Honestly, I get asked this question week in, week out. And it’s never a straightforward answer because, and I’ll be completely frank with you…it just depends on your branding direction. There are no hard and fast rules with branding design; much of the time, it’s an organic process with all the interconnecting parts coming together at different points to develop an overall brand identity. Colour and colour palettes are just one of these moving parts.
The two most important things you can do to begin with are to pull together a brand moodboard (either physically or on Pinterest) and write out an ideal client profile, so that you keep your audience in mind every step of the way. If you would like to receive a free copy of my Mini Ideal Client Guide, click here!
When I begin the branding strategy process with my clients, I always, always keep their brand mission and ideal client and audience in mind. Yes, it is nice to choose brand colours that resonate with you personally, but more importantly, you need to consider your ideal client and the colours that would appeal to them. The focus needs to remain on the type of person you want to engage with, as they are the people who will ultimately be purchasing from/booking with you.
I really enjoy starting with 2-3 colours in a brand palette, sometimes just 2 initially, as it’s much easier to build a colour palette based on a smaller amount of key colours. I try to utilise colour theory by choosing some similar tone colours contrasted with a couple of colours which are opposite on the colour wheel. But I am a bit of a maverick at times! Eventually, I love to balance a couple of lighter tones, with a couple of medium tones and to finish, a couple of darker tones. That’s not to say six is a definitive number…sometimes I create colour palettes which are four or eight colours. Although six is where I tend to lean to.
When choosing brand colours, it’s useful to think about how those colours would make your audience feel, or how your brand identity will be translated through those colours. If, for example, your brand is an eco-friendly baby clothing brand, then you’d likely want to stick to earthy and natural colours, to denote sustainability and your eco-credentials. If your brand is luxurious skincare products, you’re going to likely want to incorporate some colours that are rich in tone with lots of contrast and light/shade.
I hope this gives you a little more insight around choosing a colour palette for your brand identity. If you’re keen to chat about how I can help you with your branding and website design, please get in touch!