Making the life-changing decision to start or grow a business brings a flood of choices. You’ll need to determine your target audience, decide on a business name, and choose a location. One of the more enjoyable yet creatively complex tasks is selecting the colors for your visual brand.
Using a consistent color palette to represent your business’ mission is essential for building a cohesive brand. A well-chosen color scheme helps potential clients remember who you are, associate your business with a specific emotion or feeling, and ultimately enhance your target audience’s perception of what you’re offering.
Here are five key things to consider when choosing a color scheme for your business:
1. The science behind your choice.
Sometimes, the use of a particular color may seem obvious, such as bright green for a farmer’s market or craft paper brown for a package delivery company. However, it’s crucial to research the psychological meaning behind the color you’re considering. For instance, red is generally perceived as bold, energetic, and exciting, so it may not be an ideal choice for a spa, which is associated with serenity and relaxation. When determining your business colors, complete this sentence: “My customers should see my product or service as ______.” Then figure out which color matches that adjective.
2. Whether the colors complement one another.
Colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel, such as deep purple and bright yellow or dark blue and orange, complement each other well and offer a strong contrast. These combinations work great together and also give your business brand a more diverse visual persona.
3. Whether the colors contrast.
A color’s value describes how light or dark it is. Colors with similar values can be hard to distinguish when they overlap, which can be especially challenging for someone who is colorblind or when your digital files are printed in black and white. Avoid using colors with similar values to ensure your brand is seen clearly and remembered. If your existing color palette includes colors with similar values, use them in separate spaces to avoid problems.
4. The long-term association of your colors.
Color is a prominent element of a visual brand and a long-term commitment. While you can change your palette later, maintaining the same level of brand recognition can be challenging if your audience has already associated your business with a specific set of colors. Avoid committing to a color combination before considering others. Pantone color systems can be costly, but budget-friendly resources like the Shades Color Swatches Coated & Uncoated CMYK Process System Guide (which provides CMYK, RGB, and HEX values) or Color and Style’s Color Swatch Fans allow you to evaluate countless color combinations, gather feedback from your target consumers, and share exact color values with your creative team.
5. Be as unique as possible.
Sometimes, businesses offering similar products and services use similar colors. For instance, multiple supermarkets may use green in their branding, as it is associated with fresh food. If you want to adopt a commonly used color for your business, research other businesses, learn their color values, and choose shades that differ.
Conclusion
Choosing your business colors can be exciting and fun, but the process shouldn’t be taken lightly. Understanding how your colors make people feel and how each color in your scheme plays off the others is key to creating a visual brand that stands the test of time.