Have you ever wondered what colour means in branding? Let’s put it this way…
If you had to describe what brands look like, what would come to mind? Can you see the juicy red Coca-Cola colour? Maybe the dependable blue of Facebook? How about the comforting green of Starbucks? These colours weren’t chosen because it was someone in corporate’s favourite. No, marketers chose these colours because of their effect on your feelings, moods, and ideas.
Big brands know that colour is responsible for up to 60% of buyers’ decisions. That’s why they put their brand colours everywhere. You’ll notice them on logos, websites, advertisements, carts, and coffee stirrers. So what does that mean for you? You need to pay attention to your brand’s colour palette because each colour speaks to your values, attracting the ideal customers.
What Each Colour Means
Wondering what the psychology is behind colour choices? Here it is. Remember that other things can affect how a colour is perceived — culture, gender and age. The brightness, hue and tint can change the colour itself too.
Blue
Dependable, loyal blue is the most popular for logos and favourite colours. Blue is also easy to see, even for the 1 in 25 people who are colour blind. Hyperlinks are most commonly in blue, and 33% of corporations use blue in their branding. You’ll see it most often in finance (Visa), insurance (Blue Cross), and technology (Facebook).
Feelings: Calming, sincere, trustworthy, peaceful, serene, confident, reliable, secure, serene, confident, reliable, secure
Flavour/scent: Clean, ocean, sky, water, air
Associations: Sleep, technology, professionalism
Brands: Facebook, PayPal, Twitter, IBM, Intel
Hiraya Design Clients: Victoria Boyd (coming soon), Anika Rose Writes (coming soon), Pendleton St Florals (coming soon), Anna Mullens (coming soon)
Red
Red is the next most popular logo colour for companies, with 29% of them using it. It’s associated with energy, action, and excitement. You’ll see it in fast food (Coca-Cola), retail (H&M, Target), and entertainment (Netflix, Youtube), where urgency is important. It’s said to increase views, heart rate, and blood pressure, which, when used properly, can help you get clients excited about your brand.
Feelings: Bold, fiery, passionate, dangerous, strong, powerful, desirable, loving, energetic, exciting
Flavour/scent: Berry, cherry, rose, spicy
Associations: Romance, blood, stop signs, warning signs, danger
Brands: Coca-Cola, Target, Netflix, YouTube, H&M
Hiraya Design Clients: Red Lipstick Studio, Anika Rose Writes (coming soon)
Green
Green is nature’s colour, making it calming, clean, and wholesome. You’ll see a lot of green in brands niched in food (Whole Foods), cleaning (Seventh Generation), or environment (Animal Planet).
Feelings: Natural, fresh, growth, well-being, prosperity, health, hope
Flavour/scent: Mint, lime, green apple, pine
Association: Organic, healthy, plant-based/vegan, life
Brands: Starbucks, Whole Foods, John Deere, Spotify, BP
Hiraya Design Clients: Em K Smith, KAYU Aesthetics (coming soon), Colourfull Nutrition (coming soon)
Yellow
According to psychology, energetic yellow is the most standout colour. Yellow is friendly and approachable but can also mean caution. You’ll see it used often in retail (IKEA, Best Buy), fast food/junk food (McDonalds, Cheetos, Reese’s) or safety (caution signs, Stanley). Yellow is typically combined with other colours like red, black, or brown to create depth while keeping it eye-catching.
Feelings: Happiness, inspiration, joy, optimism, warmth, innovation
Flavours/scents: Banana, French vanilla, lemon, honey
Associations: Sunshine, summer, brightness, youthfulness, smiley faces, caution tape
Brands: McDonald’s, Snapchat, National Geographic, IKEA, Nikon, Best Buy
Hiraya Design Clients: Victoria Boyd (coming soon), ColourFull Nutrition (coming soon)
Orange
Combining the energy of red and the happiness of yellow, orange is a creative, enthusiastic colour. It’s associated with lower costs (Home Depot, Amazon, EasyJet) or entertainment (Nickelodeon). It’s also used in luxury brands like Hermes Paris. When combined with green or brown, orange can have an earthy, rugged appeal as well.
