How to choose colors in Branding

Red is the color of life, passion, love, but also of violence, danger and anger. It conveys energy, vitality, enthusiasm, determination and willpower, courage and independence.

The quintessential red brand is Coca-Cola, which chose this color because it is part of its history. Indeed, in the past, Coca-Cola was often sold in kegs to grocery stores and pharmacies. However, spirits were also distributed in barrels, so to distinguish itself from these it began to paint its barrels red. Red thus remained as the company’s iconic color and today helps remind its consumers of the drink’s vibrancy.

The Levi’s logo has a completely different story; it was in fact born monochromatic and depicted two horses trying to snatch a pair of jeans, the quality test that used to be performed. The logo we know today, “Levi’s” on a red background, first arrived in the 1950s. In this case, Levi’s chooses red to recall, as in its original logo, the strength and durability of its denim.

Formula 1 also exploits red in its latest logo, and it does so to symbolize the speed, passion, and dynamism that are inherent to the sport. The logo dates back to 2018, the year of the advent of Liberty Media and the relaunch of F1, and consists of an F, symbolizing two cars racing side by side, with their respective trails, and the 1, symbolizing the finish line.

Over the years, the Netflix logo also underwent major revolutions, and red first appeared in the 2000s as the background color. The current logo dates back to 2014, and two years later the single “N” was also made, using various shades of red. Netflix began using red to create a sense of excitement and urgency in viewers, but red, in this context, also harkens back to movie red carpets.

Orange is a particularly inspiring color that is associated with energy and achievement and can convey optimism, joy and complicity but also vitality, strength and belonging.

Among the proposed orange logos is that of Fanta. Fanta was born during World War II as an alternative to Coca-Cola to invigorate tired soldiers. Its orange logo is mainly due to the color of oranges. In fact, in the logo, the color is in the background, filling a circular figure, reminiscent of the shape of an orange. Fanta, therefore, chooses orange to evoke the color and vibrant taste of its beverage.

After the joint venture that brought Wind and Tre together, the logo for the new company was born, which is the result of a mix between the two previous logos. The shapes and font echo Three’s logo, while the orange color comes from Wind. Wind, in fact, has always adopted orange because it is a color that communicates warmth and connectivity, reflecting its mission to bring people together through telephone networks.

Easyjet, after various colors used over the years for its logo, decided in 2004 to use orange as its background for the first time. This logo was intended to convey a sense of energy and excitement, in line with what was the airline’s marketing strategy. Indeed, Easyjet, despite being a low-cost airline, promises exciting and safe adventures, making travel affordable for everyone.

Burger King‘s classic logo, featuring a sandwich split in half and the name placed in the middle, appeared only in the late 1960s and was revived almost the same in 2021. In the most recent logo, the color orange is used to depict the bread, while red is used for the lettering. The choice of these colors, previously used in similar shades, stems from a desire to maintain a connection with its history and traditions.

In tradition and common sense, yellow is the color of light and sunshine, of happiness and hope, of positivity, energy and good cheer. Yet, for some it also has negative meanings: it is often linked to jealousy, cowardice, and deception.

McDonald’s embraces yellow in its iconic “M” to evoke happiness and friendliness, inviting the public into a welcoming environment. The “M” in the logo is inspired by the famous golden arches that characterized the chain’s establishments of yesteryear. The yellow of the logo, in fact, comes from there: those yellow structures were designed to attract the attention of passersby and entice them to stop. Here they became the company’s hallmarks from that moment on.

Another brand that uses yellow in its logo is Post-it. This logo is, in fact, composed not only of the brand name but also of the slips of paper themselves, which are yellow in color. The choice of color in this case was the result of a random circumstance: while its inventor was working on tests he needed something to take notes on, and at that time he had only yellow paper available. Lo and behold, the first and original Post-it notes to take shape were indeed yellow.

In the Chupa-Chups logo, yellow first appeared in the 1960s, within what is still today the shape of a flower. The logo was designed by the unique and inimitable Salvador Dali. It was also Dali’s idea to put the logo on the top of the lollipop, so that it could be more cheerful and fun. Chupa-Chups see their birth in Catalan territory and, in fact, the colors used for the logo are those of the Spanish flag.

Lay’s, finally, has chosen yellow since 1997 to recall the tasty chips it produces and because it is a color that represents energy and happiness, aspects it wants to convey to its consumers. The round potato chip in the background is meant, in fact, to symbolize the sun and, in front, a red, curved ribbon contains the white trademark.

