Choosing the right colour for your brand

Example of a business card deign I created for client Integrated Projects.

Colour can be a game-changer when it comes to branding. It is easily one of the most important aspects of a brand when it comes to recognisability and memorability.

Some of the world’s most successful brands are instantly identifiable by their brand colours. Just look at Cadbury purple, Coca-Cola red or Chanel’s sophisticated black and white palette. In the early noughties, Priceline Pharmacy went from being a drab drug store with a low-price positioning strategy to a vibrant destination for female beauty and wellness. How? By overhauling their brand palette from grey and orange to a rich and lustrous pink.

Never underestimate the power of colour for enhancing your brand appeal. A recent study found that 90% of snap judgements made about products can be based on colour alone. Not surprisingly, it has been scientifically proven that colours have a direct impact on consumer behaviour.

Decades of research has shown that colours help customers identify a brand’s personality attributes. These attributes evoke an emotional connection and therefore have the power to tip purchasing decisions in your favour. The lesson? Always choose shades that resonate strongly with your intended audience.

The general rule of thumb is to stick to three colours or less for your colour palette. You don’t want to overwhelm your communications with too many colours as this may confuse your audience and take away the focus from the message you are conveying.

Ultimately, you want to match your brand values with your colour palette to create a strong and coherent message.

The Psychological Effects of Colour

How do people respond to different shades and hues? Here’s our colour psychology cheat sheet.

RED: Confident, passionate and powerful.

Red feels loud and exciting, and often represents urgency. If you want to invite immediate action from your audience, red is a colour that demands attention because it stands out from the rest. Use it strategically rather than generously.

Brands that use it well: Qantas, Coca-Cola and Pinterest.

ORANGE: Playful, warm and welcoming.

Orange is an approachable colour, used to make brands feel inviting. When paired with cheerful language, orange can help you entice your audience into interacting with your brand. Consider that too much orange can feel overwhelming on a screen and may not reproduce well in print, so highlight rather than saturate.

Brands that use it well: Fanta, Amazon and Mastercard.

YELLOW: Optimistic, youthful and happy.

Yellow is a summery colour that we associate with brightness and the sun. With this instinctive reminder of fun and energy, it can be used to communicate positive messages and help lift the mood of a brand.

Brands that use it well: IKEA, McDonald’s and Snapchat.

GREEN: Fresh, balanced and stable.

Green has an ability to ground us with its representation of nature. It’s a colour that evokes the feeling of growth or wealth, often used in design to create a sense of stability. It’s often used for natural products and services.

Brands that use it well: Starbucks, BP and Spotify.

BLUE: Confident, loyal and responsible.

Blue is associated with success or authority. It can be used to talk about more serious issues because it represents trust. People are more likely to make purchase decisions when there’s perceived security in making those decisions.

Brands that use it well: American Express, Facebook and Dell.

PURPLE: Stylish, imaginative and royal.

Purple is a colour that sparks curiosity because it’s associated with strength, transformation and royalty. Purple is the color of royalty because of its association with the coloured clothing of historical monarchs. It has the power to motivate and can be used to encourage creativity.

Brands that use it well: Cadbury, Yahoo and Aussie Home Loans.

PINK: Caring, modern and assertive.

Pink is powerful in its diversity. Depending how it is applied, it can be stimulating or calming. Either way, it’s empowering and pure, so it is perfect to use in instances where you want to communicate with confidence and pride.

Brands that use it well: Telstra, Priceline and Victoria’s Secret.

Find your true colours

To project the brand image you want, think about the colours that would best convey your brand values. Curate your brand colour palette around this and the overall look and feel you would like to establish. Be bold, think outside the box and push the boundaries. People best respond to brands who aren’t afraid to be different!