The Wonderful World of Brand Colours and Logo Design in 2018

The world of branding is constantly changing, with new and innovative methods entering our lives all the time – but how do we know if we’re doing it right?

The truth is, ladies and gentleman, that THE only way to test if your branding works is through trial and error. Scary, I know.
So we’ve combined our own knowledge and experience here at SEO CoPilot in order to provide you with the ultimate guide to brand colours and logo design in 2018.

Colour

Colour is arguably the most important aspect of brand image. There are billions of businesses out there, you need to make yours stand out. You may think that you can’t achieve this by colour alone, but I think you can. Pick a colour for your brand and keep it consistent throughout all of your marketing material, and you’ve created yourself a recognisable brand. Don’t believe me? What do you think of when you imaging the brand Cadbury’s? Yes that’s right – the trademark purple that they consistently use throughout their brand. What about Coca-Cola? Red – of course!

In a study titled ‘Impact of Colour in Marketing’, researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgement made about products can be based on colour alone. So the first thing a customer needs to see is a colour that makes them feel happy, excited, encouraged and, most importantly of all, intrigued about your products/ services.

Although colour has always been an important part of branding, I think it is even more important in modern culture than ever before. Why? Because technology is everywhere. You are constantly subconsciously taking in marketing messages where ever you go. You’re walking down the street, there’s advertisements on the side of buses, on posters, on merchandise, on billboards. No matter how hard you try, there is no getting away from it!

One of my go-to books on advertising methods, Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman, goes into more depth about the effects of subliminal advertising and how it is used. The fact is, if your brand stands out to customers, they are going to take note of the brand without consciously thinking about it. This may not land you customers right away, but it will ensure you are on the back of a person’s mind meaning they might be encouraged to purchase from you at a later time.

Why Is Colour Such a Big Influence?

Every colour means something to someone – red could connote anger, pain, or love; green could represent earth, nature or health; blue could symbolise trust, dependability or security. This means that you have to assess your target audience – their lifestyle, hobbies, past life events that may have changed the way they look at particular colours. What would your brand colour mean to them? Will it persuade them to take the next step to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter or purchase from you?

What I’m trying to say is your brand colour can’t just be picked out of a hat – it’s important. What first impression do you want to give your potential customers? How do you want them to feel when they see your marketing material?

Logo Design

Your logo needs to be a visual representation of your brand. It needs to be simple, but have enough detail to tell customers what your brand is about.

• Symbolic

This type of logo is just an image alone, meaning no text is used at all. Symbolic logos can have a huge impact on your audience, because they represent your brand, but they can also be interpreted in different ways by different people. You have to be careful, however, because the last thing you want to do is get negative publicity for your brand by offending a segment of the population. For example, the 2012 London Olympics logo was taken badly by many people, with some saying it looks like a girl on a computer, others suggesting the individual shapes spell out racist terms, and others just simply hating the design and colours. So think carefully about your logo design, make it as suitable for your audience as possible.

• Wordmarks

Wordmarks are logos made up of text alone, whether it be the full brand name, a shortened version or just the initials. This type of logo is often simplistic, however it’s not always a bad thing. More is less, as the saying goes. Wordmarks are a great way to get your company name to stick in people’s mind. It’s no good your target audience remembering an icon if they can’t relate it to your brand name in order to make a purchase. Initials are often used in logos, which is okay for established brands that are instantly recognisable, but if you’re opening a local hairdressers is anyone instantly going to link your initials to your brand? Probably not.

• Combination Marks

As the name suggests, combination marks are a mixture of both image and text. I think these types of logos are the most successful, look at Starbucks, Burger King and Pringles – they all use combination marks, and their logos clearly have an impact on their audience. Combination marks are a great way to get your business name heard of, but also to give your target audience a bit of an insight into what your business does – and more importantly, what your business can do for them. You have to take care when designing a combination mark, however, because add too many images, too much text, or both, and your logo can become overcrowded and messy. The fact is, nobody will pay attention to an overwhelming logo. So if you decide to go for a combination mark, keep it simple!

The Next Steps for Your Business

So now you know all you need to about brand colours and logos, all you need to do now is put it into practice and decide what branding would most suit your business and your target audience, and what impression does it give about your company. You also need to have an open mind when it comes to the ever changing society we live in, it provides a world of opportunity for you and your business!