Whether it’s the golden arches of McDonald’s, the strong orange of Home Depot, or the clean white of Apple, brand colors really matter. They evoke emotions in the people who see them, and the colors become associated with certain feelings or actions. That is why it’s so important to select brand colors that fit the kind of business you run and elicit the right kinds of emotional responses.
Brand Identity
In order to pick the right colors for your brand you first need to understand your brand’s identity. Since each color has certain emotions associated with it, you must know what sorts of emotions you want to be associated with.
Are you about information or about emotion? Are you about fun or are you serious? The answer to these questions will decide what colors you choose for your brand. Since color can evoke so many associations, you’ll also want to pick colors that reflect your brand identity. This is especially important if your brand isn’t particularly obvious from your name or logo – the colors you use can give a hint about what you do.
The other consideration to keep in mind is your competitors. You’ll probably want to be different than your competitors in order to stand out. But there is also an argument for being similar! After all, tech companies like HP, Dell, Intel, and ASUS have all used blue in their logos, despite all being in a similar market. Blue is just a good color for technology companies, even if the logos start to look the same.
Why Color is Important
You may not immediately think that color is important in your branding. Why would picking between blue, red, or green affect anything? Well, according to research color actually matters a lot! It showed that 92% of people believe color equates to quality. Ads in color are read 42% more than the same ads in black and white. The list goes on. Color is powerful, and the colors that brands choose affect how consumers view them. Humans are visual creatures, so a specific color can attract our attention and make us think a particular way.
Color Meanings
Red is the color of passion and strong emotion. It’s associated with fun and excitement, and even danger or alert. There’s a reason that stop signs are red, but that Valentine’s Day is also often associated with red.
Green is rightfully associated with nature. This means it is often used for brands that want to portray themselves as natural or sustainable. Since it is the color of American currency, it is also associated with finance.
Blue is the color of trust, calm, and reliability. Many tech companies, banks, and health companies use blue to instill a sense of trust in customers.
White is associated with cleanliness and minimalism, as well as calm.
Black is a sophisticated color often associated with luxury. It can also be a somber color.
Yellow is associated with happiness and optimism. In the modern world, it’s the color of emojis and smiley faces. Yellow can also appear youthful.
Purple is often associated with royalty. In branding, it conveys a feeling of luxury.
Brown, much like green, is associated with nature. Brown is more gritty and dirty than green, so it conveys a more homegrown feeling.
Orange is a color of adventure and creativity. It’s a bold color that stands out from the crowd, so use it if your brand is all about exciting moments. It can also represent caution or attention (like traffic cones).
Pink is often associated with feminine themes, but can also be used to stand out by being bold.
Color Combination Examples
Brands often have multiple colors associated with them. Here are a few different color combinations and common associations.
Red and green: Combining the colors of passion and of nature is perfect for food. Obviously, a plate of bright green and red food would look delicious to most people, but the color philosophy also works well. Red can evoke appetite, and green can evoke feelings of nutrition and natural foods. It’s a perfect combination for restaurants or food-associated brands.
Orange and black: Combining orange and black will result in a brand that is both sophisticated and adventurous. These colors may seem at odds – black may blend into the background while orange is bold and always stands out. But this contrast can bring to mind feelings of standing out and being loud while still being luxurious and classy. It’s a great color combination for luxury brands that want to pop.
Blue and yellow: Blue is the color of trust and yellow is the color of joy. When you combine them, you’ll get a brand identity that inspires trust in the path ahead. This makes it a potential color combination for insurance companies, moving companies, financing companies, or any other company that helps someone look toward their future. You want to instill trust, but you also want to instill optimism and excitement.
Creating the Color Palette
You will end up with more than one brand color, and they will be in a hierarchy based on how you use them. This will not only inform how you create your logo but also how you create your website and just about any branded materials.
Base color
Your base color will be your primary brand color, and you should pick it based on the main emotion you want to elicit. This is the dominant color, like the blue in Chase Bank or the red in Coca-Cola.
Accent color
Once you’ve picked your base color, you can pick your secondary, or accent, color. It not only needs to evoke another emotion that you want to convey, but it also must pair visually with the base color. It has to satisfy both conditions, or you risk looking messy or giving off conflicting emotions. In the Lego logo below, most people will notice the red background, but the text is actually highlighted with a bright yellow accent color.
Neutral color
Every brand needs a neutral tone to serve as a background color. This often ends up being a white, grey, or similar color. Depending on your base color, you can sometimes go with dark grey or black, but then you run the risk of those colors dominating the branding.
Additional colors
While having these three colors is great, you will sometimes need additional color. These should be more accent colors that can add pops to elements on your website or advertising.
What’s Next for Your Branding?
Once you choose your colors, you’re not even close to being done with your branding. Color is just part of the equation. You can then use those colors to help design your logo. Then you’ll need to pick fonts. Once everything is decided, you’ll also need to create a brand guide that shows the right and wrong way to use your logos and colors together. This will ensure that everyone uses your brand assets with consistency, and in ways you think look good. If you’ve picked your colors, that is just the beginning of your journey!