Choosing Colours That Complement Your Brand

Step 1)
Describe your brand

Before you can choose a colour palette to enhance your brand’s message, you need to know what your brand is all about.

Colour should be a reflection of your brand’s persona. So start by asking yourself what your brand would be like if they were a person.

Write down some keywords that will help you match the personality of your business to the personality of individual colours.

For example:

• “What are 3 words my audience would use to describe my business?”
• “Using single words, what sets my brand apart from my competition?”
• “If my brand had a mascot, what words would describe them? Funny, serious, etc.”

Now that you have something to match them to, it’s time to find the right colours for you!

Step 2)
Find inspiration

The best way to get an understanding about how colours affect people is to look through imagery to see what resonates with you!

Build yourself a mood board. A mood board is a collection of images that feel like a good fit. You don’t need to understand why just yet, we’ll get into the mechanics of it in the next step.

You can use a tool like Pinterest to help build your images quickly. The images don’t have to be things that relate to your business, either. You only need to find images that make you feel the way you want your audience to feel.

Let your intuition guide you to collect as many images as you can — don’t be too picky. Have fun with it!

Once you’ve taken some time to build your mood board, give yourself some time to simply enjoy it. See what images still resonate with you after a day or two. Try to notice what trends you see in the images, especially when it comes to colour.

When you’re ready to move on, it’s time to get into the science of it all!

Step 3)
Understand colour theory

You don’t need to go to art school to become a master at understanding colour!

The theory and psychology behind colours has been boiled down by artists and researchers to become accessible to anyone.

Here are 12 common colours, what emotions they illicit, what industries most commonly use them, and what people most commonly use them for.

PINK

Feels like:

• Love
• Playfulness
• Compassion

Used by:

• Children’s products
• Woman’s products
• Beauty
• Fashion

Used to:

• Show energy
• Improve creativity
• Motivate

DARK GREEN

Feels like:

• Safety
• Balance
• Harmony

Used by:

• Health products and services
• Environmental causes
• Banking
• Agriculture
• Non-profits

Used to:

• Relax
• Revitalize
• Refresh

RED

Feels like:

• Energy
• Excitement
• Courage

Used by:

• Entertainment
• Food
• Sports
• Fire services
• Children’s products

Used to:

• Create urgency
• Caution
• Stimulate

Step 4)
Pick six

Now that you have a greater appreciation for the associations people have with different colours, it’s time to find out what ones are best to associate with your brand!

Go back to your mood board. Pick out 6 colours that feel right.

The key here is to compare the keywords about your brand’s identity with the keywords that describe how colours feel. You want to find as much overlap as possible.

Are you a culinary school that loves to share the joy of cooking? Then a joyful yellow might be the right recipe! Or maybe you run a not-for-profit that wants to save the environment? Then maybe go with green!

You can’t just settle on one colour, though. You need a few colours so that they can complement each other. You can’t read white text if it’s on a white background, right? So if you want to use white, you need something to help contrast it.

We recommend 6 colours for your personal colour scheme. They can be all “cool” colours, or all “warm” colours, or they can be half and half. In some cases, you may even want to use a monochromatic colour scheme — that’s when all your colours are shades of the same colour.

Just be sure that there’s enough contrast between them. Feel free to lighten or darken certain colours to increase the amount of contrast without having to pick different base colours.

Step 5)
Setup rules for use

Consistency is king when it comes to branding.

If your brand acts one way one day, and a new way the next, then no one knows what your brand is. It ceases to exist.

And when it comes to colours, it’s not just about what you use, but how you use it. That’s why you need to set up simple rules that everyone on your team, especially designers and marketers, can follow to ensure consistency.

Start by choosing which of your colours are dominant, and which colours are “accent” colours. The dominant colours will be used for focal points, and accent colours will provide the contrast you need to make them pop.

What colours will be used for backgrounds?
What colour will you use for titles and headers? What ones for body text?
What colours are you allowed to use for the logo, or logotype?

And what combinations are allowed in what contexts?

Maybe you only want gold lettering if the background is your dark green. Or maybe certain shades of gray need to be used when printing in grayscale.

Whatever you decide, be diligent and document it. Then share it with your team so everyone’s on the same page. And be sure to define your colours using the RGB and HEX codes — don’t just use the names. What’s “blue” to you is not necessarily what someone else imagines when they think of the word.

Step 6)
Repeat until satisfied

Just like many other aspects of your business, you’ll find out what colours work best through trial and error.

Don’t settle with the first palette you put together, unless you absolutely love it and it works. Chances are, it won’t. And that’s totally fine!

While colour theory may be a science, it’s not an exact one. Once you’ve put together your first 6-part colour scheme, try it out on your website, promotional products, and logos. Get feedback; give yourself some time and then look at it with fresh eyes.

If something doesn’t stick, don’t stick with it. You can always go back to the drawing board and reimagine something new!

And when you’re finally satisfied with your style, then you’re ready to use your palette to paint your brand into a masterpiece!

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