A brand’s logo is its core. These logos were not created overnight.

These brands have built lasting relationships with customers in their respective industries. Through thoughtful branding decisions, strong logo designs, and strategic branding,

This article will explain the psychological and emotional implications that color, shape, and font have on logos. This will help you create a more durable and strong design.

Why choose some brands over others?

Picture yourself shopping at the grocery store for ingredients for your favorite recipes. What makes you choose the brands that you buy?

Even though you might not realize it, emotional and psychological factors can influence your purchasing decisions.       

Why do we choose certain brands?

• Familiarity
• Loyalty to a Brand
• Self-identification
• Social identity
• Status
• Emotional associations

Peter Noel Murray, Ph.D. says that emotions can affect what we buy. Murray said that brands are perceived in the same way people perceive others when they evaluate them.

The brand’s identity must communicate to potential customers who it is and what it stands for. People often make decisions based on their instincts and emotions.

Imagine that you are back at the grocery shop and they have outgrown your favorite product. You’re back at the grocery store and they have run out of your favorite product. What are you going to do?

The psychology behind the logo design

Let’s start by looking at psychology and how it affects logo design. This is a complicated process that requires attention, research, and precision.

No matter if you’re working with a designer, or making your logo, you will be able to work more effectively. It is important to understand the meaning of certain shapes and complementary colors.

What message does your logo convey? How do you want people to think about your logo design? These questions are essential to consider when designing a logo.

Let’s take a look at some ideas to help you design your logo.

Symbolism

In just 10 seconds, a logo can be understood by customers. It takes consumers just 10 seconds to understand a logo.

Symbols are a part of our collective consciousness. You can write, draw, or shape them, but they all have a universal meaning. Keep this in mind while designing your logo.

Differentiation

Research shows that product differentiation refers to marketing activities that make it stand out from other brands.

You can also use logos to distinguish your brand from other brands. This is an easy way to make your brand stand out from the rest by using a unique logo that fosters emotional connections between customers.

Priming

Priming is the process by which our brains create associations or connections with other memories. Psychology Today This phenomenon occurs when a stimulus has a conceptually related word or image. 

Effective logos can trigger perceptual and memory processing. They also can influence decision-making and allow people to not only choose a brand once but to stay loyal.

Gestalt theory

The Gestalt Theory is an important component of logo psychology. It was created by Kurt Koffka (German psychologist) to explain how visuals can be perceived. 

Gestalt is a German term that can be translated to mean “the whole”, and can be broken down into six design principles

• Proximity – How close each element in your logo design is to the others can indicate importance and belonging.

• Similarity – A relationship between visual elements that share the same attributes. Two colors or shapes with similar characteristics can be interpreted as being one.

• Closure – Use negative space to fill in the gaps. You will be able to see the whole object even if some parts are missing.

• Continuity. When elements are aligned it can create an illusion of flow or continuity. 

• Figure-ground: This describes the relationship between a logo’s background and foreground. It also enables us to see them together.

• Symmetry: Not all logo designs have to be symmetrical. This principle refers to the overall proportions and balance in a design.

These design principles can be incorporated into your logo design to make them more cohesive. 

Why is logo psychology important?

A logo’s success is not just dependent on its visual design, but also on how people perceive it. To have a positive psychological effect on customers, your logo must be meaningful and relevant.

Psychology of the logo colors

When choosing logo colors, there are many factors to consider.

Logo color psychology

Color psychology allows us to see how color affects emotion and behavior. It is also why you will see it on fast food logos.

Knowing the subtleties and implications that color has on your logo and the brand’s perception of it will help you make better design choices.

A quick overview of each color’s attributes:

• Red Passion, love, and power.
• Orange’s Trust, energy, and playfulness
• Yellow Happiness, hope, and joy
• Green Peace, harmony, and renewal
• Blue – Peace and tranquility, intelligence, trust, and trust
• Red – Wisdom, compassion, and royalty.
• pink is Optimistic and creative, as well as childish/feminine
• Black Power, modernity, and sophistication
• Gray: Neutral, calm, wise, and professional
• Brown: Natural and stable.

Combinations of logo colors 

Your overall design can be affected by the individual colors you choose. It is important to understand the psychological effects of color combinations on your overall logo design.

These are some things you should keep in mind:

• Consider color schemes such as monochromatic, analogous, and complementary. Using color theory to help you choose harmonious colors that evoke the desired emotions about your brand.

• A logo should only contain three colors. 

• Customize the color schemes created by a logo creator to match your brand colors. You can also use many color palette generator tools online to help you make the best combinations

Logo color tips

• Consistency

• Cultural awareness

• Market research and competitors: This is essential to understand the market, as well as who your competitors are. This will help you better understand your target audience and how to communicate with them.

• Different types of logos: The color you choose for your emblem logo can impact the overall composition. 

Psychology of logo forms

There are many kinds of logos. There are many types of logos. Understanding the psychology behind each form can make a big impact on your logo design and brand image.

• Geometric shapes are rectangles, rectangles, and lines
• Organic forms: Natural, curved, and spiral forms
• Abstract forms: Cultural and abstract shapes

This will allow you to communicate better and build brand recognition. This will allow you to communicate more effectively and build customer loyalty.

Let’s look at the Twitter logo. In 2006, the blue icon that we all know and love was changed to a combination mark. In 2012, the bird icon received a new look, and the brand name was dropped.

The simplified logo today is simply the revised bird symbol. Martin Grasser created the shape. It is composed of 15 circles, each one overlaid on the other. This is a symbol of the interconnectedness of friends and networks.

Learn more about best practice logo sizes and styles in our comprehensive guide.

Psychology of the logo fonts

There are many kinds of logos. Some logos are composed of text and images, such as combination marks. Some are made up of images and text, such as combination marks.

Are you serious or playful? You can communicate this by choosing thoughtful and strategic typography. Every letter has its own story. This spacing, also known as kerning, provides context and clarity.

Keep in mind that fonts play an important role in perception. Script fonts can be beautiful and creative, as they mimic handwriting.

Consider the following when choosing your logotype:

• Readability
• Functionality
• Voices of the brand
• Brand message
• Overall aesthetic

More information on logo typography psychology can be found in the best Fonts to Use for Logos.

Logo composition

All these psychological logo design options must be considered. It is also important to consider their reciprocity when creating your masterpiece.

These tips will help you design your logo

• Scalability

• Balance

• Endurance: Your logo should be flexible enough to change with your brand, rather than following current trends. It should be durable.

• Universality: Different colors and symbols can have different meanings in different cultures. Your logo design can also be read from the left to the right. Some people may consider the objects at the top and right of a logo to be more important than those at the bottom.

• Form: Consider the use of background colors, negative space, and layering to enhance the perception of your logo.

For a complete list, you can visit our Logo Design Tips Guide.