Colors are among the most important components of any small business branding. Perhaps, you have already heard of color psychology that tells us that each color affects our behavior and emotions differently. For example, green is calming and this might be the reason we love staring at bunches of leaves or lying in the green grass. It is used often on free logo design templates related to eco-friendly and nature products. On the other hand, yellow is cheerful because the sun is yellow and bright. So, by choosing the right colors for your small business, you can make your logo design brand look approachable. Below are the 8 best colors you would want to try for your small business branding.
1. Blue
Blue represents maturity and trustworthiness and you can use it to brand your small business if you want people to take you seriously. One great thing about the color is that it is the king of colors and it appears in nearly half of all business logos. You can choose the color for your brand if your goal is to ensure trust or exude classic confidence. However, it is not a good choice for people in the foodservice industry. If you must use it, you will have to find a way that will prevent its fading to the background. When possible, choose a light blue.
2. Black
Black is the color to go for if you would want to look luxurious, slick, and modern. But if your goal is to look affordable and economical, you have to avoid it. Unlike other colors like orange and purple, which are wavelengths of light that we can see and differentiate, black is the absence of light. The color is as old as light itself but it always feels modern. The simplicity of this color is jarring and gives logos a mystery and exclusiveness feeling that any luxurious brand can capitalize on.
3. Red
Red is the sign of passion, excitement, and anger. This color can draw attention and help you stand out from the crowd after including it in your branding. It has been the color for youthful, playful, loud, and modern brands. However, if your brand is mature, serious, or classic, this might not be the right color for your brand.
Research shows that red is the first color that babies see besides black and white. Scientists also believe that human beings evolved to see red color better than the other colors because it helps them identify fruits on trees easily. The color developed a stronger evolutionary meaning too because the human faces turn red when they are emotional with passion or anger.
Today, people also associate this color with heightened emotion, such as anger, sex, love, and passion. Red is further known to stimulate appetite and this is the main reason you will see it in most restaurant and food logos. You can use the color alone or as an accent color when branding or designing your small business logo.
4. Orange
Orange is another good choice when branding your small business. The color is invigorating and playful, something that will help you stand out from the crowd. While it is used less often than red, the color has an energetic punch. Still, the color is not a good choice for brands that would want to look serious or luxurious because the color does not invoke the traits of consumers.
A combination of yellow, red, and orange will take both the traits of primary colors. Initially, the color was known as yellow-red and the word orange was taken from French after the importation of the fruit from the Mediterranean. People associate orange with change – think of the orange skies at sunset and sunrise or the autumn leaves. The color has been a choice for brands that would want to appear different.
5. Green
Studies show that green is not associated with brand personality traits but it is among the colors with strong cultural associations. Generally, the color stands for the natural world and it is for that reason vegan, eco-friendly, and natural wellness brands use it in their logos. However, you can use this color regardless of the type of your business.
Plants are green and they continue growing after winter. Therefore, many people believe that green is the color of new life or growth but also poison and greed. Historically, this color represented death in most cultures. Some people believe that it was responsible for Napoleon Bonaparte’s death because his walls were all covered in green-dyed wallpaper.
In the United States, people associate this color with money because dollars are green. The color will work for almost any brand. Use it to build meaning through the shade, hue, logo shape, and font of your choice.
6. Gold
Gold is the color of wealth, extravagance, excess, and riches. The color also shares many attributes with the color yellow. The color is warm and it can be either cheerful and bright or traditional and somber. It is a cousin of the color brown and orange and it is associated with love, illumination, courage, compassion, passion, wisdom, and magic. You can use it in your small business branding to represent elegance and prestige. When used with purple or green color, it will symbolize wealth and pedigree.
7. Silver
This metallic refined color of riches has many cool properties but it is more lively, fun, and playful. It is associated with the meanings of high-tech, sleek, industrial, ornate, graceful, glamorous, elegance, and sophistication. It is believed to mirror the soul and help us ourselves exactly how others see us. It represents hope, meditation, unconditional love, tenderness, mystic visions, kindness, psychic abilities, and insensitivities. This color is ideal for small businesses that sell tools and home gadgets. You should not use it on your website because it is considered dirty.
8. Purple
Purple is associated with luxury and it is, therefore, a good choice if you want your brand to look wise and cutting-edge. The color gets its luxuriousness because it is historically very expensive and only the wealthy people wore it. One of the interesting things about this color is that people see it as an excessively serious color. It is the best choice if you would want to depict your brand as playful and expensive.
Conclusion
The meaning of every color comes from the collision of art, science, and culture. Three things dictate how your customers respond to every color and color combination. They are the learned cultural associations, aesthetics, and evolutionary programming. The above eight colors are worth your consideration when understanding the complete product naming process and branding your small business.
