Logo colors: how to choose brand colors that help you sell
Color is the first thing a customer notices, often before they read your name. A well-chosen palette makes your business easier to recognize and remember. Here's how to choose logo colors step by step, without theory you don't need.
What colors communicate
Colors don't have one universal meaning, but some associations are widespread. It's worth knowing them, so you can use them on purpose or break them on purpose.
- Navy and blue: trust, calm, professionalism. Common in finance, law and tech.
- Green: nature, health, sustainability, growth. Florists, landscapers, physical therapy, organic products.
- Red: energy, passion, urgency. Food, sports, sales. Tiring in large doses.
- Orange and amber: warmth, optimism, approachability. Great as an accent for buttons and details.
- Yellow: joy, attention. A great accent, but hard to read as text on white.
- Black and graphite: elegance, prestige, modernity. Fashion, beauty, premium brands, architecture.
- Purple: creativity, luxury, spirituality. Cosmetics, education, wellness.
A brand palette is 3–4 colors with roles
Instead of hunting for one perfect color, build a small palette where each color has a job:
- Primary: logo, headings, text. It must be dark enough to read well on white.
- Secondary: a calm companion to the primary, for backgrounds and icons.
- Accent: a lively color for buttons and highlights. Use it sparingly, on about 10% of the surface.
- Light background: a very pale tint for website sections and cards.
A simple ratio that works: 60% light background, 30% primary, 10% accent.
Try it on your own logo
Type your business name and the logo maker shows three logos made for your industry. Free, no sign-up.
Create a free logoCheck contrast before you commit
A color that looks beautiful in a swatch can be unreadable on a website. The WCAG accessibility guidelines recommend a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. You can check it with free contrast tools by entering two HEX codes. Light yellow, light green or pastel pink rarely pass as text colors, so keep them for accents and backgrounds.
Colors by industry: inspiration, not a rule
| Industry | Common directions | How to stand out |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting, law | navy, bottle green, gold | deep burgundy or graphite with a warm accent |
| Construction | yellow, orange, black | graphite with one bold accent |
| Café, bakery | browns, creams | terracotta, olive, deep green |
| Beauty | pinks, black, gold | cool sage, sandy beige |
| Tech and software | blue, purple | dark green, graphite with a neon accent |
| Health, physical therapy | teal, green, white | navy with a warm accent |
An industry color helps customers quickly understand what you do. An unexpected color helps them remember you. The best approach combines both: a safe primary color and a bolder accent.
Write down your color codes
Record each brand color in several systems, so it looks the same everywhere:
- HEX (e.g. #1A1A1D): website, social media, Canva.
- RGB: office software and presentations.
- CMYK: printed business cards, flyers, packaging.
- Pantone (optional): when exact matching matters, e.g. for signs and apparel.
Put the codes in your brand guidelines and share them with everyone who creates materials for you. To learn which logo files to send your printer, read our guide to logo file formats.
Common mistakes
- Too many colors in the logo (more than three).
- Light text color on a white background.
- A different shade on every material because nobody wrote down the codes.
- A logo that only works in color. Always prepare black and white versions.
In the markignite logo maker, every concept comes with a palette whose text contrast has already been checked, and you get the HEX, RGB and CMYK codes with your files. Read more about designing the mark itself in our 10 rules for a good logo.
Try it on your own logo
Type your business name and the logo maker shows three logos made for your industry. Free, no sign-up.
Create a free logo