Picking the Right Hues for Your Business: A Guide on Brand Color Selection
In the competitive world of business, creating a strong and recognisable brand identity is essential. One crucial aspect of branding that often goes unnoticed is the use of colour. Colour psychology plays a significant role in branding, as it can evoke specific emotions and perceptions that influence consumer behaviour, brand recognition, and overall brand reputation.
Monzo, a UK-based digital bank, has capitalised on this by using a vivid coral pink for its debit card, creating a powerful visual signature and increasing brand recognition. Similarly, Haus, a modern aperitif brand, uses a palette of warm amber hues, sage green, and beige to reflect its all-natural ingredients and artisanal approach.
The importance of colour psychology in branding lies in its ability to improve brand recognition, enhance customer connection through emotional responses, and foster positive perceptions of the brand. For instance, blue, which commonly conveys trust and security, is popular among banks and social platforms, while red, which triggers urgency and excitement, is used by brands like Coca-Cola and Netflix.
To effectively utilise color psychology in creating a brand colour palette, companies should start with understanding their brand personality and the needs of their audience. The chosen colours must align with the brand's story and values—this helps create an instant sense of connection for customers. Luxury brands often use black and white for an elegant feel, while tech brands may use bold, innovative colours. However, context matters: overuse or incorrect shades can undermine the intended emotional impact.
Key steps include identifying your brand’s core personality and target audience preferences, using colours associated with emotions and values that align with your brand message, considering the cultural, contextual, and industry-specific meanings of colours, and selecting a palette that includes primary colours for recognition and secondary colours for depth and versatility. It is also important to test how colour combinations work together and in different media, ensuring readability and aesthetic appeal.
By strategically designing a brand palette based on colour psychology, brands can enhance customer engagement, foster loyalty, and stand out in competitive markets. However, it is essential to limit the number of colours in a brand colour palette to 3 to 5 for better brand recognition. A typical brand colour scheme includes a primary colour, a few secondary colours, and neutral tones. Secondary colours act as supporting shades and do not overshadow the primary colour.
The base colour should reflect the essential characteristics of the brand's identity. For example, green, which reflects health, money, and balance, might be an ideal choice for a brand promoting eco-friendly products or financial services. The accent colour should complement the base colour and reflect a characteristic of the overall brand identity.
Brand consistency is crucial for an effective brand identity. New hues added to a brand's visual identity should be complementary or slightly contrasting. Colours should be adapted to work for various platforms and mediums, including social media, packaging, and print. It is crucial to document colour codes in brand guidelines for effective implementation and maintenance of the brand identity.
Understanding colour terminology can improve the efficiency and accuracy of the brand colour selection process. Adhering to the Pantone Matching System ensures accurate colour representation in branding and marketing materials.
In summary, colour psychology is a strategic tool for branding that shapes perception and influences consumer decisions. An effective brand colour palette is created by aligning colour choices with brand personality, audience expectations, and emotional goals while carefully considering context and usage. By doing so, brands can attract their target audience, create emotional connections, and convey desired messages or values effectively.
- To effectively align with the fashion-and-beauty industry, beauty brands could consider using warm and vibrant shades, such as Haus's amber hues, sage green, and beige, to echo their all-natural and artisanal values, mirroring the emotions their target audience will associate with their brand.
- In the realm of technology, brands striving to portray an innovative personality may benefit from using bold and non-traditional colours, like those adopted by tech brands, to stand out in a competitive market and captivate the attention of their tech-savvy audience, ultimately fostering loyalty and improving brand recognition.
