In fashion and beauty, a fairly good rule of thumb is that if you want to draw attention to yourself, wear red. There's nothing quite so mesmerizing as a pair of scarlet lips or the perfect ruby slippers.

Even beyond fashion, red is a color we are biologically designed to respond to. In nature, red can be a sign of danger, as with many poisonous berries, as well as our own blood. It can also stand for food or comfort, like the exposed meat of our hunting bounty, or the soft flicker of fire. Either way, historically, if we see red, we pay attention.

This in-built response is utilized widely in modern life, from traffic lights and safety signs to alluring dresses. Of course, graphic designers and company executives are also heavily inclined to make use of this color to draw as many eyes as possible to what they are offering. As a color of passion, high energy and love, red is often favored in logo design for modern, fast-paced tech companies and businesses trying to appeal to a young, dynamic market. Food and beverage companies are also drawn to the color as looking at it can increase appetite.

When analyzing the logos of the world's 100 highest-earning companies, we discovered nearly a quarter favored logos featuring red as the only or primary color, a total which was second only to blue logos. Red is a versatile color that can be paired easily with other vibrant colors like yellow or orange to make for design positively bursting with energy, or with cooler tones like blue, which will balance a design and lend it a more conservative vibe.

Browse 24 famous red logo designs below (or make your own red logo using BrandCrowd's logo maker).

Coca-Cola

Toyota

Oracle

Verizon

Honda

Budweiser

Marlboro

Nescafe

ESPN

H&M

HSBC

Frito-Lay

Audi

Accenture

Wells Fargo

Kellogg's

Colgate

Santander

Canon

Red Bull

Exxon Mobil

Target

Lego

KIA

Want More?

Logo design comes with a lot of considerations, including shape, color, and typography. Find more inspiration from leading brands:

25 Famous Car Logos Of The World's Top Selling Manufacturers

Famous Logos - Top 100 Brands Keep it Simple

100 Famous Corporate Logos From The Top Companies Of 2015

50 Beautiful Riveting Red Logos

Written by Jane Murray on Saturday, January 16, 2016

Jane Murray is a freelance copywriter based in Sydney. Apart from writing up a storm for the DesignCrowd blog on anything from logo design to Michael Jackson's shoes, she enjoys reading literary science fiction and hanging out with most animals except wasps. Get in touch via LinkedIn.