Power of Suggestion: The Psychology Behind Different Logo Shapes

Thanks to their combined connotations, colors will always make for interesting topics when businesses market goods, as the entities constantly want to attract consumers with suggestive hues. While those shades can also prove effective for companies when they plot logo schemes, the shapes of the signifiers deserve analysis, too. A recent analysis by blueleadz looked at 10 such configurations, with author Rob Steffens offering an examination of each composition’s psychological effect on end-users.

Signs and symbols will always compel consumers to look for meaning within the visual aids, with many of them having particularly creative components. With respect to how the identifiers inspire people to purchase products, Steffens chose to look at circular, square, rectangular, triangular, curved, symmetric, organic, vertically lined, horizontally lined and font-centric logos, with each shape lending itself to some of the most common emblems that attempt to attract the masses.

In his two- and three-sentence assessments of each, the author taps into various interpretations of the artwork, and while one might argue that a product’s quality does far more to increase sales than a logo could ever do, his takes serve to address the connection between goods and designs to give enterprises a very comforting two-headed monster to enhance their bottom lines. With advertising having such a rich history, none of the shapes chronicled in the piece has escaped the public’s attention, with circles and triangles receiving commendable explanations by Steffens.

Target Corporation has used the bullseye logo since 1962. | Credit: Wikipedia

While decently drawing a circle is always going to elude me, I admire those whose dexterity helps them use circles in their branding. Using Google Chrome as his depicted example, the bluleadz contributor holds that circles set “a positive emotional tone suggesting relationships, community friendships and even love.” Owing to their flawless structure, one might even add that circles also concern giving our best effort and making a journey whose conclusion finds us having grown in scope and wisdom. Though Google Chrome helps Steffens to make his point and us to add our two cents, it has plenty of accomplices, including AT&T, General Electric, Pepsi and Target.

Since triangles have adjectival possibilities that circles do not, with acute, equilateral, obtuse, right and scalene comprising the quintet, they could be a bit more exciting to peruse. Steffens tabs them as “traditionally associated with intellect and power,” adding they can be “fast, energetic and purposeful.” America Online, Delta Air Lines and Google Play, among many others, complement his use of Citgo as an example of a shape he posits has a long history with the law, religion and science.

As no particular contour can guarantee additional sales, Steffens nonetheless asserts that logo shapes “will be a big part of the lasting ideas” that sellers plant in buyers’ minds, thus influencing the psychology of everything a business does. With that contention, we are wondering which forms win your favor and why you chose certain configurations to represent your company. We are quite curious, so please keep us from being bent out of shape by letting us know.