Colour has so much power. Some of the most famous brands in the world are instantly recognisable, think McDonald’s red & yellow, Starbucks’ green and Ikea’s blue and yellow. With so many brands saturating each and every market, it is becoming more and more important for your brand to distinguish itself from your competitors and become immediately recognisable customers.
So where do you start when it comes to picking colourways and designing your branding? Bhavani Lee, Associate Creative Director at Vista Australia has shared her advice:
Keep track of colour trends
Before starting, do some research on what the colour trends forecast looks like! Keeping up to date with trends such as colour of the year will give you inspiration for your own brand colours.
Primary colours are a good starting point
Reds, blues, and yellows are a great starting point. Use these as guide to help build your colour palette, in line with your service or products. The second step is establishing which colours you want to use to supplement your base colour, do you want to do a shade of yellow hues, or partner yellow and purple together to create eye catching branding.
Be specific with your colour goals
Being specific with your colour goals for your brand will create a guide that will be both recognisable internally and with your customers. Creating brand guidelines will ensure everyone in your business is on the same page.
The most popular brand colours:
- Blue – is generally associated with competence and trustworthiness. Those associations make blue colour schemes good options for businesses in the finance sector, as well as for businesses that require customers to place a lot of trust in them — maybe a veterinary office or a medical practice.
- Black – is often associated with strength, sophistication, tradition, and formality. Black can be a great choice for your retail or fashion business.
- Red – is linked to love, danger and excitement. Science also says that red stimulates the appetite — so it can be a great fit for eateries of all kinds.
- Grey – In between black and white, grey represents balance and neutrality. Grey is a great colour choice for professionals, like lawyers, financial planners and accountants, since it’s serious and has a corporate feel.
If you need further inspiration, visit: Colour psychology for business branding: How to choose the right colours.
Also read: Why you should diversify your marketing strategy beyond paid ads
