A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, symbol or icon that serves as an identifying characteristic of a brand. Some of the best logos are often the visual representation of a specific thing or service. A logo is used to communicate your company’s identity, as well as an idea of the type of business you are in. Depending on the font types used and style of business logos, it may either be abstract or figurative, and may include text that is the name of the company or organization. With hundreds of thousands of logos available, it can be difficult for businesses to find the one that fits their unique product and matches their brand identity, but it is an important step that has to be taken for brand awareness as the logo design is one of the most important parts of a company’s overall marketing strategy.
A brand’s logo is the visual element of its name that helps consumers distinguish and remember it. Examples of logos that do this are the iconic mermaid from the Starbucks logo and the infamous apple seen on any Mac product, or even a high end logo such as the classic LV of Louis Vuitton. While it is subjective what bad logos are, the best logos are designed to be instantly recognizable and can be used for print, online, or other marketing materials. Creating a logo is a significant element that helps consumers identify the company and results in increased brand awareness and recognition. Your business logo is a key part of your branding and shouldn’t be designed on a whim as it is such a hassle to go through a logo redesign. Your business logo should reflect your organization’s values and personality. Its appearance affects how people perceive your brand, so it should be designed with your brand message and target audience’s preferences in mind. It can be difficult to come up with business logo ideas so don’t be afraid to seek help and reach out to a brand specialist or someone knowledgeable in graphic design for assistance.
To know how to create a logo, you must first know what the components of a logo are. The logo design is one of the most important parts of a company’s overall marketing strategy. It is the first thing people see and immediately forms an impression of what the brand is all about. The colors, font type, image, and tagline are the essential elements that make up a logo.
Colors are for visual impact and are crucial for a brand identity. According to the color theory, different colors mean different things. Logo colors convey your message in a way that is meaningful and easy to recall; they are the core communicators of your message and have a great impact on the way people see your brand. Your brand palette can be made up of a single color or several colors that go well together. Once you select the logo colors you will use, they will seep into other branding materials you create so it is important to take your time to choose them wisely and stick to simple combinations. Choosing colors that fit with the rest of your corporate identity will create a unified look throughout all your marketing materials. However, don’t be afraid if your logo needs to change over time. A logo evolution is not unheard of when it comes to brands. A popular logo evolution that springs to mind is the Starbucks logo, which has gone through many changes since its creation in 1971, but through all the variations its logo colors stayed the same.
A typeface is the design of lettering used to represent written language. It also referred to as a font or font type. Many businesses will choose specific font types for their types of logos. In logo creation and graphic design, graphic designers, or even a brand specialist, call this typography. Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. Your logo will consist of one or more font types, which will be chosen from an extensive selection of logo fonts, depending on your needs. In graphic design, artists will often use different typefaces as part of the logo creation process, which is why font is closely related with logos.
In this age of widespread digital technology, images are everywhere. An image is the visual representation of something in art. The image you use is an essential part of your logo design and creating a logo as it can tell the story of your company, product, or service. In your logo design, it can be anything from something you sell to a company mascot or a quality your company stands for. If you’re creating a product logo that is meant to be printed, be mindful that the file you use has been tested in different sizes so the graphic looks clear and when scaled across all of your products, packaging and marketing materials.
A tagline is a short memorable sentence or phrase that is designed to hook your audience and explain simply to your customers what your company does. It is often used as an advertising catchphrase to represent the unique personality of your organization. Typically, the tagline will be found below the graphic of a product logo. Having a memorable tag line is great for brand awareness. It could be difficult to come up with great one on the spot so don’t be afraid to recruit the assistance of a brand specialist when it comes to this. The right slogan can do wonders for your corporate identity and company profile.
Choosing the right colors for your logo can help your business stand out and attract the right customers. More than just an aesthetic choice, logo colors have a deep psychological meaning and they affect consumers in a way that goes beyond just how they look on paper. According to the color theory, colors can create positive or negative responses in us. They tremendous effects on mood and state of mind and can even trigger emotions. The emotions associated with colors often stem from our environment, but they are also ingrained in our biology and culture.
Considering all of this, it is now plainly understood how choosing the right color palette for your logo and brand is an essential part of attracting loyal customers. When you choose the colors you are going to use for your company, don’t just think about style and aesthetics. Think about how well they align with the message you are trying to convey. The colors you select will have a big effect on your brand’s identity, so take the time to choose colors that represent your company and its values because choosing your logo’s color palette is a critical part of creating the right emotional connection with customers.
It is great marketing to know your logo colors meaning. When choosing your logo colors, it is important to understand the relationship between colors and how they interact on the color wheel. The color wheel is a tool that can help you analyze the qualities of colors in your designs — helping you make informed decisions about what colors look good together, and which don’t work. Understanding color theory is critical to helping create a successful design. Consider a classic color wheel with six colors, each of which can be made by combining red, blue and yellow.
The first group of three being called primary colors are those that create warm colors; while the other group of three opposite from them on the spectrum are referred to as cool colors; these colors are created by mixing the primary colors. The basic idea is the warm colors are Red, Orange and Yellow because they remind of things that are warm like the sun or fire, and the cool colors are Green, Blue and Magenta because we liken its hues to things with cooling properties such as water or ice.
