What do Facebook, ATT and IBM have in common aside from being household names? They all use blue as the primary color in their logos. Now think about other companies with blue logos. It’s a long list, right?
Blue logos might seem as ubiquitous as the blue sky and there is good reason for this: research shows that the color blue conveys dependability, trustworthiness and maturity. From established corporations to fledgling startups, companies use blue as the primary color in their logo to show perspectiveand current customers their level of competence.
Of course, anyone who tells you unequivocally that blue=dependable and yellow=cheerful has a pretty simplistic understanding of color. There are many diverse ways that blue logos can make an impact.
Classic blue logos
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Dependable
Cars, appliances, airplanes and computers are all machines that we rely on daily. Dependability is an important trait to consumers of these products. GM, GE, Ford and Boeing—companies that have been around for more than 100 years—convey the reliability of their products through their logos. Dell and Intel are both young when compared to those four, but pretty old when it comes to tech. Both ensure they are associated with reliability with their blue logos.
Trustworthy
Consumers provide sensitive data to banks, credit cards and healthcare providers. Trustworthiness is imperative in these industries. A sense of trust is communicated by the blue logos used by many companies providing these services and many others. Bank of America also utilizes red in their logo. The addition of the second color adds a modern touch and helps associate the logo with the American flag.
Professional
Keeping it professional is pretty important when it comes to doling out financial, legal or IT advice. Goldman Sachs has been in business for 147 years. If their longevitydoesn’t help assure investors of their professionalism, their blue does. Wu Legal and Gorilla Technologies are much younger companies and take advantage of the association of blue to professional work to make clients more comfortable entrusting them with the important tasks of legal and IT assistance. Just like the dress shirts that many of their employees likely wear, the blue of their logos says, “we got this.”
Other ways to use blue logos
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Use blue to calm
Some color associations come from nature. What’s blue in this world? The sky on a sunny day. The gently rolling ocean. Blueberries. Feeling relaxed yet? (Or maybe just hungry?)The color blue can have a calming effect on viewers.
Now think about dental care. Not feeling as relaxed, are you? Going to the dentist is something we should all do, but often makes people pretty nervous. If you’re in a business with a bad rap, help assuage customer fears with a blue logo’s subliminal calming effect.
Modern blue logos
These companies take advantage of many of the desirable traits of blue logos and incorporate modern designs. SoFi brands itself as a “modern finance company” and therefore wants to convey the trust, dependability and professionalism associated with blue. But it also utilizes a lighter shade and more abstract logo design to stay fresh and new. Software company openly appeals to start-ups and enterprises with the maturity of blue and the freshness of a lower-case, sans-serif typeface.
Blue can be youthful
Just because a company wants to convey seriousness and dependability with the color blue doesn’t mean their logo has to look super serious and adult-y. A youthful spirit is achieved in these three blue logos through their use of lowercase letters, softer, rounder typefaces and an adorable mascot. All three companies are serious about what they do but also want to hip and interesting.
Are you blue?
Why else might you choose blue for your logo? Maybe you want customers to associate you with the ocean. Maybe the word “blue” is a prominent part of your company’s name.
Regardless of the reason you choose it for your logo, blue brings with it feelings of dependability, professionalism and trust. Both men and women choose it as their favorite color. These two things combined make it the number one logo color choice of major corporations and small businesses. (53% of businesses who get their logos designed on 99designs request blue as at least one of the colors of their logo.)
Choosing blue will put in you in pretty great company. And let customers know you’re dependable (which is almost never a bad thing). The one thing to be thoughtful of when choosing blue is that it is used a lot. How are you going to make your blue logo stand out from the sea of competitors? If you’re clever with your font, specific with your hue and thoughtful with your imagery you can make sure when you get the blues it will only be the good kind.
