Colour carries meaning
Colours come with associations. Blue is often read as calm and dependable, green as natural or growing, red as energetic or urgent, black as premium. These are tendencies, not laws: they change with culture, with the industry you’re in and with the colours your competitors already use.
The most useful question isn’t “what does this colour mean?” but “what will this colour help us say, here, to these people?”
Stand apart from your market
Look at the brands you sit beside. If every firm in your sector is navy, a confident alternative can make you instantly recognisable. Being distinctive is often worth more than being conventionally “appropriate”.
Start in one colour
We design every logo in black and white first. If a mark only works because of its colour, it isn’t strong enough. A logo will be embroidered, engraved, faxed, photocopied and shown at the size of a browser tab, so its shape has to carry it.
Colour then adds character and recognition to a mark that already stands on its own.
Keep the palette tight
- One or two main colours for the logo itself is usually plenty.
- Build a wider supporting palette for the rest of the brand, so the logo doesn’t have to do everything.
- Make sure the logo has approved versions for light and dark backgrounds.
Contrast and accessibility
A logo with low contrast against its background will disappear, especially for people with low vision or colour blindness. Check that the colours stay distinct from each other and from the backgrounds they’ll sit on, and don’t rely on colour alone to tell two elements apart.
Screen and print
Colours behave differently on screen (RGB and HEX values) and in print (CMYK and Pantone spot colours). A bright screen colour can look flat in print. We specify every version of a brand colour so it stays consistent wherever it appears, and record them in the brand guidelines.
If you’re creating a new identity or refreshing one, see how we approach brand creation, or get in touch.