How to choose the colour for your logo

Choosing the right colour for your logo is not as easy as it sounds. A well-chosen colour should convey values that are in line with your brand image, values that will be subconsciously perceived by your customers and contribute to brand awareness.

 « Colour is a power that directly influences the soul. » – Wassily Kandinsky

The first step is to formalise your brand identity by defining your brand platform. This will enable you to answer the following questions and prepare your choice.

What is my brand's personality?

What are the distinguishing features of your company that you want to highlight? innovation, efficiency, robustness, balance, creativity, optimism, sophistication...

Who is my target audience?

The way colours are perceived varies according to the average age, gender and culture of your audience. For example, generally speaking, men prefer bright colours and women prefer softer colours.

The symbolism of certain colours can also vary from one country to another: in France, white is the colour of marriage, while in certain Asian countries it is associated with death. If your brand is international, you will need to take into account the cultural specificities of the countries in which it is visible.

Dare to be different or fall in line?

In the collective unconscious, a sector of activity is often associated with a colour. Green immediately springs to mind for agriculture, blue for the medical sector, and so on. It can be interesting to respect these codes to position yourself as an "established" brand, or on the contrary to break away from them and dare to be different to stand out from the crowd.

This choice will depend on the strategy you wish to develop. In both cases, a preliminary study of your competitors and their colours is essential.

If you would like advice on your strategic positioning, our team is at your disposal

Colour symbolism

You've thought about your brand's personality, defined your target market and considered your sector of activity? Now you're ready to make your choice.

Here's a summary of the symbolism of the main colours in our Western cultures and the sectors of activity with which they are associated.

• Black: elegance, sophistication, power but also seriousness and sobriety
  Related sector: luxury, law
• White: purity, freshness, lightness, cleanliness
  Related sector: health, well-being, luxury
• Grey: professionalism, stability, credibility,
  Related sector: technology
• Blue: wisdom, tranquillity, confidence, stability and intelligence
  Related sector: medical, finance
• Green: nature, ecology, growth, health and healing
  Related industry: agriculture, environmentally friendly businesses
• Red: power, youth, love/passion, energy and confidence
  Related industry: sport, children, food
• Yellow: enthusiasm, joy, warmth, vitality, creativity
  Related sector: High tech, automotive, the colour of action.
• Violet: success, ambition, beauty, but also mystery, magic, imagination
  Related sector: luxury, beauty

What's next?

The colour of your logotype is only the first building block. The next step will be to use it to design a harmonious and distinctive colour palette which, along with other elements such as typography, will form the foundations of your future graphic charter.

Thanks to a clear and unique brand image, supported by a charter that structures your media in a coherent and harmonious way, your customers and prospects can easily identify you. Creating a logo and its graphic charter requires special knowledge and skills, which are rarely available in companies.

Entrusting this task to the agency's graphics studio is a much better solution!