If one of the colors pops out too much because it is either too bright or too light, you might want to consider tweaking that color.īUT, sometimes that is exactly what you are going for…so always go with what feels right to you. If they sort of blend together when you look at them, you are on the right track. Again, you can refine these as you become more comfortable using color.Ī little trick I learned in design school was to squint your eyes and look at your colors together. Once you have decided on your starter set of colors, you can tweak them until they feel like they flow well together. These colors will provide room for your design to breathe, yet still provide some color to balance your design. These colors can be brighter or bolder so that they command a little more attention across all the colors when grouped together.ģ – And finally, the ‘ grounding colors’ which are more subdued and could be variations of the two base or brand colors that you selected. I am choosing these words for my example below:ġ – The ‘ base colors‘ can be your brand colors, the darker colors in your palette, or the colors from your logo, photos, etc.Ģ – The ‘ action colors‘ will provide that little “pop” to highlight important items and can be used for buttons, callouts etc. Pick 3-5 words or phrases that you absolutely LOVE and start there. If you find that you are coming up with simple words or terms, take a look at a thesaurus to give you more options or to find something more powerful that resonates with you. Need help finding words or phrases? At the end of the post there’s a link to grab our super helpful (and free!) Color Inspiration Kit. We start with words because they can help provide insight into what to actually search for when it comes to feelings and colors. Think about things like: What do you really want to be known for? How do you want others to see you and your brand? What should come to mind when someone comes across your brand organically? Describe your brand in 5-6 words. Put together a list of words and phrases that resonate with you, your target market, and the products or services that you are selling. OK, there are a few things that I will call “prep work” when getting ready to work on your brand colors or color palette: 1 / Do A Deep Dive: What do you REALLY want your brand to say about you?īefore you start looking at colors, take some time to think about your brand and what you want to convey with the overall look and feel. I think all of the above are an important part in understanding how color impacts every brand and each topic merits its own post for sure! However, what I want to do in this post is give you the tools and direction to get started - to inspire you to finally get your brand out there or help you update your current color palette with confidence in knowing that you are selecting a great set of colors that can be refined and tweaked as you continue to define your brand. I’ve worked with many small businesses and entrepreneurs on their branding and firmly believe that even if you select colors using methods and meanings, you will never fully connect with your brand or attract the tribe of your dreams, if you don’t also take into consideration your own personal style, preferences, and aesthetic. We could talk about the color wheel and what colors should go together according to the basics of understanding primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, along with tints, tones and shades… See?! SO. What makes working with color so tricky is that there are so many nuances…there is the psychology of color and why different colors work better for different topics, evoke specific feelings, or bring out different responses from those who interact with them. ![]() And just to be clear, creating color palettes can be difficult for both DIYers as well as designers, so don’t think it’s only you that struggles to find just the right color palette for you or your client. While I live and breathe in living color, for so many solopreneurs or small business owners, color seems to be one of the trickiest aspects when it comes to designing for your brand. ![]() ![]() I used to color on my grandmother’s walls when I was a little girl, my book shelves are organized by color, and most of my design work involves tons of different color studies. I absolutely LOOooOOve working with color. Now in this post, we are talking all about COLOR. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here: How to Choose Styled Stock Photos for Your Brand. In our last design tutorial, we took you on an adventure to Crack the Image Code. We looked at how to select and use styled stock photos in unique ways to enhance your brand with creative cropping, strategic white space, and more. This guest post was written by LeAnna Weller Smith: Executive Creative Director, Weller Smith Design (and our resident Design Expert!)
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