How a Colour Wheel Helps in Branding?

Post-industrialization, when feudalism had already died and the world had stopped surviving on the age-old agrarian economy, industries started to boom. The following centuries saw the full bloom of the Industrial revolution with businesses rising and brands establishing.

Since then, branding and logo designing has been imperative to every business. Logos give a business its distinct visual identity which makes it stand out from competitors and a strong medium for the patrons to associate them with.

Colour Wheel
In colour theory; which is a practical guide to colour mixing and visual effects, a colour wheel is an illustration of colours around a circle showing the relationship between primary, secondary and tertiary colours. The colour wheel was originally developed by Issac Newton, and later was developed by scientists. 


The RGB colour model has red, green and blue as primary colours. Primary colours are defined as the real colourants which are added/mixed to change the colour which results in secondary colours.

Primary Primary Secondary
Red + blue = Yellow
Green + red = Magenta
Blue + green = Cyan

Secondary Primary Tertiary
Cyan + blue = Azure
Magenta + blue = Violet
Magenta + red = Rose
Yellow + red = Orange
Yellow + green = Chartreuse
Cyan + green = Spring Green

Colour Schemes & Branding

In colour theory, different colour schemes can be used to create style. They are combination of colours (primary, secondary or tertiary) to be used in design for a range of media. A colour wheel facilitates to generate colour schemes through combination of colors.

Colouring logos is a meticulous job. A brand has its own identity and the colour schemes to be used while designing it, is the most important part of the process. In a logo colours speak for themselves, the message—what a brand stands for is sent out not through words but through colours, thus making, picking the right colour scheme so important.

Analogous

 

 

Analogous color scheme is made of 3 colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. Typically these 3 colours are; primary, secondary and tertiary. Analogous colour scheme adds oneness to the overall color theme of the logo. Although the shades are much different, they create the perfect example of visual harmony in variance.

In image 1.1
Red + Red Orange + Orange

Analogous Color Scheme

Analogous color scheme logo Animal Planet

Complementary

A colour theme that uses 2 colours which complement each other i.e. they are located opposite on the colour wheel, is a complementary colour theme. Being complementary colours, these 2 colours contrast sharply and this makes both the colours to stand out as individual colours, making the logo eye catchy.

In image 1.1
Red + Green

Complementary Color Scheme - Mountain DewComplemnetary Color Scheme - Fedex

TriadicTriadic

Triadic Color Scheme

The triadic colour scheme uses 3 colours that are equally spaced out on the colour wheel. The 3-coloured scheme makes the logo polychromatic and colourful, thus popping it out. The equally spaced out colours on the colour wheel are also complementary in nature and add more variance and offers a higher degree of contrast to the logo thus making it vibrant.

In image 1.1
Red + Blue + Yellow

Triadic Color Scheme - Burger King

 

Triadic Color Scheme - Taco Bell

A logo can be made from more than 3 colours. More colours add colourfulness and makes the logo more eye catchy. All you need to remember is to try opposite colours on the wheel. To make some really arresting and notable logos contact us at hello@longstoryshortdesign.com.au.