Color Formulas in Branding

Companies use brand color formulas to create a cohesive visual identity that resonates with their target audience and strengthens brand recognition. These formulas consist of previously defined color codes. There are several different color formulas available to companies to achieve success. It’s crucial for companies to make intentional choices that work well together with all the other elements of their branding.

Defining the brand

Defining a brand’s personality and values is crucial before considering brand colors. Companies must establish their brand’s main goal and purpose, as well as the emotions they want to elicit in their customers. They should brainstorm descriptive adjectives, values, and messages that align with their brand. This understanding creates a strong foundation for selecting colors that represent the brand’s personality.

Color psychology

Color psychology delves into the impact of colors on mood, behavior, and perception. To make informed decisions, companies should acquaint themselves with this field. One method for gaining insights on color psychology is by reading books and studies on the subject. Alternatively, they can collaborate with professional design teams to improve their choices.

Primary color

Choosing a primary color is crucial for a brand’s identity. The color should reflect the brand’s personality and resonate with the target audience. With knowledge of color theory and psychology, companies can make a lasting impact by selecting the right hue.

Secondary color

Secondary colors are essential in supporting a brand’s identity by adding depth and dimension to the color scheme. They are used to highlight accents, backgrounds, and typography, creating a harmonious color palette that tells the brand’s story. Companies can select up to three colors that complement the primary color to create a seamless combination, resulting in a visually appealing brand image.

Testing colors

Testing brand colors on various platforms is crucial once a company chooses them. These colors should be applied across the company’s website, social media pages, business cards, packaging, and all marketing materials for consistency and visibility. Brands can perform split testing on different color variations to determine which ones result in the most conversions.

Examples of different color formulas

There are some brands that only use a single color in their branding, such as Nike. The company chose black as its primary color, and it’s become a recognizable signature for consumers worldwide. Some brands use two colors for their branding, such as Coca-Cola. The company’s main color is red, while white is the accent color, used for the logo. White complements red, the primary color. Then, there are brands like FedEx, that use three colors, a primary, a secondary, and then a third, accent color. The last color should always complement the first two. Finally, some brands decide to use four colors in their brandings, which is simply an additional accent color. A great example of this is Microsoft, and all colors complement each other.