Color plays a crucial role in helping us assess and classify objects within seconds. If you think about how long you normally scan someone's social media page before deciding if you want to know more, you'd probably agree that brand color choice is key.
SummaryThink about your mediumDecide if you want to energize or sootheChoose a shadeMake sure it's universally applicableSince the human eye is able to distinguish around 10 million colors, you need to be on point with your choice. When the chosen color matches your brand, your audience is more likely to instantly connect with your services or products.
To make a choice, here are some tips to help you.
Before you start checking out different shades, consider which medium you'll be using the most.
Curalate 2013 study showed that dim, light and less saturated images posted on Instagram get significantly more likes than their more saturated or dark counterparts. High contrast and high saturation images prevail in print advertising.
Cooler colors tend to soothe while warmer ones have a stimulating effect. It can seem easy to choose between putting your audience to sleep and keeping them awake. However, you have to be careful when using red.
If your personal brand color is close to red, it can over-stimulate and exhaust your potential customers, employers, or business partners.
Additionally, humans have evolved to pay attention to bright, contrasting colors in order to evade predatory fauna and poisonous flora. So while bright orange or yellow against black can feel magnetized for a second, they can also cause stress and long-term tension fatigue.
When choosing brand colors, look for what is used most often in your industry, or take a bold stance and use something unusual.
Imagine an oil company using a green logo and marketing materials. This should get a second look, but before you take such a leap, ask yourself if this is really the kind of attention you're looking for.
While you should definitely do a thorough research, let's look at some common examples to get you started.
Green is associated with freshness and life because it is the dominant color in nature. Organic and eco-friendly brands, as well as environmental organizations, use this color to highlight their commitment to the cause.
Blue is associated with confidence, stability and science. It is becoming a popular choice among consulting firms, banks and research institutes. It is also widely used for any brand related to water.
Yellow is the color of fun, summer and sunshine. You can find it mainly in the entertainment industry to convey the joyful nature of a brand.
The color red usually represents power, passion, leadership or activity. It grabs attention immediately, making it great to use as a recurring accent in all of your brand advertisements.
Brown and earth tones are associated with a feeling of relaxation. Pastels, on the other hand, add a fleeting and tender feeling.
Here's a Crello Instagram Worktop Template you can browse for examples of professionally designed color choices for dozens of businesses.
See also:5 Instagram tools that can improve brand performance
Arguably, consistency with your brand color is as important as why you choose a particular color. Use it for all of your brand's online presence and promotional items. Consider how your branded materials will look online and offline in your selected tone.
Don't choose a color that doesn't suit you or just doesn't suit you. You will be the one to see your brand color the most, so let it reflect your uniqueness.
