Colour is the most important element in a design, especially the logo. Colour is also the most complex element to determine in the designing process. We should mind the composition, audience target, and match combination in other eyes.  Now, we are about to discuss how to select a colour to make the audience interesting.

1. Look After Targeted Audience

The audience always changed from time to time. To determine the right colour, you should mind their age, gender, and their live-environment. For example, colour in the RedBull logo at http://vectorpic.com/tips-membuat-logo-yang-baik.html, there is a red colour which presents courageous. The product was targeted to young man, so they choose blue as package colour.

( Red Bull Logo )

In contrary, for kids, you should take vivid colour to make them interesting like the storybook below. It shows many colours but it still maintains harmony. Character and letter effects can catch their eyes. So, they will have the desire to buy it.

( Ugly Duckling Kids Storybook )

2. Background Colour

Background colour in our logo or design is an important element too. The background will affect people’s focus on the object we present. Background colour can categorize to 4 types.

a. Solid Colour

The solid colour background is suitable for complex design or logo. So, the audience will focus to logo instead of the background.

b. Gradient Colour

Gradient colour may beautify your design. It also makes the audience focus on an object. For example, in the logo above, our eyes will focus on the object.

c. Textured Background

Textured background can make the logo looks more complex. So, make your object as simple as possible. It can be the main focus and point of interest. The textured background doesn’t have to appear as a pattern but also as grain and grunge.

d. Textured + Gradient

Texture and gradient effect can give a complex impression in our design. As gradient, the textured background also makes our eyes focus on the object.

Besides the 4 colours mentioned above, background colouring is important. Background colour should not more attracting than the other colours we present. The bright background colour is appropriate for the dark object like examples above. In contrary, the bright logo is suitable for the dark background.

3. Colour Harmony

Colours in our design have to contain harmony. For logo designing, it is better to put a colour only but you can add up to 3 colours. Compare to other colours, yellow is the best colour to make a combination.

( Smartfren Logo )

( IKEA Logo )

For example, the IKEA logo which has a colour inverse of red proper to combine with yellow.

Perhaps, we often confused to choose the right colour for our logo design. The solution is we can get inspiration from nature (like a combination of green leaf and brown from a tree branch) and visit websites which provide colour composition like http://www.colourlovers.com/palettes or http://paletton.com/

Writer: Wawan Hermawan