Feelings: Vitality, energy, optimism, warm, motivating, rejuvenating, confident, creative, courageous, friendly
Flavours/scents: Citrus, tropical, pumpkin
Associations: Fall, fire, brightening
Brands: Fanta, Dunkin’ Donuts, Nickelodeon, Hermès, Etsy, Home Depot
Hiraya Design Clients: Food Photography Corner, Victoria Boyd (coming soon), ColourFull Nutrition (coming soon), Kelan & Leyla (coming soon)
Purple
The rarest colour in nature evokes a sense of royalty, exclusivity, and wisdom. It’s said to encourage creativity and is often used in cosmetics (think skincare packaging), chocolate (Cadbury, Milka), and romance (Tiffany & Co, Hallmark).
Feelings: Luxury, honour, creativity, mystery, spirituality, magic, elegance, dreamy, moody
Flavours/scents: Grape, lavender, lilac
Associations: Royalty, status symbol of wealth, sleep
Brands: Hallmark, Crown Royal Whisky, Saie, Cadbury, Purple mattress, Yahoo
Hiraya Design Clients: Red Lipstick Studio, ColourFull Nutrition (coming soon)
Pink
Romantic, feminine pink is often associated with fun and confidence. It’s most often used by brands targeting women, such as Barbie and Cosmopolitan, but it can also be used to draw attention, like Lyft or T Mobile.
Feeling: Sweet, caring, feminine, gentle, intuitive, soft, imaginative, inspiring, quirky, girly
Flavours/scents: Florals, bubblegum, cotton candy
Associations: Barbie, femininity
Brands: Barbie, Victoria’s Secret, Lyft, Smart Sweets, Cosmopolitan, T-Mobile
Hiraya Design Client: Pendleton St Florals (coming soon), Victoria Boyd (coming soon)
Black
Few people look at a black product or logo and think it will be cheap. There’s a tradition to the colour while it holds its power and prestige. Think of most luxury brand logos like Chanel, Prada, or Coach. Or news outlets like ABC, The New York Times, or BBC.
Feelings: Elegant, sophisticated, mysterious, powerful, professional, sexy, serious, glamorous, refined, dramatic, authoritative
Flavours/scents: Smoke, charcoal
Association: Death, grief, coldness, luxury
Brands: Chanel, Nike, The New York Times, YSL, Mercedes-Benz, Bose
White
The simplicity of white is associated with intelligence and cleanliness. Think lab coats and blank slates. Apple’s innovation and intuitive design are clear with its white apple. Combined with black, white is the ideal contrast for a simplistic yet luxurious logo.
Feelings: Purity, innocence, new life, perfection, elegance, simple, peaceful, light, fresh, cleanliness, pristine, simplistic
Flavour/scent: Vanilla, clean, fresh linen, coconut, white chocolate, fragrance-free
Association: Faith, goodness, clean, minimalism, openness, peace
Brands: The Ordinary, Adidas, Uber, Apple, Nike
Hiraya Design Client: Food Photography Corner, Creator Collective Agency
Brown
The wholesome brown is perceived as durable and reliable. It’s not a shocking colour but can still evoke security — like the trustworthy UPS truck delivering your parcel or the Hershey’s chocolate bar satisfying your craving. You’ll also see brown used for logos of companies that sell brown things — chocolate (M&Ms), coffee (Nespresso), or leather and luxury (Louis Vuitton).
Feelings: Serious, dependable, grounded, supportive, cozy, comforting, authentic
Flavours/scent: Cinnamon, chocolate, woodsy, natural/rugged
Associations: Rugged/outdoorsy, warming, earthy
Brands: M&M’s, Hershey, UPS, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso
Hiraya Design Client: Food Photography Corner, Creator Collective Agency
Hiraya Design Colour Selection Process
If you hire a brand designer (hint: me!), you’ll get an entire colour palette of 6-8 colours categorized into base and accent hues. Base colours, typically 2-4 shades, are used most frequently and include a variety of light, dark, and mid-tones. Accent colours, on the other hand, are brighter and bolder, used sparingly for elements like CTA buttons or sale advertisements. All of these colours are important —just consider that changing CTA buttons from green to red increased Hubspot conversions by 21%.
When choosing your colours, I look for contrast (hello inclusivity, SEO, and various applications). I also look at the emotions and ideas behind each colour to align with your brand’s message and the target audience’s demographics and cultural background.
Want to see what this looks like? Check out my portfolio here.
