Is your brand the right color?

I could turn you to a, “Hulk Green” rage blasting you with all the factoids I have collected about color over the years. But that won’t help you choose the right color for your brand. The fact is, the best colors are taken. Some brands don’t need to show their typography or logo, just a particular shade of red can make people think of a particular brand of cigarettes.

What if I told you not to worry about brand colors? I say first, color everything else. Color the product before you try to determine the brand colors. Often it’s the materials of your product that carry your brand’s colors. Not all brands need to have a color. The Apple® icon looks great etched into aluminum. The Volkswagen® “VW” looks great against any paint color. Focus on the materials, textures and atmosphere of your overall brand palette.

People are simple. At the most basic level, grass is green, the sky is blue, blood is red. The more fundamental the need for your product, the more primitive your inspiration for colors must be. Dinner restaurants feel better with the colors found around a campfire. Coffee shops do well to feel like a place to do business. Ice cream shops should be colored to feel fun.

Be advised, there is divergence among cultures. Japanese like their sushi room temperature, this sends the message of “fresh caught.” American’s like their sushi cold, this sends the message of “sterile.” Your colors should be appropriate to your customer’s cultural expectations.

The more your product is based on an idea, the more liberty you have in choosing colors. Banks’ colors come in every flavor because money is a concept. Marketing, advertising and branding companies can color themselves however they choose. They are only limited by their customer’s imagination.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Of course you are already looking at your competition. Take a look at how your customer would color you. How far can you stretch their expectations? There is a range of what the customer will find acceptable. You can, of course, turn those expectation on their ear. But if you do break with convention, you may need to do extra work to define yourself to your customers. Some business verticals have a narrow range of acceptable color palettes. Law firm colors often follow that of old books, in a not so subtile attempt to align their brand with the same.

Watch out for trends. From 2007–2010 there was a boom in brands making green their corporate color. This green served a purpose, it associated companies with “green” initiatives. It’s now 2015 and that trend has passed. If you are not selling salad, lawn care or recycled paper you’re not stuck with the expectation to be green.

Remember, your logotype does not have to carry all the colors of your brand. The more colors you put into your logo, the fewer colors it looks good laid up against. Colorful logos look great on black or white. Inversely black or white logos look great over photos or colorful backgrounds. Utilize materials, graphics and photography to bring color to your brand.

The truth is, you can color your brand however you please. A law firm can be hot pink, as long as the attorneys can match that attitude. And your branding agency can always apply some counter balance with design, graphics and photography to make sure you still appear to be a credible professional, if a bit avant-garde.

Yes, I am sorry to say, that this just scratches the surface of what considerations go into choosing colors. You don’t have to go it alone. There are plenty of firms out there that can guide you to a strategically sound brand color palette.

In today’s age of DIY, small businesses may not have the resources to roll-out a comprehensive branded color palette. A black or white logo might serve you just fine, especially paired with colorful photography. Or choose a single color logotype that looks good with black and white.

No matter what route you choose, DIY or a consultant, do borrow a Pantone book to see your colors in person. On screen only gets you so close.