseline of the letter creates an element of interest, the pop of orange gives the logo a fresh contemporary touch. And orange is a bold color that’s rare to come by making this logo unique and memorable. This shows how little details can make your logo more interesting. 

A combination of green and blue or their tints and shades work too. Remember to add a visual difference in the form of a monogram or a symbol or even an illustrated element to your logo in order to make your brand stand out. Here’s a logo that uses these colors in a unique way. 

2. Retail

Retail brands are meant to be warm and welcoming so that customers keep coming back to them. Retail purchases are more frequent than purchases made in most other sectors. And therefore these logos are meant to be easy to relate to. Considering all these aspects, warm colors make a great choice for retail. 

Yellow is one of the most popular warm color and you’ll find it a lot in the retail industry. The signature yellow spark in the Walmart logo as well as the bright yellow of the Best Buy logo are good examples of the use of yellow in retail. 

Orange is another warm color that is great for retail businesses. Think of the orange arrow in the Amazon logo. It does not just add a pop of color to the corporate logo but also directs your attention to the brand message of delivering everything from A to Z. 

3. Finance 

The two popular colors you might see in the finance sector are blue and green. Of course, these might appear in combination with black or white for a more balanced look. 

Blue makes a good choice because it embodies trust which is a must-have factor in the finance sector. You want people to trust your brand and see it as a professional and reliable name in your sector. The logo of VISA is a good example of finance companies using blue in their logo. 

Green is a color often associated with money. ? Why, even the Money-Mouth Face emoji uses green to represent money. Given this common association, green is one of the best logo color choices for a business in the finance sector. NerdWallet deals with personal finances. And it uses a monochrome green logo. 

4. Beauty 

The beauty industry is one where you can get really creative when it comes to color choices. Take cues from your brand’s USP (unique selling point). In general, red, pink, gold, and purple make great colors for the beauty industry. 

If your brand caters to luxury skincare and cosmetic products, then an exquisite color like gold will be a great choice. In fact, adding a glossy touch to your logo will make quite a difference. In the Lux logo, the gold color adds a touch of luxury. 

Red is another great color since it is associated with love and passion. So, it makes a good choice for a brand selling products that pamper women or make them feel “loved”. Softer tints of red look more pleasant in beauty brand logos. Or if you wish to establish authority for a brand that has been in the beauty sector for a long time, you can also use darker shades of red. 

Pink and tints and shades of pink have an effect similar to red when it comes to beauty brands. Pink is also associated with femininity and makes a graceful choice for beauty brands catering to a female audience. 

If you are redefining your logo color in 2023, the Pantone color of the year 2023, Viva Magenta is also a good choice to explore. Because variations of Magenta are not very common. So, with the right design, Magenta makes your logo look vibrant and unique. 

Kimp Tip: The above recommendation of considering Pantone Color Of The Year is only because the color happens to be a beautiful choice for beauty brands. In general, it’s better to prioritize timelessness over trends when it comes to logo colors. 

5. Food and beverage 

In the umbrella of food and beverage, there are several kinds of businesses and different colors work for these. 

For example, the color red is known to induce a sense of urgency and therefore makes a great choice for fast-food brands or even restaurants focusing on takeaways and quick-bites. The red KFC logo is the perfect example.

Red can also be used in combination with warm colors like yellow to create a more cheerful impression, as with McDonald’s which attracts a family audience. 

Brown, an earthy color, also makes a good choice for the food and beverage industry. It also feels relevant to specific products like coffee and chocolate. However, remember that brown on its own might dull. So, adding a fun mascot to complement the design or adding an extra warm color instead of using brown as the sole primary color will make the logo look more welcoming. The Cracker Barrel logo does this perfectly. 

You might also see green in the food and beverage industry, especially for businesses catering to organic products or fresh produce. For example, it makes an apt choice for a salad bar. 

6. Technology 

Blue is one of the most popular colors for tech companies. You might find a lot of tech companies using shades and tints of blue or even a monochromatic combination of blue in their logos. Black and gray are also used, often in combination with blue. 

What is the color blue associated with? Credibility and knowledge – both of which are perfect for tech companies. You want people to trust your brand when you introduce new technology and trust your expertise in the area. So, blue makes a great color. Don’t believe us – look at the logos of popular tech companies in the world and decide for yourself. 

Kimp Tip: About 40% of Fortune 500 companies incorporate blue color into their logo. Which means that this is quite a common color. So, if you choose blue for your tech company, you need to find creative ways to create brand differentiation. There are many ways to do this:

• Use gradients to add an interesting dimension to your logo 
• Add a combination of different shades – this helps keep the color palette simple while also differentiating the elements or setting priorities. 
• Use a stylized lettermark logo – a sleek monogram also looks on branded merchandise. 
• Add symbols or imagery to simplify brand messaging through your logo. As you see in the below example. 

Need help designing dapper logos for your tech company? Sign up for a Kimp subscription. 

Get Kimp and create a unique design with the best logo color 

Now that you have some inspiration for choosing the best logo color for your brand, are you ready to change the way you approach logo design? Having a dedicated design team who understands your brand and executes all your branding designs starting with the logo will make a huge difference to your design process. What’s an easy way to do this? Get an unlimited graphic design subscription with a dedicated design team, like Kimp. 

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