Color may not seem like a big deal, but when it comes to choosing a color palette for your brand, it is very important. Color plays a big role when it comes to consumer behavior and it can help make your brand a success. Or not. You may not realize it, but a brand’s colors can impact whether or not you engage with them more. Here’s how to choose a color palette that suits your brand.
What is a brand color palette?
A brand color palette is a set of colors that represent your brand personality. These colors will be used to help customers identify your brand across platforms and mediums, so it is important to choose them wisely.
Why does color matter?
First impressions are key, whether you are meeting someone for the first time or someone is seeing your brand for the first time. The color of your brand is likely the first thing someone is going to notice. Different colors evoke different emotions and responses from people. This helps someone form a first impression right off the bat, without knowing much about who you are and what you offer. The colors you choose will subconsciously determine if someone is going to engage further with you or not.
According to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, how a consumer feels about a brand has more of an impact than what they think about a brand. Certain colors have strong associations with emotions. For example, green is often associated with nature and growth, whereas red is often associated with danger. However, these colors do have other meanings and associations beyond that. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a color palette for your brand is combining color theory and business. This will help you find the right colors that both match your brand and the message you want to convey, as well as colors that you like.
The colors of your brand will become a part of your brand’s identity and ultimately help with brand awareness. Think about Coca-cola. Every single Coke can and package is primarily red. This makes it super easy to spot and identify. Some of the most common areas you will use your branding colors include your logo, website, storefront, advertisements, and so on. Using the same colors across all of these areas of your brand will strengthen your brand awareness.
Choosing a color palette for your brand
You may be tempted to choose your three favorite colors and call it a day, but you will want to put a little more thought behind this decision than that. As we mentioned above, the right colors can help your brand be more successful, especially when it comes to first impressions. Now, I am not saying you can’t choose your favorite colors. You absolutely can, but you’ll want to make sure you’re using them in a way that works to your brand’s best ability.
If you have not already, the first thing you’ll want to figure out is the personality traits of your brand. Is your brand more playful than serious? Are you targeting a more youthful audience? Are your products on the more luxurious side or affordable? The answer to each of these questions, and more, will get you started in the right direction when it comes to choosing a color palette. Once you know what you want to communicate, it will be much easier to settle on things like colors.
With that being said, how you use your colors is just as important. The colors you use are just a piece of your overall brand identity. Your voice, style, values, etc., will help bring everything together.
How many colors should you use?
At the end of the day, how many colors you use in your color palette is completely up to you. You could opt for one color, three, or even five. While there are no hard rules when it comes to how many colors you use, having a consistent and strategic application of brand colors will strengthen brand recognition and awareness. Twitter is a great example of a single-color brand. They are easily identifiable by their sky blue color and bird logo.
Get inspired
Now that you know how important choosing your brand color palette is, you may not want to rush into the decision. Take some time to find inspiration from the things around you, whether that be food, nature, art, etc. If you are in the food business, take a look at some of your popular meals and find some colors that speak to you from that scene. You can always adjust the hues and saturation of a color if you prefer a more muted or bold color palette.
Pro tip: if you find one color you love, pop it into a color palette generator to help find other colors that match.
While colors are only a piece of your brand identity, they are an important piece. You will want to take your time choosing the right colors that will evoke the emotions you want from your customers, as well as convey the right message.
