Companies often carefully consider the colors they use in their logos. Blue is a popular choice for many major brands. There are several reasons blue logos are so common among top companies.
Blue conveys trustworthiness
Blue is strongly associated with stability, security, and trustworthiness. Using the color blue in a company’s logo helps establish a sense of reliability in the minds of consumers. Studies have found people are more likely to trust companies with blue logos.
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Technology | |
| Samsung | Technology |
| Ford | Automotive |
| Lowe’s | Retail |
| AT&T | Telecommunications |
As the table above shows, many major companies across different industries use some shade of blue in their logo designs. The predominant blue color helps make these brands appear more trustworthy.
Blue is associated with intelligence
In addition to stability, the color blue is also commonly associated with intelligence and thoughtfulness. Using blue can make a company seem more intellectual, innovative, and precise. This is especially important for technology companies who want to be perceived as leaders in smart services and products.
For example, Facebook uses a blue logo to align with the technological innovation they provide through their social media platform. Accounting and financial services firms like PayPal and American Express use blue to symbolize intelligence in handling sensitive financial information.
Blue logos feel familiar
Many established brands consumers already know use various shades of blue in their logos. This familiarity makes blue a safe default choice for new companies seeking to fit in with other major players in their industry.
Examples of familiar blue logos:
- American Express
- AT&T
- Ford
- Lowe’s
- Samsung
- Nokia
- IBM
- Intel
- GE
- JPMorgan Chase
When new companies entering an industry use a blue logo, it helps consumers make a subconscious connection to other established brands they are familiar with already. This can help boost the new brand’s credibility.
Blue is associated with leadership
Throughout history, blue has been associated with leadership, expertise, and achievement. Many corporations want to project these qualities in their branding, which makes blue a natural choice.
For example, blue conveys leadership in:
- Blue ribbons for first place
- Blue champion jerseys in sports
- Blue academic robes for graduates
- Blue ties on businessmen
- Blue military and police uniforms
Major brands leverage consumers’ association between blue and leadership when designing their own logo. The blue logo subconsciously implies the company is an expert and top player in their industry.
Blue is a masculine color
Research has found blue is viewed as a predominantly masculine color connected to qualities like strength, expertise, and competitiveness. This makes blue a strategic choice for brands targeting male audiences.
For example, automotive, financial services, technology, and telecom companies all tend to use blue logos since their customer base skews male. The blue color helps men identify with and feel drawn to these brands.
| Company | % Male Customer Base |
|---|---|
| Ford | 70% |
| AT&T | 51% |
| Samsung | 54% |
As shown above, companies with a majority male customer base tend to incorporate blue as a key component of their logo design.
Blue conveys dependability
The color blue is strongly tied to the concept of dependability. According to color psychology, blue indicates something is reliable and long-lasting.
This makes blue logos a wise choice for companies that want to communicate they are an established force that will be around for a long time. Industries like banking, airlines, energy, and insurance all leverage blue logos to emphasize their stability.
For example, American Airlines, Chevron, and State Farm all use stable, classic blue logos to make customers feel like they can depend on these companies. The dependability associated with blue logos helps attract loyal, long-term customers.
Blue is universally well-liked
Unlike divisive colors like orange or pink, blue has very broad appeal across demographics like age, race, and gender. It is one of the most universally well-liked colors.
This makes blue a low-risk option for logo designs. It allows companies to appeal to the widest possible customer base. Blue logos work across cultures and global markets.
In an international study, blue was found to be the favorite color of over 75% of respondents. The universal preference for blue gives it the widest appeal for brands selling products and services globally.
Conclusion
There are many factors that make blue a strategic choice for company logos. Blue conveys stability, intelligence, trust, leadership, masculinity, dependability, and has mass appeal. Established brands leverage associations with blue to shape desired perceptions of their company in the minds of consumers.
New companies also use blue logos to tap into these positive associations while fitting in with other major industry players. For all these reasons, blue remains a go-to color for logo designs across business industries and global markets. The strategic power of blue logos remains strong.