Struggling to Determine the Ideal Colour Palette for Your Brand? This blog post is for you! In this post, I’ll guide you through three straightforward steps to quickly and easlity choose your colour scheme. Say goodbye to procrastination and welcome the creation of attention-grabbing graphics that will enhance your business!
If you’re on the verge of launching your business or unveiling a new product, you might be contemplating the DIY route for your branding – a sensible choice if you’re just starting out.
Hiring a professional designer is excellent down the line, once your business is established. However, at the starting line, doing it yourself is not just practical but cost-effective.
Nevertheless, here’s the catch: Don’t let designing become an excuse to delay your business launch!
Choosing a colour palette often poses a challenge for DIY designers. The plethora of colour combinations out there can be overwhelming. Often ending up in a hot mess. But fear not, Redhead Graphic Design has devised a three-step process to simplify the process and put a stop to the overwhelm.
Here’s a quick recap of our painless approach to choosing your brand colours, ensuring that instead of random colours that send your customers confused about what you offer, they lead to a cohesive brand that stops the scroll:
1. Here's How to Find Your Inspiration:
Begin by scrolling through Pinterest. Select an image or collection that resonates with with your business and more importantly your brand, and that your think with connect with your customers. Trust your instincts rather than overthinking colour psychology or the colour wheel.
If you’re uncertain, jot down 3-5 words describing the vibe you want for your brand (e.g., friendly, fun, luxurious, lifestyle photos), and use these as keywords in your Pinterest search. What colours evoke the vibe you want your brand to exude? Capture these feelings in a few descriptive words. This is your visual wish list!
You can create a mood board of your images or if you see a mood board that these images that works for your brand and your business, snap a screenshot go ahead and save it on your desktop.
Keep in mind your keywords that you use are not set in stone but it’s a good idea to jot them down on a piece of paper so you can refer back to them at a later date, so you refine them and you move through the branding process.
2. Upload to Adobe Colour:
Fantastic, you’ve got your image! Now, head to Adobe Colour, my favourite tool for crafting colour palettes. Upload your chosen image and let Adobe work its magic.
Explore different combinations, adjusting settings to refine the palette. You can even manually tweak the colours if needed. Aim for 1-2 main brand colours, a couple of neutrals, and a dark option for fonts.
Try out my step-by-step guide for refining your colours below.
2. Step By Step - Brand Colours From a Photo
- Open Adobe Colour: Begin by accessing the Adobe Colour website at color.adobe.com. Log in to your Adobe account or create one if you don’t have it already.
- Navigate to “Extract Theme”: On the top menu, locate and click on “Extract Theme.” This feature is the key to deriving a cohesive colour palette from your chosen image.
- Upload Your Image: Within the “Extract Theme” section, find the option to upload your image. Click on it, and a dialog box will appear, allowing you to choose the image file you’ve selected as your colour inspiration. Select the file and click ‘Open.’
- Let Adobe Work Its Magic: Allow Adobe Colour a moment to analyse your image. The tool will automatically generate a preliminary colour palette based on the dominant colours within the picture.
- Explore Different Colour Combinations: Once the initial palette is generated, you have the opportunity to experiment with different colour combinations. Navigate to the menu on the left-hand side and explore options like Bright, Dark, Muted, and more. This enables you to customise your colour palette.
Keep in mind that you’ll want 1-2 main brand colours, a couple of neutral colour options to act as your background colour on your website, and a dark colour option for fonts! - Fine-Tune Manually (Optional): For those who seek further customisation, Adobe Colour offers manual adjustments. Move the sliders on the image to manually select specific colours, tailoring the palette to your preferences.
- Save Your Palette: Once satisfied with your colour palette, locate the “Save” button, typically near the generated palette. Click on it and provide a recognisable name for your theme. This step ensures easy reference for future use.
- Retrieve Your Hex Codes: Your colour palette will display hex codes for each colour. Click on each colour box to unveil its hex code. These codes are crucial for maintaining consistency in your branding across various platforms.
3. Save Your Hex Codes:
Congratulations! You’ve created a brand colour palette effortlessly. Save the hex codes (those little numbers with the #) stash them in a virtual vault, whether it’s a Google Doc or notes on your device. These codes will be your secret weapon for maintaining consistency in your brand’s visual identity making sure your brand graphics always hit the mark..
Pro tip: Add them to your Canva Brand Kit for seamless graphic design.
5.How To Set Up Your Brand Kit In Canva
A Brand Kit is your ultimate time saver, whether starting fresh or merging existing assets. After setup, effortlessly access fonts, logos, colours, icons, and more in Canva. Elevate your designs with consistent branding across every touchpoint, ensuring a polished and professional brand presence. You’ve got the power to shape a cohesive and standout brand effortlessly across all your marketing platforms.
Give it a try today.
6. Bringing Your Brand Colors to Life
Now that you wield a palette that defines your brand, strategically infuse these colors across your brand landscape:
On your website: Elevate headers, buttons, and blog post graphics. Your website will radiate a cohesive energy that draws in your audience.
On social media: Seamlessly integrate your brand colors into images, ensuring your graphics stand out effortlessly. Your brand will become an unmistakable presence in the digital landscape.
In marketing materials: Embed your color palette into lead magnets, presentations, PDFs, and other collateral. Consistency is the key to leaving a lasting impression.
So, visionary consumer, embrace your inner designer and let your brand colors articulate your narrative. Achieve a consistent, professional, and distinctly ‘you’ presence. Here’s to transforming your business into a visual masterpiece that resonates with your unique vision!
5. Lack of Audience Focus
Tailor your branding to resonate with your target audience. Understand their likes, dislikes, fears, desires, and attractions. By using language, visuals, and messaging that speak to your audience, you’ll build a strong emotional connection and position your brand as the go-to in your industry.
Pro Tip: Did you know that Redhead Graphic Design offers a Signature Brand Day, ensuring your visuals align perfectly with your audience.
Small Business Owner - Craft Your Captivating Brand with Redhead Graphic Design Instantly
Are you tired of the visual chaos in your brand identity? Welcome to the Instant Brand Collective, your sanctuary for effortlessly crafting a cohesive and captivating brand story.
Immerse yourself in my meticulously curated collection of professionally designed Canva templates. No more mismatched visuals – just a symphony of elements that will narrate your brand story seamlessly.
Imagine waving goodbye to the jumble of conflicting visuals and embracing a brand that resonates with your narrative. Picture the transformation from clutter to cohesion, where your brand vision becomes a tangible reality.
Ready to make it happen? Download your passport to an Instant Brand Collective today! Let’s embark on this journey together and elevate your brand to new heights. Your story deserves to be told seamlessly – don’t miss out on the opportunity to make it happen now!
Jacky Moore
Helping small business owners like you build a brand that stops the scroll, saves time and makes you more money.
