Colors. We see them every day, everywhere we look. Everything we hold or set our sights on possesses color. Because it’s so common, we often overlook it or pay little attention to it. But colors affect us massively. Color psychology suggests that colors can affect how we feel or view things. For instance, blue evokes the feeling of relaxation and serenity. Green is calming and promotes a sense of balance. Red is seen as passionate, aggressive, and strong. We may not know it, but colors play a role in our daily lives—from shaping our moods and perceptions about everything we see.
Colors are important for businesses too. Because they convey information that can be interpreted in a certain manner, they create an impact and image for a brand. The colors that make up a company’s branding and that they use to design their websites and create their logos, newsletters, and more, are part of the company’s identity.
Hence, every business must choose the right brand colors that best identify them and set them apart from their competitors. Here are some things you need to help you choose the right brand colors.
Define your brand’s identity
Your brand is not just a money-making machine that generates profit for you and your business. Just like a human being, it has its own identity, voice, values, and personality. Before you can even begin to work on your branding, you first have to discover who your brand is. What are its values? What is its character? What message are you trying to convey with your brand?
Create a list of adjectives that describe your brand. For example, if you’re a seller of pre-owned lifted diesel trucks, adjectives like reliable, safe, fast, high-quality, etc. can go on the list. This will help give you a better idea of your values and what you stand for. Once you have uncovered that, it will be easier for you to choose colors that resonate with your message.
Study color psychology
As we mentioned, colors evoke certain emotions. Each of them has a different impact on human emotions and perceptions. So it will do you well to study color psychology. Big players in the corporate industry have taken careful consideration in how they choose colors to brand them. For example, food chains usually go with bright colors such as red and yellow to build their diners’ appetites. Corporate services often use the color blue because it evokes a sense of trust, professionalism, and reliability.
Just like how top brands did it, you should also be looking for the right colors that suit your brand’s identity. More than just making your merchandise look pretty, you’re after creating an impact and evoking feelings and emotions from your consumers.
Choose three colors
It’s easy to select a primary color that really makes sense and fits well with your brand. The challenge is in choosing two other tones that blend well with it. Your brand’s colors should all go well together. Otherwise, your logos might look messy and incohesive (which is a real turn off for consumers).
After you’ve chosen your base color, select two other neutral tones that blend well with your primary shade. You can go with different shades or tones or explore other colors that also reflect your corporate identity.
Test your colors
Once you’ve selected all the colors that you want to use for your brand, test if they work well together. Create a mock website, draft newsletter layouts, design a logo, etc. Your goal is to see how well they fit in different combinations and on your merchandise.
Branding is one of the most difficult yet crucial tasks all businesses must undertake. Your brand speaks your identity, values, and voice. So you have to make sure that every aspect of it represents what your company stands for.