The warm color palette include reds, oranges, yellows, and similar shades. They tend to make you think of things that are warm, such as the sun or heat. Warm colors are associated with a feeling of excitement, passion, or playfulness. These colors can inspire and stimulate and are often associated with happiness and joy. Warm colors are commonly preferred by children because their eyes aren’t fully developed yet and their developing vision can perceive these colors better than other shades.
The cool color palette are characterized by blue, green, and light purple hues. They can calm and soothe the human psyche, providing them with a feeling of comfort. These darker hues tend to appeal to a more mature audience as well as darker colors tend to be associated with a spiritual or reflective mood. Adding to this, it is believed that the right shades of blue can relieve tension. Certain hues of green are also thought to provide many healing benefits as they can evoke scenes of nature and feelings of security and balance.
These are the questions one often asks when they start the process of creating a logo. One might even result to a logo website with a logo maker or a brand specialist with design services for help but you really don’t need to go through such lengths. The best way to choose your logo colors is to understand the relationship between colors and how they interact on the color wheel. Being aware of color relationships on the color wheel can help you make a better selection when it comes to logo colors. Knowing what colors mean and what colors work well together will help you in creating a logo that not only adheres to your company’s profile and aesthetic, but also reflects your beliefs and values in a pleasing way.
When you are deciding how to choose logo colors, decide first if you want something simple or complex. If you want to create a simple 2 color combination logo, you should use complementary colors. These are colors that go well together and sit on opposite sides of each other on the color wheel. When you pair them together, they produce high contrast and make for impactful, legible brand designs. Popular combinations are red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and purple.
Off the bat, red and green remind people of the most famous holiday of the year: Christmas. The bright red is perfectly balanced with a shade of green, creating just enough contrast to catch a consumer’s eye. Red is a powerful and attention-grabbing color meant to stand out while green is a cool color that symbolizes nature and the natural world. The combination of the two colors creates a dynamic and bold image, which is perfect for promoting a holiday or event. Well-known companies that use this combination are Heineken, Mountain Dew, and Krispy Kreme.
Orange is a bright and cheerful color that can be used to convey positive feelings. It indicates feelings of optimism, confidence, and enthusiasm. Blue is the calming and relaxing color. Its soothing nature has led it to be associated with intelligence, motivation, and responsibility. The colors together can share a fantastic company message. Brands such as FedEx, Mozilla Firefox, and Fanta use this logo color combination.
Purple and yellow are a great color combination for a classic yet unique logo. They are colors that have very different meanings. Purple is often associated with luxury and power while yellow is often associated with happiness and mental concentration. Paired together, the combination suggests a focus on success and achievement. It is a complementary logo color combination that is very popular with many restaurants and sports teams. Some logo examples that use this combination of colors in their logo are Hallmark and Taco Bell. Notable professional sports teams that use this color combination are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Richmond Royals.
For business logos with more than 2 colors in its palette, people in graphic design tend to look into analogous or triadic color schemes. These will be 3 colors that go well together. The best colors for a logo tend to follow this structure.
Analogous means “sharing the same color” or “sharing a common undertone.” Analogous color schemes are combinations of colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. These are colors that go well together and are generally quite harmonious and create a sense of balance. Analogous color schemes are often found in nature, where one color dominates and the others complement its depth. Think of a rose — deep red paired with shades of green.
Triadic color combinations are compositions of colors that are found equally spaced on the color wheel. To achieve a triadic color combination, simply draw a triangle on the color wheel. The colors will sit opposite each other on the color wheel, creating equal amounts of light and dark hues. The 3 color combinations colors chosen will often create dynamic and vibrant palettes and can work well for a company that is looking for a more eye-catching design. When creating a logo, remember that there is no rule of thumb in what a professional corporate logo looks like. It can be as imaginative or as traditional as you desire, especially if you think it matches your brand identity.
The three primary colors of the color wheel can give you a huge color palette to work with. The three primary colors of the color wheel are red, yellow, and blue. They are the most recognizable colors in the world and arguably some of the best logo colors. When used together, they can create a vibrant and striking look for business logos that people find hard to resist. Some great logo examples of this are seen in logos of popular restaurant establishments such as Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Sonic. The combination is so good that they are even the colors of Superman’s iconic suit and on the logo of the Pittsburgh Steelers!
What do the colors on the Steelers logo mean? While the aesthetic appeal of these colors speak for itself, the logo colors also have a great symbolic meaning and psychologic influence. Red symbolizes intensity, enthusiasm, passion, and strength. Yellow stands for optimism, happiness, and positivity. Blue represents calm and intelligence; it is also known to soothe people. These logo colors combined together can create a great message for a brand. However more than this, the psychology of these colors can actually affect the way people interact with your business.
The ‘Red and Yellow’ theory, or ‘Ketchup and Mustard’ theory, is based on the idea that red and yellow are the two colors that make us hungry. Red stimulates the appetite and yellow rouses our excitement and joy. Combined, they are the perfect color combination for making people hungry for food. This is why these colors are such a popular color combination in restaurants or food products, as seen in the business logos of dining establishments and food brands such as McDonalds, Lays, and Denny’s. The color blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity and is often seen as a sign of stability and reliability. Combining this color scheme suggests hunger for delicious food at a reputable eatery you can trust. It is undeniable that these 3 colors that go together are a winning combination. This is the power of color psychology and how brands use it for marketing.