How to choose logo colors (with palettes that work)
A practical way to pick logo colors: category conventions, one primary plus one accent, WCAG contrast, print vs screen, and eight palettes with HEX codes.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 6 min read
What color can and can't do
Color is often the first thing people notice about a logo, and it helps them spot you again on a shelf or a crowded phone screen. It can't make people trust you or buy more on command, so treat charts that promise a precise sales lift from one color with suspicion.
Color associations are learned, and they shift with culture and context. Red reads as danger on a warning sign, appetite on a pizza box and good fortune at Lunar New Year, while white is worn at weddings in many Western countries and has traditionally been worn for mourning in parts of East Asia. The more useful questions are what your customers already expect in your category and how you want to stand apart from direct competitors.
Color also has practical jobs: staying readable at 16 px, surviving a black-and-white photocopy and keeping print costs down. Those jobs decide more than symbolism does.
A simple way to pick your palette
Survey your category
Find 10 to 15 direct competitors in your town or niche and put screenshots of their logos in one grid. You'll usually see a dominant color family: many banks and insurers lean blue, garden and organic brands lean green, fast food leans red and yellow.
Decide whether to blend in or stand out
Following the convention tells customers you belong in the category, and breaking it makes you easier to spot. A deep green accounting firm among blue competitors is memorable and still reads as serious, while a neon pink one may not. If you break the convention, do it on purpose.
Choose one primary color
This is the color people will remember. Pick one with enough depth to carry your name on a white background, since mid-to-dark tones are far easier to work with than pastels.
Add one accent
The accent highlights part of the symbol, a button on your website or a stripe on a vehicle. It should differ clearly from the primary in lightness, not only in hue.
Add neutrals
Pick a near-black for text, a white or off-white background, and perhaps one gray. Neutrals do most of the work on websites, invoices and documents.
Record the codes
Write down the HEX values for screen use. When you first print, ask the printer for the CMYK conversion or the closest Pantone match and keep those numbers next to the HEX codes.
Contrast and accessibility
Contrast is the difference in lightness between two colors, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.x) express it as a ratio from 1:1 (no difference) to 21:1 (black on white). At Level AA, normal-size text needs at least 4.5:1 against its background, and large text (roughly 24 px, or about 19 px bold) needs 3:1. Icons and other graphics people need to understand content also need 3:1 against adjacent colors.
Logos themselves are exempt, because WCAG says text that is part of a logo or brand name has no contrast requirement. Your logo colors also become your website's buttons, headings and links, though, where the rules do apply. A sensible target is at least 3:1 between the logo and its usual background, and 4.5:1 for any brand color you'll use for small text.
Lightness matters more than hue. A warm yellow (#F2B33D) on white measures about 1.9:1, while the same yellow on a dark slate (#23313F) is about 7.1:1. Free tools such as WebAIM's contrast checker give you the ratio for any two HEX codes in seconds.
Test your colors before you commit
- View the logo in pure black on white. If the symbol falls apart without color, fix the shapes before the palette.
- Reverse it: white on your primary color and white on black. That's the version for dark websites, shirts and vehicle doors.
- Place the full-color version on a dark background such as #121212. Navy or deep purple parts may vanish, which is why logo sets include an on-dark variant.
- Shrink it to 32 px and 16 px wide. Thin strokes in light colors are the first details to disappear.
- Convert a screenshot to grayscale. If the primary and accent become the same gray, they won't separate for color-blind viewers or in a black-and-white newspaper ad.
- Check it on a phone outdoors and on an ordinary office printer, as well as on your desktop monitor.
- Mock it up where it will actually live, such as a kraft paper bag, a dark polo, a white van or a coffee cup.
Screen vs print, and what each color costs
Screens mix light, described in RGB or HEX codes such as #3A5BFF, while printers mix CMYK ink or use premixed Pantone spot inks. Very saturated screen colors, such as electric blues, neon greens and bright oranges, fall outside what CMYK can reproduce and print noticeably duller. If your brand depends on a vivid color, ask the printer for a proof, or pick a Pantone match and use it consistently.
Each color also has a running cost. Screen-printed T-shirts are usually priced per color, embroidery needs a thread change for each color, and vinyl lettering is cut and layered by hand one color at a time. A logo that works in a single color keeps saving money for years.
