I've been noticing lately that a lot of small business owners really struggle when picking out a main color for their brand or choosing colors that would best represent their business. So today, we're going to talk about building brand recognition through colors, the importance of picking out a main color for your brand, and one way you can do that.
Build Brand Recognition Through Colors
There's research out there that actually shows that people are more likely to remember a brand if it uses a consistent color palette. Especially if you can narrow your main colors to one or two. I see people struggling when picking out a main color for their brand and what color would best represent them.
What I've noticed is that people usually pick out their color palette based on what their favorite colors might be or what color palettes are trending right now or even choosing colors that other businesses similar to them are using. And that’s fine. It’s definitely one way for you to establish your colors. But I want you to have a leg up by being intentional with what colors you choose.
Benefits of Establishing a Main Brand Color
The benefit of having a main color or even two main colors is to be able to use it throughout your brand materials and use those consistently in your logo, business cards, your website, maybe it's your lead magnet. And if you use those colors consistently, it'll actually help people remember your brand. You start building brand recognition through your colors, and it helps set you apart from other businesses.
Before I jump in though, I just want you to know that your colors are not the be-all and end-all of your brand. But studies show that establishing brand colors can help people remember your brand by up to 80% because we’re wired to associate things with colors.
Be Intentional With Brand Colors
You know, I've been doing a lot of research. I love to research. I'm, I'm a total nerd and I've noticed that a lot of people are using similar colors right now. Colors that are trending right now are nude, beige, pink, and tannish colors, and, you know, that's totally fine. But when everyone starts using those same colors, your brand will have a harder time standing out.
I'm sharing this with you, not out of judgment or anything like that because I know that the branding process can be difficult. But I want you to make strategic choices when it comes to your brand. When you're intentional about every single detail, all those elements when put together will help you build a brand that's just that much stronger and build a brand for long-term growth.
Examples of Brand Colors and Brand Recognition
When you think about brands that use red as their main color, you might think of Coca-Cola. Target, YouTube, or McDonald's. For brands that use orange as their brand color, you might think of Amazon, Nickelodeon, or Home Depot. For brands that use the color green as their primary brand color, you might think of Starbucks, Whole Foods, or Spotify.
When I think of the color blue, I personally think of Facebook. They do a great job not really diverting from that color…and I use this platform on a daily basis for my business. The point is, it has strong brand recognition just from the color alone. How powerful could that be for our own businesses?
Picking Your Main Brand Color
So how do we do that? How do we pick one main color or even maybe two main colors for our brand? The thought of narrowing down your brand color to just one color can be very, very difficult. But when you're working through that, I want you to think about two questions and really try and hone in on narrowing the answer down.
The first question is, what do you want your brand to be known for? It could be that you want to be known for a brand personality trait, a core value, or maybe the type of industry you’re in. But think about that one thing that you want to portray about your brand.
The second question is, what's one main thing you want others to feel about your brand? Do you want your target audience to feel safe, comforted, or like they’re joining in on something mysterious? What's the one main thing you want people to feel when they interact with your brand?
Use Color Psychology to Build Brand Recognition
When you get focused on what you want to say and how you want to be perceived, you start seeing where things start to intersect. Where themes and patterns start to repeat, decisions about your brand like picking your color choice become clear and easier to choose.
Let's say you've narrowed down your color choices to two. Are those two colors a great color combination? Are they colors that complement each other? If not, I suggest using color psychology and seeing what color aligns the best when it comes to representing your brand.
If you're not really familiar with colors and color psychology, check out these blog posts and use refer back to them whenever you need a little guidance.
