From the bright yellow of a New York taxi to the famous red Coca-Cola can, colors are a huge part of what makes a brand recognizable. They are not only what your clients and customers come to associate you with, but they also have an impact on how they feel when they interact with your business.
Your chosen color scheme will play an important part in your various marketing assets, from your website and logo design to future merchandise and employee uniforms. Consistent branding colors will give your company a unified look and make you recognizable no matter where your business goes. But how do you go about choosing these all-important colors?
Consider Color Psychology
The first thing to consider is how you want your customers to think and feel when they first come into contact with your business, whether that’s seeing a storefront or landing on your website. These colors need to be in harmony with the way your business acts and interacts with clients.
For example, if you’re a same-day delivery company, using soft pastel green and purple for your colors will create a disconnect as these are colors we associate with calmness and serenity. However, if you choose a bright, bold color like yellow, orange, red, or even a bright shade of green, your colors will evoke a feeling of excitement and the sense that things are happening quickly.
It’s these subtle differences that can make all the difference in a customer deciding “this is a company I want to work with” and one that “doesn’t feel right.”
How should I choose my brand colors?
- Think about your brand’s personality. Are you presenting a cheery, lighthearted brand? Or something more sophisticated and minimalistic? Perhaps you want to create something unique and stand out from the crowd? The colors you choose will provoke specific emotions within your audience, so knowing how you want to be seen by customers is vital.
- Think about your values. Some of your brand’s values can be conveyed through your brand’s colors. For example, if you’re a company that focuses on sustainability, you may find green to be a central part of your brand’s colors because you’re a “green” company.
- Think about your customer. If your primary customer is parents of young children under four, you’ll likely want to use primary colors and other bright, exciting colors in your branding. However, if you took those same colors over to a luxury hair salon, you’d likely scare off a large portion of your client base! Match the colors not only with the feel of your brand but also with the customer profile of your ideal customer.
- Be aware of the competition. You don’t need to fit in with the other brands in your industry, especially if you’re planning to disrupt it. However, you should be aware of their brand colors so you don’t choose the same shade as them for your primary brand color.
Work with an Expert
It’s okay to choose a few colors you think will work well when you’re first starting your business – in those early weeks and months, we’re often just trying to get everything set up and ready to serve our customers. However, as soon as you’re able to, work with a professional designer. Branding and design is a bit like hair styling – sure, you can cut your hair yourself, but it won’t look anywhere near as good as if a professional had done it. What’s worse, is while you can grow out a bad haircut, you can’t outgrow bad branding! It actively turns off your clients and can seriously hinder your growth, so make sure you get a professional in to get your branding down as soon as you have the budget to do so.
If you’re looking to brand or rebrand your business, Pixel Parfait is here to help. We can help you with every aspect of your visual branding, from your website design to your social media graphics. If you’d like to learn more, you can book your free brand consultation or click here to learn more.
