So, is color really that important? Spoiler Alert… YES!

If you’re a business owner of any sort – but especially if you’re one in the online space, using color is extremely important to build consistency and brand recognition.

Color is one of the first things people notice when taking in any time of visual information. It can convey emotion, influence decisions, and create a feeling that customers can’t resist.

By choosing the right colors, your brand’s message is strengthened, becoming recognizable with just a first glance. It’s been said that color is one of the largest deciding factors when a customer purchases from a brand, so why not put in the work to create a color palette that does the heavy lifting for you?

Tips for Creating the Color Palette of Your Dreams

Use the following tips as a guide when creating a color palette for your brand:

Pick a color palette that feels authentic to you and be strategic about how to stand out

Picking colors can be hard. Where do you start? How do you pick complimentary colors?

Start curating your brand’s color palette by considering the things that inspire you. Is your business eco-friendly and sustainable with an edgy personality? Start with earthy tones, and compliment it with neon chartreuse and bright lavender to get an edge over your competitors. You can even build a mood board first and use an eyedropper tool to grab colors from the images to get started.

Use colors with high contrast and consider legibility

Always do your best to use colors with high contrast, especially when text is involved. You want your designs to be accessible to people of all ages and disabilities. Something to keep in mind is that darker colors are usually more legible on lighter backgrounds compared to the alternate option of using a lighter font on a dark background.

Always use your brand colors for social posts to build brand recognition

Remember to ALWAYS use your brand colors in any application. Whether you’re creating a graphic post, a business card, or ordering t-shirts to promote your brand at a local event… STAY CONSISTENT!

Like I said earlier, having a consistent color palette is the key to building brand recognition and attracting customers to your brand.

A Peak into My Color Palette Process

For as long as I’ve started designing I’ve always felt I had an eye for color when it comes to design. I’ve recently been asked, “How do you know when you’ve found a brand’s palette?”

Color exploration is one of my favorite parts of creating successful brand identities. To create the brand color palette for my clients’ branding projects (while hardly getting ANY revisions) I start with strategy. I look into their industry competitors and consider their personal preferences (though it doesn’t always help 😉 ) before going through my signature design process.

I take all the background and strategy work into consideration before pulling out my well-loved Pantone Swatch Books. I’ll spend some time flipping through to find core colors that may make up the primary palette. From there, I start to pull out complimentary neutral and accent colors and propose the final color ways to my clients. And get this – I’ve only ever had to weak one or two colors for a client!

Feeling stuck trying to create your color palette?

No worries! It can be hard the first time around. Give it another go after stepping back, and if you still feel stuck, send me a message to chat about how we can work together.