Selecting your brand color palette isn’t as easy as choosing your favorite shade of blue and calling it a day. Plenty of thought and research should go into picking the perfect palette for your business. Colors can impact everything from your customer’s emotions to which demographics will want to shop or do business with you. They play a part in your packaging, website, logo, physical space, and more. We’re sharing a few tips to help you build consistency throughout your brand by creating a color palette that resonates.

  1. Research Color Psychology. “Unconscious or otherwise, color can evoke emotions, inspire reactions, and change modes of thinking. It can excite or soothe your mood, raise or lower your blood pressure, and even whet your appetite!” [Colorpsychology.com] By considering how you want your consumer base to feel when they view your website or shop in your store, you can go for colors that align with your specific goals.
  2. Consider Color Placement. It’s important to consider where and how your colors will be used. Are you planning on incorporating them into your office or storefront? How will the colors look when they’re printed on different materials such as shirts, hats, signage, papers, etc? These are all things you’ll want to reflect on as you make your final selections.
  3. Don’t Fall into the Trend Trap. Choosing a palette because it’s trendy and not because it makes sense for your brand is one of the most common mistakes companies can make. While it’s okay to follow trends and incorporate where it makes sense, you don’t want to weigh your brand colors simply on what’s hot right now.
  4. Understand Your Ideal Client. Think about whether the colors you’re choosing are appealing to your ideal client. Do you have a feminine or masculine brand? What colors are attractive to the person you want to sell to?
  5. Choose a Range of Colors. Last but certainly not least, it’s essential that you select a range of dark to light colors. You’ll want dark colors for text in place of the standard black and have an option or two for a lighter, more neutral color for backgrounds on websites, brochures, etc.

With these factors in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating a palette that not only looks good but works with (and for) your brand.

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” – Wassily Kandinsky