Are you unsure how to choose the right colours for your business? Find out four really helpful ways to spark colour inspiration so you create a stand out brand.
Method 1 - Think about how you want your brand to feel
Grab a pen and paper and write your business name in the middle of a page. Then draw lines coming away from your business name and write down some words to describe how you want your brand to feel. For example, If you were a massage therapist you’d probably want your brand to feel ‘calming’ and ‘tranquil’. If you were a personal trainer you’d probably want your brand to feel ‘energetic’ and ‘motivational’.
Now, straight away you will have some colours in your mind that you would associate with each of those feelings. Personally, when I think of the words calm and tranquil I think of soft blues and natural greens. Whereas, when I think of energetic and motivational I think of orange, yellow and bright green.
That’s a good starting point. Keep writing words and then write colours next to each feeling. You might have more than one colour for each feeling and that’s ok.
Once you have all your words and colours, highlight the colours that pop up most frequently. These colours are likely to be a perfect fit for your brand.
Method 2 - Mood board and inspiration
Now, try a different method. Start a Pinterest board for your brand. Start pinning images or graphics that inspire you. Once you have a collection of 25 - 50 pins you’ll probably start to notice similar colours popping up. Now, if you like a lot of different colours and themes: your Pinterest board might start to look a bit messy and overwhelming. My advice here would be to take a screen break and re-vist the page the next day with fresh eyes. Then, I would look through the pins again and pinning the pins you REALLY LOVE onto a new board. Then check out the new board which should have a more defined colour palette.
Are these colours the same results as method 1? If they are, great! Sounds like you've picked colours that are a great fit for your brand. If not, don't worry, it might be time to ask for some help defining your brand colours.
Method 3 - Colour Websites
There are plenty of websites to help you pick colour palettes and provide you with colour inspiration. My favourite website is called Coolors which auto generates colour palettes - you can then add or remove colours or change the shade within each palette. What I like about Coolors is that you can start with a colour palette you like the look of then ‘lock in’ some colours within that palette, but toggle different options for some of the colours. You can also upload a photo you really love and colour pick from that image - it then generates a colour palette from the image.
Method 4 - Look at the world around you
Everyday inspiration is real! Look in your garden, go on walks, go out for lunch - what are you drawn to? Is it a certain colour of flower? Is it more materials and textures you’re drawn to? Is it a menu or poster you've seen? Look in your wardrobe - what is your favourite outfit?
Take photos of all the things you love or write a list of the colours that keep popping up in your everyday life. Once you start looking and taking notice, you'll soon start to see a trend of colours.
I'd love to know if any of these methods helped you? Please let me know in the comments :-)
Want me to help you find your perfect brand colours?
My signature logo + brand identity package includes a bespoke colour palette as standard. I’ll use the methods above to generate a mood board or two for your business - which will help form a direction for your brand colours and brand identity. Once your brand identity has been finalised, I provide you with a brand guidelines document which includes all of your colour codes. So the next time you’re ordering uniform or deciding on a colour for your promo material - you’ll know exactly what to choose!
Fill out my logo + brand design enquiry form to get started.
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