Branding · 6 min read
How to choose brand colors: a 7 step guide with color psychology and real palette rules
Brand colors are one of the fastest ways people recognise you. Here is a simple 7 step way to choose them, what each colour tends to signal, and the palette rules designers use.
Jakaria MahmudBrand strategist and brand identity designer ·
To choose brand colors, start with what your brand should make people feel, check what your competitors already use, then pick one main colour, one or two support colours and a set of neutrals. Test the palette for contrast and on real materials before you commit. Colour is one of the first things people notice and remember, so it is worth getting right.
I am Jakaria Mahmud, a brand identity designer. Colour comes up in every project I work on, and the same questions come up every time. This guide answers them in plain words.
Short answer. A good brand palette has one primary colour that people link to you, one or two secondary colours for contrast, two or three neutrals for text and backgrounds, and sometimes one accent for buttons and highlights. Choose them by personality and audience first, stand apart from competitors second, and make sure text stays readable everywhere.
Why brand colors matter
People often recognise a brand by its colour before they read the name. A consistent colour helps every post, ad, package and page build the same memory, which is why colour is a core part of any brand identity. Colour also sets expectations: the same product can feel premium, playful, technical or friendly depending on the palette around it.
How to choose brand colors in 7 steps
1. Start with your brand personality
Write down three to five words that describe how your brand should feel, for example "calm, trusted, modern" or "bold, fun, fast". These words come from your positioning. Every colour you consider should support them.
2. Use color psychology as a guide, not a rule
Colours carry common associations, but meaning also depends on culture, industry and context. Use the table below as a starting point.
| Colour | Often signals | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Trust, calm, reliability | Finance, tech, healthcare |
| Green | Growth, health, nature | Energy, wellness, food |
| Red | Energy, urgency, passion | Food, retail, entertainment |
| Orange | Friendly, confident, warm | Consumer apps, sport, delivery |
| Yellow | Optimism, attention, clarity | Construction, kids, signage |
| Purple | Creativity, premium, imagination | Beauty, education, creative tools |
| Black | Luxury, power, simplicity | Fashion, luxury, design |
| White and neutrals | Space, clarity, honesty | Almost every brand, as support |
3. Check what your competitors use
List the colours of your five closest competitors. If everyone in your market is blue, a different primary colour can make you easier to spot and remember. You do not need to be loud. You need to be different enough that people do not mix you up with someone else.
4. Think about your audience and market
Who are you selling to, and where? A palette for a children's brand and one for a B2B software company should feel very different. If you sell in several countries, check that your main colour does not carry a negative meaning in any of them.
5. Build the palette: primary, secondary, neutrals and accent
- Primary. The colour people should link to you. Use it in the logo and key brand moments.
- Secondary. One or two colours that work with the primary and add range for graphics and sections.
- Neutrals. Off white, greys and a dark tone for text and backgrounds. These do most of the work on a website.
- Accent. An optional bright colour used only for calls to action and highlights, so buttons stand out.
For most small businesses, four to six colours in total is plenty. More than that is hard to keep consistent.
6. Use the 60 30 10 rule
A simple way to balance a palette: use your neutral or main background colour for about 60 percent of a layout, your primary or secondary for about 30 percent, and your accent for about 10 percent. This keeps designs calm while the important parts still stand out.
7. Test contrast and real use before you commit
Check that text on your colours is easy to read. The WCAG guideline asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text. Then test the palette on real things: your logo at small sizes, a website page, a social post, a business card and, if you have products, the packaging. A colour that looks great on screen can look dull in print, so ask for print proofs too.
Write down your colour codes
Once you choose your palette, record every colour in the formats you will need: HEX and RGB for screens, CMYK for print and a Pantone reference for packaging and signage. Put them in your brand guidelines with simple rules on where each colour is used, so your team and suppliers stay consistent.
Common brand colour mistakes
- Choosing only by personal taste. Your favourite colour may not fit your customers or your market.
- Too many colours. Large palettes get applied differently by every person who uses them.
- Copying the market leader. Looking like the biggest competitor makes you look like a cheaper copy.
- Forgetting readability. Light grey text or bright yellow on white is hard to read and hurts conversions.
- Not testing in print. Screen colours shift on paper, fabric and signage.
Should your logo use your brand colors?
Yes, but a good logo should work in one colour first. Design it in black and white, then apply the brand colours. That way it still works on a stamp, an embroidered shirt or a dark photo. Read logo vs brand identity to see how colour fits into the wider system.
The takeaway
Good brand colors come from strategy, not luck: choose them for your personality and audience, make sure they set you apart, keep the palette small, and test readability and print before you launch. Then use the same colours everywhere so people learn to recognise you. That consistency is one of the traits of a strong brand.
I design brand identities, logos and brand guidelines with full colour systems for print and screen, at fixed prices. See colour systems in real projects on the recent work page, or book a free 30 minute call.
Frequently asked questions
Start with three to five words that describe your brand personality, check the colours your competitors use, pick one primary colour that sets you apart, add one or two secondary colours and a set of neutrals, then test contrast and real use before you commit.
Most brands work well with four to six colours: one primary, one or two secondary colours, two or three neutrals and an optional accent for buttons and highlights.
It is a balance guide: about 60 percent of a layout uses a neutral or main background colour, about 30 percent uses the primary or secondary colour and about 10 percent uses an accent colour for the most important actions.
There is no single best colour. The right colour fits your personality and audience, stands apart from competitors and stays readable on every material you use.
Blue is the colour most often linked with trust and reliability, which is why it is common in finance, tech and healthcare. Consistency and readability matter as much as the colour itself.
Jakaria Mahmud, a brand identity designer at jakaria.design, builds brand colour palettes as part of logo design, brand identity and brand guidelines projects for businesses in the USA, UK and worldwide.
