How many colors should a logo have?

 

Logos are everywhere. They are the best way to brand products and organizations so that they are easily recognizable. One of the essential aspects of this logo appeal is the color palette. Let’s just quickly run through the proper color designs that can make it attractive without overdoing it.

Keep it Simple!

This is probably the most critical principle to keep in mind during the design process. While this may sound obvious, logo design templates can be very tempting because they allow the user to customize the logo with any color of choice and in any manner that they wish. This, therefore, can easily lead you astray hence you need to actively make an effort to keep it simple. Of course, colorful designs are OK when designing mascots which can be loosely categorized as logos but you will still need to keep the main logo simple to avoid an overdone color explosion.

To keep it simple, simply minimize the number of colors used on the logo design. A logo should not contain more than 3 colors unless of course. While these are editable to suit your personal preferences, it’s always best to observe the recommended colors to avoid messing up your logo appearance. Both commercial use logo designs and personal ones can be derived from templates in any desired color tone. Let’s take a look at the kinds of color palettes so you know what to look for when choosing the logo color palette.

Warm Colors

Warm colors are distinctly attractive and can grab the attention of the audio quite easily. They possess a high red value in design which gives the warm effect. They are therefore ideal for the new brands that are seeking to establish themselves on the market. They are however mostly associated with less somber organizations hence they are not exactly ideal for every company.

Cold Colors

This color category is predominantly blue and, as suggested by the name, it has a much less warm effect on anyone who views it. It is however more ideal for formal businesses that need a more serious aura for their clientele. While it doesn’t attract stark attention, it is more user-friendly and tends to be easier on the eyes than the warmer colors. A perfect example of such a color application is Facebook which has enjoyed wide success due to its comfort-inducing blue theme for its logo and app designs.

Monochromatic

This color approach is much more sophisticated and quite intriguing when applied to logo designs. It is a single color design that varies in shade from one point to another. The change is gradually effected for an aesthetically pleasing visual effect. This approach is ideal for brands that want to vary their logo designs from one campaign to another or in different periods because it allows creative changes without actually changing the logo color.

Analog Colors

Analog color designs for logos are very much similar to the monochromatic approach. They are, however, actually different colors that are closely related such that they can blend almost seamlessly without any stark variations. They are ideal for color-theme-based logos that prefer to keep a general color tone for the logo or the whole business brand.

Complementary

This color design approach is aimed at giving the end product a distinct color variation to grab the attention of the audience. It is not very eye-friendly but it’s good at attracting attention. It features complementary colors on the extreme ends of warm and cold colors such as blue and yellow.