How to Choose Brand Colours You Won’t Regret

Colour is the fastest way a brand communicates, and the easiest to get wrong. Choosing a palette because it is fashionable this season almost guarantees that you will want to change it the next.

Begin with a feeling

Before opening a colour picker, write down three words for how you want people to feel when they meet your brand: calm, energised, reassured, curious. Those words are the brief. Every colour you consider has to earn its place against them.

Build the palette in layers

• A neutral base. The background of almost everything; warm or cool makes a big difference.
• A dark tone for text. Rarely pure black; something slightly softer is kinder to read.
• One accent. The colour of buttons and highlights. Use it sparingly so it keeps its strength.
• One or two supporting tones. For variety in illustrations, sections and social posts.

A palette is not about your favourite colour. It is about the colour your clients will come to associate with you.

Test it in real life

Try the palette on a page of your website, a social post and something printed before committing. Check that text is easy to read and that the accent stands out. If it works in all three, you have a palette that will last.