A well thought-out color palette can have a powerful impact on grabbing the attention of your ideal client and encourage them to choose your brand over another.

“Research shows that the proper use of color increases brand recognition by 80%. It also raises the visual appearance by 93%. A further 85% of consumers buy because of color.” ColorPsychology.Org

If you’re starting a new business, creating an entirely new brand from scratch, or wondering if you should rebrand your existing company, your color scheme should be intentionally chosen, well tested, and consistent throughout your new brand identity. 

Here are a few key factors to consider when choosing a brand color scheme – 

Color Psychology:

The first thing you should do when exploring a color palette is dive into the personality of each color and the emotions they evoke. What colors appeal to you the most and why? Do the colors influence you in a way that aligns with the goal of your brand? Here is a quick breakdown of emotions associated with each color according to ColorPsychology.org

Red – Passion, Love, Rage, Warmth, Energy, Excitement, Strength, and Courage. 

Orange – Adventure, Sociable, Optimistic, Enthusiastic, Cheerful, Confident, and Agreeable. 

Yellow – Emotional, Cheerful, Energy, Joy, Optimism, Confidence, and Creativity. 

Green – Growth, Vitality, Productivity, Gentle, Relaxing, Nature, and Spiritual. 

Blue – Calm, Serenity, Refreshing, Intellect, Competence, Confidence and Trust. 

Purple – Luxury, Power, Nobility, Relaxation, Stability, Wisdom, and Good Sense. 

Gray – Neutrality, Futuristic, Stable, Coolness, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Sophistication. 

Brown – Seriousness, Stability, Wisdom, Resourceful, Reliance, Support and “Down to Earth.” 

Black – Strong, Formal, Sophisticated, Mysterious, Dignified, and Aloof. 

White – Fresh, Pure, Perfection, Impartial, Independent, Neutral, and Clean. 

Personality and Culture:

Choosing brand colors is all about the combination of colors that is most likely to capture the attention of your ideal client. It’s crucial to choose a color palette that reflects your brand personality. Are you a fun, youthful, creativity agency? Or is your clientele more on the professional, well-established side in a more serious industry? Put thought in to who exactly you’re trying to appeal to. The more it aligns with your brand personality and overall messaging, the more likely you will attract the attention of an audience that converts.

It’s always a great idea to develop a mood board for your brand colors. When we develop mood board for clients, we search for colors, textures, and imagery that accurately reflects a brand’s personality. It’s much easier to recognize color patterns that naturally appeals to or represents your business when done with a mood board. 

Consistency is key:

Think you may have nailed down a solid primary and secondary color palette? Great! Now it’s critical to make sure these colors are used consistently throughout your brand. We highly recommend developing a brand style guide that clearly outlines your specific brand colors and how they should be used. This ensures all future marketing collateral is designed with your brand in-mind and will enhance your brand recognition. Inconsistent usage of a company’s logo, color palette, and typography are the fastest way for your brand to lose credibility and appear sloppy. 

Recap:

Your color scheme says a lot about who you are as a company and can really enhance brand identity. It’s essentially the first impression your brand makes to potential new clients. Hopefully by now you have some insight into selecting brand colors for your business.

Still have branding related questions? Check out our “Branding Tips for Beginners” article, or shoot us an email with your branding (or marketing) questions!