Category — Color

I’ve always contended that there are only 2 strategic ways to view color as it pertains to logo design. The first by personality, the second by differentiation.

Archetypally each color connotes a certain personality. Therefore it is wise to chose a color that best matches your corporate personality. And by personality, I’m not referring to a subjective “what do you personally like” process - it’s not about what color the CEO likes and wants to paint his/her kitchen. It’s about determining what you want to communicate about your company, leveraging what a color connotes to and affects your audience, and employing that color to tap into that meaning as you communicate to your audience. If you don’t, you run the risk of unconsciously sending mixed messages. For example, if you’re corporate personality is summed up  as “self-confident, risk taker, passionate, and impulsive” over ”down-to-earth, reliable, and empathetic,” red would be a more strategically valuable choice over blue. Blue does better at representing “down to earth” traits, and red is better at more “aggressive” traits.

Choosing a color based on it’s meaning as it relates to your personality is the ideal way to choose a color for you logo. But it’s not the only strategic consideration.

The second way to look at your color is competitively. Your competition creates a context for how communications are perceived. For example, let’s say you’re a well-establish insurance company that could confidently describe your personality as “down-to-earth, reliable, and empathetic” and easily conclude you’re a “blue” company. While that may be true, blue may not be the best choice for you. I would recommend you check your top competitors to see how they represent themselves with color. It may be the case that all (or most) of your competitors are already using blue. When everyone communicates they’re “down-to-earth, reliable, and empathetic,” then no one is (effectively).

If that’s the case, consider a more granular analysis of your personality. Look at your personality as it relates within the context of your industry in contrast to your competition. You may find yourself more aggressive or innovative than all the other “blue” guys, and may allow you another strategic option to exploit. Maybe you’re the “red” company within your “blue” industry and competitive context. If so, it would certainly help to tap into the archetypal connotations that “red” can do for you, and immediately differentiate you in a sea of blue.

Color is a very basic, easily overlooked, but important aesthetic behavior. It can help you establish an appropriate and memorable “suit” to wear as you compete for potential customers attention.

Those are the 2 ways I’ve always viewed strategic logo colors, but recently have been challenges by a couple redesign candidates that have undermined the above thinking. One of the two redesign candidates has Cherry in their name, and the other has the word Blue as part of theirs. The immediate short-cut is how do you not recommend and use cherry red or blue in their respective logo design? Strategically, it would be at odds to suggest otherwise, right?

My thinking is that the immediate color/name relationship is too convenient, immediate, and powerful to impose any other strategic recommendation. Both clients think I’m over-thinking the color issue. A strategic communication partner thinks that archetypal color that best fits needs to be explored regardless of name.

Maybe I’ve stubbled upon a worthy truism that short-cuts all other strategic considerations. Maybe it’s a convenient cop-out to avoid an uncomfortable client change to recommend. Or maybe there’s a 3rd direction to explore that involves the logo color separate from the overall corporate color palette.

September 26, 2008

Color helps establish a unique mood; whether it’s exciting, calming, serious, playful, trusting, etc. It’s another way to communicate subtle and even subconscious qualities. While there are certain cultural exceptions, each color has it’s own archetypal effect on humans. This is true because of optical science and also because of our existence on earth is full of predominant color tones such as sky, earth, grass, trees, water, etc.. It’s hard not to find a human that doesn’t find a clear blue sky above them calming, for example.

In my experience, I’ve found a high percentage of small businesses believe choosing a color for a logo is “fun” and only think it’s about what they like. As if we’re just picking out a tie to go with an outfit. If a logo is to reflect and advance what it’s representing, and if we accept that color helps establish a mood, then why is such a subjective and arbitrary decision making process in play? Mostly because the lack of tools, I think. Here’s a test that that can help get a constructive conversation started about what color is of highest quality for your logo. It’s simple, free, and admittedly not comprehensive or perfect, but since 99% of us can’t afford to hire Landor, or the like, it’s of higher quality than the myopia of the “because I like red” argument.

To find out what color to best employ in a quality logo, choose from one of the six personality descriptions that best labels what your representing:

a. Self-confident, risk taker, passionate, and impulsive.
b. Enthusiastic, likes to meet new people and discover new ideas.
c. Luminous, idealistic, and very curious.
d. Down-to-earth, reliable, and empathetic.
e. Trusting, trust-worthy, sensitive, calming & deep.
f. Spritual, unconventional, and enigmatic

Once you’ve chosen the description that best fits, see which color best fits your personality:

a. red
b. orange
c. yellow
d. green
e. blue
f. purple

While it’s not a comprehensive way to assess, research, and analyze your corporate colors, it’s a key step in toward selecting color(s) based on more objective means vs. an arbitrary opinion that may misrepresent. Keep in mind this is a quick and free way to measure what color would best fit. In deciding your color, please consider other contexts such as current equity, competition, and culture. Also consider factors that help legibility and reproducibility too.

Good luck!