How can you create a brand color palette that reflects your values?

1 Understand your brand

Before you start picking colors, you need to have a clear understanding of your brand's core attributes, goals, and target market. What are the values, emotions, and associations that you want your brand to convey? Who are you trying to reach and what are their preferences and expectations? How do you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors? These questions will help you define your brand identity and strategy, which will guide your color choices.

2 Choose a color scheme

A color scheme is a combination of colors that work well together and create a harmonious and balanced impression. There are different types of color schemes, such as monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic, that follow different rules and principles of color theory. You can use online tools, such as Adobe Color or Coolors, to explore and generate different color schemes based on your brand's identity and strategy. You can also get inspiration from nature, art, culture, or other brands that share your vision and values.

3 Select a primary color

Your primary color is the most dominant and recognizable color in your brand color palette. It's the color that you use for your logo, headlines, buttons, and other elements that need to stand out and grab attention. Your primary color should reflect your brand's personality and message, as well as appeal to your target audience. For example, red can convey excitement, passion, or urgency, while blue can suggest trust, calmness, or professionalism. You can use online tools, such as Color Psychology or Color Meaning, to learn more about the meanings and effects of different colors.

4 Add secondary and accent colors

Your secondary and accent colors are the colors that you use to support and complement your primary color. They help you create contrast, variety, and hierarchy in your design. Your secondary color is usually a lighter or darker shade of your primary color, or a color that is close to it on the color wheel. Your accent color is usually a contrasting or complementary color that adds some interest and excitement to your palette. You can use online tools, such as Paletton or Canva, to find and adjust secondary and accent colors that match your primary color and your brand identity.

5 Test and refine your color palette

Once you have your color palette, you need to test and refine it to make sure it works well for your brand and your audience. You can use online tools, such as Color Safe or Contrast Checker, to test the readability and accessibility of your colors, especially for text and backgrounds. You can also get feedback from your customers, peers, or experts to see how they perceive and react to your color palette. You can then make adjustments and improvements based on the results and insights you get.

6 Apply your color palette

The final step is to apply your color palette to your brand assets and materials, such as your logo, website, social media, packaging, and marketing. You need to be consistent and coherent in using your colors across all your touchpoints, as this will help you build recognition, trust, and loyalty among your customers. You also need to be flexible and adaptable in using your colors, as you may need to adjust them for different contexts, platforms, and purposes. You can use online tools, such as BrandColors or Color Hunt, to see how other brands use their color palettes and get some inspiration.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?