How To Choose the Right Sign Colors

Your client just said “we are re-designing our logo for our new locations, and we’re wondering which colors are best to use for on our channel letter sign for this type of business.” What is your answer?

As a signage professional, you need to know the basics about the most common colors and their associations. Why? Because choosing the correct color(s) can have a substantial effect on your client’s sign effectiveness. Subsequently, that will affect the number of future sign referrals your client will send back to you. Your client’s sign effectiveness is too important to leave to chance. And we don’t mean the simple color issues, like making the sign have good contrast to the client’s substrate.

We mean the common psychological associations with basic sign colors, and how you can use that knowledge to help your clients with a more effective logo and sign. These principles carry over to all types of signage – not only channel letters. Here are the basic color spectrum chart, and then a table listing some basic colors and their associations:

Color	Associations	Example Businesses
Blue	Overwhelming “favorite color” Not gender specific – appeals to both men and women Associated with calmness and stability Lower color wavelength – not good for signs targeting older adults – see our March 2011 post	Banks, financial companies, hospitals, insurance companies, retailers, medical, government
Green	Second only to blue as favorite color Associated with freshness, youth and purity Center of the visible color spectrum – “the color of balance” Insinuates presence of natural water	Garden stores, Nurseries, Spa, Lawn care products, Real estate, Grocery/food store, Construction, Golf
Red	Exciting active color – powerful Excellent for generating attention – a “grabber” color Associated with action and confidence Highest wavelength of any color Appears closer than it is – benefits signage in that respect	Warning signs, restaurants featuring meat dishes, fitness center, gym
Brown	Associated with stability, reliability and utility Connection with the earth “Solid” color	Legal practice, trail markers and directories, state parks, campgrounds
White	Total reflection Associated with purity, cleanliness and hygiene Heightened perception of space	Pharmaceutical companies, Financial companies

So, if your client is re-designing their steakhouse channel letters, which colors should they use? Clearly, red should be incorporated into the design even if it is not the primary sign color.

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Outback Steakhouse – Note use of Red