The primary motivation behind refining brand identity is to capture the attention of your target audience, in the hope they build positive associations with your business. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is to select a cohesive combination of brand colours.
In fact, Forbes suggests that colour improves brand recognition by up to 80%, so choosing the right brand colours is vital for business success. Whether you’re re-branding or developing a new brand entirely, we have created a comprehensive guide to determining the perfect brand colours for your business.
The Importance of Brand Colours
As humans, we are driven by visuals. Colour has a proven psychological impact on people’s decisions and behaviours, so it’s important to choose your brand colours wisely because each and every one will communicate a different message to your consumer. In fact, research demonstrates that 93% of buyers focus on the visual appearance of a product, and almost 85% claim that colour is the primary reason they make a purchase.
The powerful impact colour has on consumer decisions can be attributed to our subconscious decision-making process. We form opinions on products within just 90 seconds of viewing them, and up to 90% of those opinions are based on colour alone. Overall, consumers use brand colours to decide whether to engage with a business, so a colour palette could be the make or break of a business.
Establishing Your Brand Colours
Understand Colour Psychology
There are stories behind every colour, and each story helps shape the mood and behaviours of your consumers. Common colour psychology includes:
• Red: Associated with excitement and energy, the colour red can incite impulsive behaviours.
• Pink: As a romantic and sentimental colour, pink evokes a youthful or bold energy depending on its shade.
• Orange: Fresh and full of vitality, orange often connotes adventure, creativity and cost-effective solutions.
• Yellow: Optimism beams from the colour yellow, which is also associated with playfulness and happiness.
• Green: Closely linked to nature, green is often used to demonstrate sustainability.
• Blue: A reliable and trustworthy colour, blue has a calming effect that can help comfort its viewer.
Explore Colours That Reflect Your Brand Identity
Once you understand the foundations of colour psychology, we recommend creating a mind map of all the elements that make up your brand, including your core values and goals. To establish a cohesive colour palette, use this mind map to outline which colours mirror your brand identity and what you hope to evoke in your audience.
Test Your Brand Colours
Once your colour palette is finalised, it’s time to test different combinations of your brand colours to ensure they complement one another. Test different combinations on all your marketing collateral, from your logo, website and emails to your in-person store, staff uniform and business cards.
Create Brand Guidelines
The final step is to create brand guidelines. These guidelines should include the RGB and HEX colour codes, marketing templates and up-to-date examples. This will provide your team with insight into how and when to use your brand colours to create a memorable and unified message across all your marketing materials.
If you require assistance with any branding needs, contact us at Sherwood Universal to speak to our friendly staff about our in-house design services and how you can receive a no-obligation quote on your next print project.
Tony Hunt is a seasoned Print Industry Expert with over three decades of experience in the trade. He has been instrumental in helping clients expand their product ranges, secure more business, and ultimately increase their profitability. Tony’s approach is characterised by enthusiasm and passion, balanced with a realistic and tactical mindset. His expertise is further bolstered by seven years of running his own business, fostering a commercially-driven perspective. An excellent communicator, Tony prides himself on never compromising on detail.