Green is the color of nature, so it represents life that continues and renews itself. It is a sign of balance and growth and that is why it is associated with youth.

Starbucks is the first among the brands we suggest for this color. In 1987 the logo was transformed by adopting an essential design and the color green was introduced to represent freshness and prosperity. The figure depicted is that of a mermaid who, in Greek mythology, was known to attract sailors. Thus the image of the mermaid was used with the intention of representing the seductive character of coffee, which similarly attracts men to it.

The second logo is Sprite. Sprite is a colorless lemon and lime-flavored soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company in response to the success of another equally well-known soft drink, 7up. In fact, the color green refers back to the color of lime and is therefore also used in the logo to remind consumers of the drink’s composition.

Spotify‘s logo, on the other hand, features a unique green that makes it engaging. It is an avocado shade often associated with nature and growth. The lines represent the synergy between Internet connectivity and music. Indeed, the use of the circle and curved lines remain key precisely because they convey connection and inclusiveness, themes dear to the platform.

Finally, Tic-Tac is a brand owned by the Ferrero Group, which owes its name to the noise that the candies make inside their packaging. The color green is used from the very beginning and the trademark is inscribed inside what looks like a leaf; hence the use of the color green. Ferrero chose the leaf to characterize Tic-Tac’s logo because it is reminiscent of mint candies, its flagship product and also one of its most popular ones.

Blue is the color of coolness, calmness, the sea and silence. But it is also the color that most represents peace and tranquility, loyalty and balance. Despite being a cold color, on a psychological level it evokes security, reliability, serenity.

For Facebook, the choice of color for its logo was anything but ordinary. In fact, Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, recounted that a few years before founding the social network, he discovered that he had a form of color blindness that made him insensitive to green and red. For this reason, he chose blue, as it is the color he can see best.

In 1912, the Ford car company decided to include Henry Ford’s signature, which had been used previously, within a colored form. In fact, white and blue were chosen, and from then on they became the signature colors of Ford’s visual identity. Specifically, for the company, the color blue represents strength, perfection and grace, while the white color of the lettering represents nobility, elegance and purity.

Blue in Samsung first appeared in 1993, with the appearance of its first cell phones. The old logo consisted of Samsung embedded in a blue elliptical shape, a color known to convey reliability and commitment. In addition, the blue slanted ellipse is meant to recall the celestial vault and the universe, because the brand name itself means “three stars” in Korean. Next, the logo is simplified: the elliptical shape is removed and only the word “Samsung” in blue remains.

Finally, Paypal‘s logo has changed only three times in more than 20 years, this is because the company wants to give continuity to the brand and maintain a high level of user trust. It was in 2014 that the latest logo originated, coinciding with the introduction of the new interface. The color blue, which has been present in Paypal’s logos from the beginning, symbolizes openness, communication, and is meant to give users confidence.

Purple, arising from the mixture of red and blue, is the color of metamorphosis, transition, mystery and magic. It is the color of spirituality and indicates the union of opposites.

Yahoo! first used purple in 2009 and the color has been maintained to this day with subsequent logos. Yahoo! chose purple for its logo mainly for branding reasons. This color can be distinctive and easily recognizable among other colors used in the logos of competing companies. This color choice, therefore, helped give Yahoo! a unique visual identity and distinguish the brand in the online landscape.

Twitch‘s logo, on the other hand, is a true time travel back to the 1980s. It, in fact, echoes the aesthetics of video games from those years, and even the color purple is derived from them. Twitch’s icon, called “Glitch,” represents a cube with one corner cut off and with two slits that look like eyes, representing a kind of cute 80s-style comic strip.

As a global fast food restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine, Taco Bell chose purple to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and even luxury, distinguishing it from other fast food restaurants. Moreover, the name is derived from the combination of the name of its founder, Glenn Bell, and the most famous Mexican dish, tacos. In general, the company wants to be modern and remain in demand, therefore, the colors chosen are for Taco Bell synonymous with originality and unrepeatable style.

In 1984, Milka‘s lilac became the brand’s official color, but it was in 1901 that the first Milka chocolate bar wrapped in a purple wrapper was produced. The owners chose lilac as their logo and brand color to distinguish themselves from their competitors and to be easily recognized by consumers. On the shelves, in fact, among black, red and brown, purple stands out along with the brand’s “mascot,” the purple-spotted cow.