Until you have been at this a few years, picking colors seems like a trivial thing. The truth is though that most small business owners pick colors that make them look like . . . small businesses.

If that’s what you want then good job! You did it!

But if not, let’s make some changes.

Website Colors

 

Let’s take a quick look at a few different websites. Here are a couple of screen shots of larger successful companies:

And here is an example of a smaller business’s website:

Notice a difference? Small (primarily male founded) businesses tend to have dark backgrounds with bright text colors while larger more established businesses tend to have a lighter color (usually white) background and black text.

Why is that?

Well, I think the dark websites are primarily because they look “cool” and masculine.

The lighter websites are easy to read and help keep the reader in a happier mood. Believe it or not, as a rule of thumb you will get grumpier reading on a dark background with lighter text than a light background with dark text.

Colors 101

Picking colors is a full art/science unto itself and I am not going to go into all of it here, but I will layout the general things to consider.

Everyone knows that color psychology exists, and when we thing about it we can make a few pretty good intuitive guesses about each color; you know, yellow is cheerful and green is calming. But there is more to selecting colors that are great for a logo.

So you have two options. . .  you can go and get a pHD in color psychology, or just read on and get the jest of it.

 

Red	Everywhere, this means excitement. That can take the form of passion, anger or emergency. Think of brands that are load, playful, youthful or modern (Virgin jump to mind?) then you should be starting down the path of red.
Orange	Think playful here. Just imaging a saleman in an orange suite. He’s either crazy or hilarious. Want to stand out from the crowd? Shown youthful energy? (Tangerine), then think orange.
Yellow	Yellow is a soft kindness of a close friend. This is a cheery color that no doubt has it’s intuitive roots in sunshine.
Green	Green is REALLY versatile. There are just so many types of green! Think finance, gardening, clean energy, and so forth. It is really a safe choice quite often.
Blue	Consider blue the King of the Colors! Did you know that over half of logos have blue in them! Blue is steady and trustworthy, full of maturity. If you want to be taken seriously, true blue is the color for you. (Think IBM)
Purple	Purple is a rare one. It’s primary trait is luxury, cutting edge and wise. . It has a bit of the youthful fun of orange but not so outlandish, and has a hint of femininity.
Pink	Usually pink means “girl”. But when used appropriately it has other tricks too! It really can move a luxurious look with a touch of modern youth.
Brown	Want to be rugged? Most people go with a deep green, but brown can be much more powerful. Brown is masculine and serious. As one of the most underutilized colors, you will stand out from the crowd.
Black	Slick, modern and luxurious. Black is . . . black. The nice thing about black is it is also really cheap to print! But if you want to look affordable, stay away from black.
White	Usually white is used as a secondary accent. It claims the title for economical brands, but is present everywhere.
Grey	Grey is a real middle ground. Think classic here with a dab of maturity and seriousness. Darker greys add mystery and lighter greys show accessibility.

Logo Colors

So what does your brand stand for? What do you want your clients to feel when they see you?

• Speed
• Innovative
• Professional
• Skillful
• Safe
• Kind
• Efficient
• Compassionate
•  

Remember, you don’t have to pick just one. Most well done logos don’t (IBM being a major exception . . . and for good reason). But please don’t go color crazy.

Get circle infographic here https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/logo-color-meanings/

Lastly: Try to stand out. Look at your competitors and learn from their logos, but don’t copy them, try to be different (but better different).

A Few other Considerations for Logos

• Think about where you will use the logo. For automotive stickers, you pay more for more color as well as for shirts and hats
• Does your logo need a solid edge for a badge (like a car logo needing to go on the front of a car) or is an open logo acceptable
• Complexity can be hard for the mind to process. Simple logos work the best.

Thanks for reading and share with your friends! Let me know any other advice that you have for colors.