Colour is an emotional cue. It helps us see, makes us feel & impacts our behaviour. When picking your brand colours, it’s important to consider the qualities associated with them.
The goal of branding is to appeal to your ideal clients and establish a connection. Colour is one of the easiest ways to do this. Your palette makes your brand memorable and distinct. It is part of your brand story. This one aspect of your brand identity communicates so much.
Your Brand Colours Give Context.
Every colour has associations based on culture, traditions and evolution. Because of this, colour can also be subjective depending on our unique experiences and perspectives. As always, keep your ideal customer in mind when picking the best brand colours for your business.
As a tool, colour can be used strategically in design and marketing. For instance, some colours blend in while others draw attention. Colour directs the eye and tells us where to look and, as a result, influences how we act. It helps us determine what’s important and what isn’t.
So, now that you are convinced that colour plays an important role in your brand identity, let’s take an in-depth look at the positive qualities associated with colour.
Brand Colours and Their Positive Properties in Colour Theory
Qualities of Red as a Brand Colour
The positive qualities of red in branding are affection and love. However, it can also represent ambition or power. It’s a friendly, strong & high-energy brand colour perfect for capturing someone’s attention quickly.
Qualities of Orange as a Brand Colour
Orange is the colour of motivation, positivity, enthusiasm, comfort & fun. In marketing and design, it’s confident, creative, curious & optimistic.
Qualities of Yellow as a Brand Colour
Yellow is creative, warm, and happy. It’s perceived as energetic, bright, optimistic, friendly, inspirational and cheerful in colour psychology.
Qualities of Gold as a Brand Colour
Gold in brand design symbolizes strength, warmth, success, wealth, value, wisdom and tradition.
Qualities of Brown as a Brand Colour
Brown is a colour of comfort, stability, structure, and longevity. It’s the colour of earth and is therefore perceived as earthy, friendly, supportive, and safe.
Qualities of Green as a Brand Colour
Green is fresh and kind. It’s the colour of balance, giving, prosperity, wealth, and health. Because of green’s association with nature, it often symbolizes growth, peace, harmony, and rest.
Qualities of Light Blue as a Brand Colour
Light blue is the colour of peace and protection. It is a calming colour that portrays wisdom, imagination and healing.
Qualities of Blue as a Brand Colour
Blue is the colour of patience, integrity, loyalty, and wisdom. Blue is associated with the sky and water so is the perfect colour to communicate tranquility. Some other qualities of blue include trust, dependability, soothing, reliable and calming.
Qualities of Purple as a Brand Colour
Purple communicates loyalty, luxury, spirituality, and courage in brand design. It’s also the colour of mystery & magic. Some other properties of purple include intriguing, creative, mysterious, intuition, and ambition.
Qualities of Pink as a Brand Colour
Pink is the colour of compassion, love & optimism. It’s soothing, caring, understanding & nurturing. A colour of romance, hope, empathy & sensitivity.
Qualities of Grey as a Brand Colour
Grey communicates power. It’s sleek and sophisticated. Other qualities include luxury, modern, strength, bold, crisp, graceful & intelligent.
Qualities of Black as a Brand Colour
The colour black exudes sophistication, formality, seriousness, control and protection. Black is a reserved and independent colour choice.
Qualities of White as a Brand Colour
White qualities include purity, innocence, peace, cleanliness, new beginnings, simplicity & imagination.
How to Pick Your Brand Colours
In picking your ideal palette, I always recommend starting with the qualities you want to portray first. Above all, the why of your brand, or the reason your business exists, should drive design. Not the other way around.
Firstly, make a list of your brand values and personality traits. After that, compare your list to the colour qualities above. Which ones seem like the perfect match? Are there any you want to avoid? Which colours are you drawn too & which do you think your target market would respond to most? I share lots of colour inspiration over on Pinterest if you need some colourful eye candy to get started.
Lastly, simplicity and clarity are important to establish trust and recognition. Your brand should have 2-3 main brand colours at most. Anything beyond this becomes over-complicated to your audience. If one colour can communicate so much, imagine trying to understand the meaning of 5 or 6 colours in a brand? The message becomes very muddled and confusing.
Need a little help picking the perfect brand colours for your business? Take my brand style quiz and get my top 3 picks curated just for you!
