Color Theory in Branding
What do your brand colors say about your business and what colors to avoid?
It’s time to put the power of color to work for your brand.
Your brand colors are an important part of the identity you create for your business. Colors evoke certain emotions and influence how customers perceive and respond to your brand. But with so many colors to choose from, how do you decide which ones to use and which ones to avoid?
In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the best colors for branding, as well as some tips for choosing colors that suit your brand.
The best brand colors and why they work so well
The right color can make a brand feel trustworthy, reliable, earthy, vibrant, and luxurious.
And while every brand should consider its target audience and the product they're selling when choosing a color scheme, these five colors are sure to get any brand noticed.
Blue: Blue is associated with trust and reliability, making it a great choice for brands that want to emphasize these qualities.
Green: Green is an earthy color that is associated with nature and health. It’s a great choice for eco-friendly or health-focused brands.
Orange: Orange is a vibrant, energetic color that is often used to grab attention. It’s a great choice for brands that want to stand out.
Purple: Purple is a luxurious color often associated with royalty and luxury. It’s a great choice for brands that want to emphasize their high-end products or services.
The brand colors that might not work
There are certain colors that are just difficult to work with as your primary color, and if you want to create a cohesive brand identity, it’s important to know what they are.
So what should you avoid? Well, here are a few of our top picks.
Yellow: Yellow can be a difficult color to work with, as it can appear too bright or overwhelming. It’s best to avoid using yellow as the primary color in your brand.
Brown: Brown is often associated with dirt and mud, which can make it a poor choice for most brands.
White: White can be difficult to work with, as it can blend in with other colors and lack contrast.
Black: Black can be a difficult color to work with, as it can appear too dark and uninviting.
Common color mistakes to avoid
When choosing colors for your brand, there are three things to consider: contrast, number of colors, and color associations. Here are the most common mistakes we see companies make when they're trying to decide their brand colors.
1. Not having enough contrast
Too much of the same color can make your brand appear monotonous and uninteresting. Make sure to use a variety of colors to create contrast and interest.
Moreover, if you don't have enough contrast between your logo and other elements like text or photos, then it'll be difficult for people who view your website or social media posts to read what's written on them.
2. Using too many colors
We all love the idea of having our brand be unique, but having too many different shades of one color will just make for a confusing brand identity.
You should limit the number of colors you use to three or four at most. You can use more if you want, but make sure that each one of those colors has a purpose and a reason for being there—otherwise, it will just look like you're throwing paint at your logo without any thought as to why.
3. Not considering color associations
Colors have different associations in different cultures and can evoke different emotions.
A bad color palette can make people associate you with things that are not necessarily in line with what you're trying to achieve as an organization, which can be detrimental in terms of sales and overall public perception.
Make sure to research colors and consider the emotions they evoke before using them in your brand.
How a good designer picks the right colors for your brand
There’s a lot to consider when designing a brand, from logos to websites and packaging. But there’s one aspect of branding that many people overlook: choosing the right colors for your brand.
That's where a designer comes in! A good designer will take into account your brand identity and goals, as well as the associations of colors in different cultures, as well as how colors interact with each other.
By working closely with you, they'll help you select the right colors for your brand that are both aesthetically pleasing and representative of your company. They'll take into account all of these factors while creating a color palette that will help your company stand out from the crowd.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, please leave them in the comment section below. And if you have any inquiries about our services, don’t hesitate to reach out!
We'd love to learn more about your business and how we can help elevate your brand.