COLORS:

Importance in Branding
Draw your attention in an image
Invoke your emotions
 Communicate something
important without words or
phrases at all
 Why colors are important?
They say first impressions count. This is especially true when it comes to your brand since your brand color
is likely to be the first thing customers see.

Colors elicit emotions and feelings, plus they convey certain information. This enables customers to form
an initial impression without even knowing what your product is about. Put simply, brand colors are
powerful in helping customers decide whether or not they want to engage.
 How
customers
respond to
color?
Examples of Iconic Brands
Understand what colors mean
Red is associated with danger, excitement, and energy. It’s also known for being the color of love and
passion.
Pink is feminine, it’s sentimental and romantic. Different shades, like hot pink, can be youthful and bold.
Orange, like it’s namesake, is fresh and full of vitality. It’s also creative, adventurous, and associated with
being cost-effective.
Yellow is optimistic. It’s a color associated with being playful and happy.
Green is natural, often used to demonstrate sustainability. But it can also align with prestige and wealth.
Blue is trustworthy and reliable. It’s calming or often associated with depression.
Purple is royalty and majesty. It can be spiritual and mysterious.
Brown is down-to-earth and honest, often used for organic wholesome products.
White is pure. It conveys simplicity and innocence, often with a minimalistic feel.
Black is both sophisticated and elegant. It can be formal and luxurious, but also sorrowful.
Multicolor is united or open to anything. It’s great for capturing the spirit of diversity.
Identify your brand essence

First up, identify what your brand is about, as

having a clear idea—what your brand’s goals are
and how you want your target audience to feel—
will help hone the best colors to choose for your
brand.

Think about your brand in the following ways:

Brand goals: Do you want customers to be

happy, to get rich, be more informed?

Target audience: Do you want them to feel

positive, confident, or intelligent?

Personality traits: Is your brand fun, serious, or

inspirational?
Look at competitor brand colors
Brand colors should stand out or at least be instantly recognizable. Since your product often appears among
competitors—either online or on the shelf—you don’t want to look the same. We often see sunscreens in a sea of yellow
or tech companies in a sea of blue. When every product looks the same, it’s easy to be overlooked.

Instead, think about other things your brand or product does, apart from the obvious. A sunscreen might protect from
the sun but if it’s made sustainably, green could be an option. To avoid getting lost in the mix, create a mood board of
your competitors to determine how you can separate yourself from the pack.
Create a brand color palette
Let’s face it, there are many shades of blue, so let’s look at the colors in
context, both as an individual brand color and within a palette.

Types of color

Color Hues
This refers to variations of the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. As you'll
probably recall, these three colors can create any other color, depending on how
they’re mixed.

Color Shade
This is when black is added to a color, and the amount of shade refers to the
amount of black added.

Color Tint
This is the white version of shade, adding white to make the color lighter.

Color Saturation or tone

This is when you change a color’s appearance by adding both black and white.
Break Time!
Color Codes
CMYK and PMS: CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) while PMS stands for Pantone
Matching System. These are used for printing, either off-set digitally.

RGB and HEX: RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue while HEX stands for Hexadecimal Numeral System. These
are predominantly found on screens for things like websites and emails.

Brand Palette
Most brands have more than one color. While the logo might be blue, the website might include yellow or
green as well. This is called a brand palette, and important to have those colors work together in harmony.
Creating brand Guidelines
A key component of brand guidelines keeping a record of your brand colors. It should show
these in all formats. For print or fabrics, be sure to include CMYK and PMS colors, as well as
digital colors in both RGB and HEX.

Some additional things you can also include in your brand guidelines include:

➢ A brand overview. The history, mission statement, and personality of your brand.
➢ Tone of Voice. The way you speak to customers or messages you want to communicate.
➢ Logo treatment. The size it should appear or where it should appear on a page or email.
➢ Color palette. PMS, CMYK, RGB, and HEX.
➢ Typography or font. For use in emails, print, or websites.
➢ Image styles. Such as the photos you use on social media.
➢ Design styles. For things like office stationery such a business cards or letterheads.

It’s a great exercise to see how your brand looks as a whole, how the colors come together, and
that your brand looks the same across the board.
Where your brand colors should appear
Once you’ve done the research, found your color, and created a palette of
supporting colors, it’s time to put them into action. Across all your touchpoints,
make sure your selected colors have the desired effect and will work in a variety of
ways.

Here are some places where your brand colors can appear:

•Logo
•Website and emails
•Social media
•Advertising
•Instore
•Stationery
•Staff uniforms
•Events

Before you commit, test out your colors in one or two formats, like social media or
by printing business cards.
 Helpful websites
https://www.boldwebdesign.com.au/colour-palettes/?_button=retail

https://colorhunt.co/

https://grasshopper.com/resources/tools/branding-color-quiz/#

https://www.canva.com/colors/color-palette-generator/
Simple approach
 Activity 2
Mr. E wants his pasta dish to be recognized. Help him establish his brand
He wants something vibrant but yet cozy and delicious promotional design
An elegant approach would be feasible.

Brand palette
Sample name
Sample packaging