Gradients look fine on screen and in full-color digital print, but screen printing, embroidery and vinyl generally can't reproduce them. Keep a flat version of any gradient logo.
Eight palettes that work
Use these as starting points. Contrast figures are WCAG ratios we calculated for each pair, so confirm your final choices with a contrast checker.
Harbor navy + signal orange
#1B2A41 navy, #E8692E orange, #F4F1EA warm off-white, #5B6676 slate. Steady and practical with some energy, for contractors, movers, logistics and approachable accountants. Navy on white is about 14:1, ideal for the name; orange on white is about 3.2:1, fine for a symbol but too low for small text.
Forest + brass
#1F4D3A forest green, #C9A227 brass, #F5F1E6 cream, for landscaping, outdoor gear, craft drinks and heritage trades. Brass on white is only about 2.4:1, so put brass details on the green (about 4.0:1) rather than on white.
Clinic teal + sunshine
#0E6E6E teal, #F2B33D warm yellow, #FFFFFF white, #23313F dark slate. Calm but friendly, for dental offices, physical therapy, pediatric care and vet clinics. Teal on white is about 6.0:1 and works for text; keep the yellow on dark surfaces.
Charcoal + tomato red
#232323 charcoal, #D7442E tomato, #FAF6F0 flour white, for food trucks, pizzerias, barbecue and butchers. Red on white is about 4.4:1, just under the small-text threshold, so set small text in charcoal and let red carry the symbol.
Plum + blush
#4B1D3F plum, #F1C6CF blush, #FFF8F5 near-white, for salons, florists, bridal shops and skincare. Blush on white nearly disappears (about 1.5:1), so use it as a background or fill and keep the name in plum, which is about 8.9:1 on blush.
Ink + electric blue
#0B1220 ink, #3A5BFF electric blue, #E8ECF6 cool gray, for software, fintech and agencies. The blue passes for text on white (about 5.1:1) but prints duller in CMYK, so ask for a proof before a big print run.
Terracotta + sage
#B85A2E terracotta, #8A9A6B sage, #F3ECE0 linen, #3A3A33 olive black, for ceramics, home goods, cafes, yoga studios and garden shops. Sage on white is only about 3.0:1, so pair it with terracotta in the symbol and use olive black for text.
Monochrome + one accent
#111111 near-black, #FFFFFF white, #FFD23F yellow, for photographers, architects, fashion labels and construction firms. The logo stays black and white, and the yellow appears on signs, packaging and website buttons. Yellow on black is about 13:1 and on white about 1.4:1, so never put the yellow on white.
Common color mistakes
- Putting four or more colors in the symbol, which makes printing, stitching and small sizes harder.
- Setting the business name in a pale color that disappears on white.
- Copying a well-known competitor's signature color in the same market, which invites confusion rather than recognition.
- Changing colors every few months. Recognition comes from repetition.
Try your palette on a real logo
Generate logo designs, swap the whole palette in the editor, and check the black and white versions before you decide.
Generate my logosFree to try. No sign-up needed.
Questions
FAQ
How many colors should a logo have?
One or two is plenty for most small businesses, plus neutrals for text and backgrounds. Fewer colors keep printing, embroidery and vinyl costs down and make the logo easier to recognize at small sizes. Three can work when each color has a clear job, as long as a one-color version also works.
What are the best colors for a business logo?
There's no universally best color. The right choice depends on what your category expects, how you want to differ from direct competitors, and practical needs like contrast and printing cost. Start from your category's conventions, choose one primary color with enough depth to carry the name, add one accent, and test the result in black and white.
Why does my logo look different when it's printed?
Screens emit RGB light, while printers lay down CMYK ink, which can't reproduce the most saturated screen colors. Paper stock, coatings and the printer's calibration add more variation. Ask for a printed proof, and for exact color across print runs, have your printer match your colors to Pantone spot colors.
Can I change my logo colors after buying?
Yes. Your logos stay in your account, so you can recolor any of them in the editor at any time and download the new files while your downloads are active. Before you buy, you can try any colors in the editor for free.
Which colors work on both light and dark backgrounds?
Saturated mid-tones, such as a medium teal or a tomato red, often hold up on both, but almost no single version works everywhere. That's why complete logo sets include a white and an on-dark variant. Test your logo on white, on your darkest brand color and on a busy photo before you settle on a palette.