How to Pick Brand Colors

One of the first parts of any brand design (or redesign) is selecting the overall feel of the project based on the mood you want visitors to have when they visit your site. Colors play a big part in this first impression, so it’s important to choose them carefully. You need to consider how to pick brand colors, and not just your personal favorites.

The Science of Color

Certain colors usually evoke specific feelings. For example, red tends to be stimulating and energizing, but can also come across as aggressive. Pink is traditionally feminine and youthful, but can also come across as passive. Blue can be peaceful and calming, but can sometimes lack personality. This is why the specific shades and combinations are important in the overall feel of your brand. You don’t necessarily want to pick your favorite colors, but instead focus on the message you want your site to convey.

How To Pick The Winning Combination

Looking at your brand’s palette together is important. I usually recommend 3-5 main colors in each design. I look at not only how the colors look beside each other, but also how they will layer on top of each other. Here’s a good example of variety:

Finding Color Inspiration

My best suggestion is to make a Pinterest board and pin pictures that catch your eye– art, flowers, fabric, landscapes, etc. It doesn’t matter what the images are, but instead focus on pictures that make you feel good. If you’re going for energetic with your site, then you’ll probably be looking at brighter colors. For the cozy home feel, earth or coastal tones work better. Once you have quite a few images pinned, when you look at the board as a whole a trend of common colors should start to take shape. My clients often send me a link to their inspiration board and I work from it to create several palette options.

A Few Brand Color Examples

Here are a few examples of brand color palettes that started with pictures as inspiration. You can also view some of my recent projects to see what other clients have chosen.

Pinterest Branding Resources

I have Pinterest design boards devoted to branding trends, colors, and fonts.

More Brand Tips

For even more tips, visit this How to Develop A Strong Brand Identity post.

Pin for Later

I can help show you how to pick the perfect brand colors, included in all of my design packages for WordPress, Blogger, or Squarespace.

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