How do you choose the colors of your brand's logo?

Every color, including black and white, has implications for logo design. As a designers you need to pick your colors carefully to enhance specific elements of the logo and bring nuance to your message with the use of shade and tone.

In general terms, bright and bold colors are attention-grabbing but can appear brash. Muted tones convey a more sophisticated image, but run the risk of being overlooked. More specifically, particular meanings are ascribed to different colors in society

• Red implies passion, energy, danger or aggression; warmth and heat. It has also been found to stimulate appetite, which explains why it is used in so many restaurants and food product logos. Choosing red for your logo can make it feel more dynamic.

• Orange is often see as the color of innovation and modern thinking. It also carries connotations of youth, fun, affordability and approach ability.

• Yellow cautious use as it has some negative connotations including its signifying of cowardice and its use in warning signs. However it is sunny, warm and friendly and is another color that is believed to stimulate appetite.

• Green is commonly used when a company wishes to emphasis their natural and ethical credentials, especially with such products as organic and vegetarian foods. Other meanings ascribed to it include growth and freshness, and it's popular with financial products too.

• Blue is one of the most widely used colors in corporate logos. It implies professionalism, serious mindedness, integrity, sincerity and calm. Blue is also with authority and success, and for this reason is popular with both financial institutions and government bodies.

• Purple speaks to us of royalty and luxury. It has long been with the church, implying wisdom and dignity, and throughout history it has been the color of wealth and riches.

• Black is a color with a split personality. On the one hand it implies power and sophistication, but on the other hand it is with villainy and death. More mundanely, most logos will need a black and white version for use in media in which color is not available – and there is currently a trend for bold monochrome logos and word marks.

• White is generally with purity, cleanliness, simplicity and naivete. In practical terms, a white logo will always need to stand in a colored field to make it show up on a white background. Many companies will choose to have a colored version and a white version of their logos; for example, the Coca-Cola word mark appears in white on its red tins and brown bottles but is used in red when needed on a white background.

• Brown has masculine connotations and is often used for products with rural life and the outdoors.

• Pink can be fun and flirty, but its feminine means it is often avoided for products not specifically targeted at women.

I associate the brand with certain colours so I definitely consider the colours before I choose