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Color Rules for Logo Design, Branding, and Web Design

Updated: Sep 13, 2021


Logo Design:


When designing a logo, always start with black and white. If you are re-designing a logo, stick with the company's brand colors. If you are determining the brand colors for the company, first research competition colors, and colors associated with the product or services they are selling. When it comes time to add color to the design, a general rule of thumb is to add 1-3 or keep it black and white. There are exceptions to the rule. For example, the NBC logo is rainbow-colored. Make sure to test how the logo looks on mockups based on application to check for any visibility challenges concerning your chosen colors.



Branding:


As mentioned in logo design, make sure to research thoroughly everything about the company you're determining colors for. If need be, create user profiles to determine a target audience. Here are some questions to spark strategic thought:

  • Where are you selling your product or service?

  • Is there any taboo or inappropriate colors?

  • What social influence affects who would be attracted to the color?

  • What emotions do you want your clients to feel when they see your brand?

  • What marketing materials do you plan on using?

  • If a product, what is the packaging shape?

  • How will lighting affect the visual aspects of your brand?

  • How do the colors look if someone has a vision impairment?

  • Have there been over-used colors in your field?

  • Why would someone choose your products or services over similar ones?



Web Design:


Web designers are dealing with RGB colors (read more) and hexadecimal colors, which means look different the same colors on paper or fabric goods will register different to the eye. Like logo design, if the company has brand colors use those. Avoid colors of the same lightness or darkness being next to each other. For example, avoid black and navy-blue next to each other; the shapes or text blend together, making the image indistinguishable. If you are unsure if there is enough contrast among your graphics, use this contrast checker: https://coolors.co/contrast-checker/112a46-acc8e5. Also, think about legibility. Use darker colors for small text on a light background or white for small text on a dark background. Don't be afraid to step back from the computer screen to see if you can still read it. In addition, you want to create enough contrast between sections. to step back from the computer screen to see if you can still read it. In addition, you want to create enough contrast between sections.



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