Color Theory

The Psychology of Color in Logo Design.

As a designer I work with color every day. Color is one of the most powerful communication devices that designers use. It offers an instantaneous response in the form of non-verbal communication and helps convey meaning in and messaging in logo design. So it is highly important for design professionals in all fields to use color appropriately and understand the meaning behind the colors they choose in their projects.

Our minds are inherently wired to respond to color in certain ways, and we are programmed from an early age to respond to color based on cultural ethnography’s as well. Color helps to shape our feelings and emotional responses to visual stimulus, and according to studies, color affects more than just our mood.  Color has the ability to change our buying habits as well. Studies have shown that color can invoke as much as an 80 per cent change in motivation when it comes to online shopping, advertising, and marketing campaigns.

While the perception of color is in many ways subjective, there are some color effects have universal meaning. The infographic below from Canadian design firm Muse is a great example of how different colors are perceived in relation to logo design. Just a little food for thought on Monday morning.

color-psychology-in-logos

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PPG 2014’s Color of the Year, and 2014 Color Predictions.

Making the call for “The Color of the Year” is a pretty bold move, but if anyone can do it PPG can. PPG has released their color predictions for the 2014 market in a 100 page PDF that is available for download on their website. So what is the color of the year? Butter Cream Yellow.

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PPG’s recently published its 2014 Global Color Trends book, is an overview of PPG’s collective forecast for color use in building and decor, automobiles, consumer electronics and aerospace. The book was produced by the company’s global team of color experts, and is accessible online at http://www.ppg.com/globalcolortrends, or if you prefer to have a printed version, you can order it by contacting Dee Schlotter of PPG at schlotter@ppg.com.

The book details color families trending across industries and geographic regions, and it showcases five color trend ‘stories’ for 2014.

Hi-Breed emphasizes a new design harmony between man and nature with a palette consisting of neutrals, pastels and bright hues.

Mosaic is based on the wealth of artisan and craft patterns, shapes and prints, as well as their strong colorations.

New Spirit reflects earthy, primitive, raw colors as well as a new consciousness.

Magnifigance combines the words magnificent and elegance, and the palette recaptures extravagant, dramatic styling and opulent, regal colors.

Theorem is a precise and minimal palette that uses rich brown, purple and deep blue as accents for balanced neutrals.