Colour Psychology in Branding and How to Choose the Right Palette

Have you ever looked at a logo and instantly felt a certain emotion: trust, energy, calm, or even hunger? This is no accident. It’s colour psychology in action. In branding, colour isn’t just a design choice; it’s a strategic tool that can influence perception, build trust, and drive consumer behaviour. This article explains the role of colour psychology in branding and how to choose the right palette for your business.

Colour psychology is the study of how colours influence human behaviour and emotions. According to the Institute for Colour Research, people make a subconscious judgment about a product within 90 seconds of seeing it, and up to 90% of that judgment is based on colour alone. This highlights how powerful colour choices can be in branding.

For example, a wellness brand that uses red and black might accidentally give off feelings of aggression instead of peace. In contrast, using greens and soft blues would better align with calmness and nature, exactly what customers expect from health-focused services. The closer your brand’s colours align with its core message, the stronger the emotional connection with your audience.

Why Colour Matters in Branding

The Emotional Influence of Common Colours

Different colours evoke different emotions and associations. Here are the most common interpretations of colours in branding:

• Red: Passion, excitement, urgency. Used by Coca-Cola, YouTube, and Netflix.

• Blue: Trust, stability, calm. Used by Facebook, PayPal, and IBM.

• Green: Health, growth, nature. Seen in Whole Foods, Tropicana, and Spotify.

• Yellow: Optimism, youth, energy. Used by McDonald’s, Snapchat, and IKEA.

• Black: Luxury, sophistication, authority. Found in Chanel, Nike, and Apple.

• Purple: Creativity, royalty, mystery. Used by Hallmark, Yahoo, and Cadbury.

• Orange: Confidence, enthusiasm, friendliness. Used by Fanta and Nickelodeon.

• White: Simplicity, cleanliness, clarity. Common in tech and healthcare industries.

Understanding Your Brand Personality

Before selecting colours, it's essential to define your brand personality. Ask yourself: What emotions should people feel when they interact with your brand? Is your brand serious or playful? Luxurious or budget-friendly?

Think of your brand as a person. What kind of personality does it have? A luxury brand might use black and gold for sophistication. A playful children’s brand might use bright colours like orange, yellow, and blue. Aligning your colours with your brand’s personality ensures consistency and helps build recognition.

Cultural and Gender Considerations

Colours don’t mean the same thing in every culture or context. White symbolises purity in many Western countries, but is associated with mourning in some Asian cultures. Green might symbolise prosperity in one region but have political connotations in another.

Gender preferences also play a role. According to a study by Kissmetrics, blue is generally liked by both genders, while purple is more preferred by women. Men tend to dislike brown and orange more than women do. If your target audience is primarily one gender, consider these preferences.

For example, a tech startup targeting male users might choose dark, muted colours like navy, black, and grey to communicate professionalism and modernity. In contrast, a fashion brand for women might use a pastel palette with soft pinks and purples to convey elegance and creativity.

The 60-30-10 Rule for Balanced Design

A well-balanced colour palette follows the 60-30-10 rule:

• 60% Dominant colour – forms the main visual base, like a background or primary brand colour.

• 30% Secondary colour – supports the dominant colour and adds interest.

• 10% Accent colour – used sparingly for buttons, calls-to-action, or highlights.

Picture a brand using deep green as the dominant colour (60%) for backgrounds and large areas. A warm beige (30%) serves as the secondary colour for sidebars and content sections. Then, bold gold (10%) is used for buttons and highlights. This 60-30-10 mix keeps the design clean, balanced, and easy to look at without feeling cluttered.

This rule ensures your design looks professional and harmonious, not chaotic or overwhelming.

Contrast and Accessibility

High contrast improves readability. For example, white text on a yellow background is hard to read, while black on yellow provides excellent contrast. Accessibility is not just about good design; it's a necessity.

About 8% of men and 0.5% of women experience colour blindness. Use contrast-check tools like WebAIM or Adobe Colour to ensure your palette is readable and inclusive.

That’s why when I design a website for broad audiences, I often test how the design appears to colour-blind users. If key buttons or text disappear in grayscale, adjustments are made to ensure all users have a similar experience.

Build a Colour Mood Board

A mood board is a visual tool used to collect and arrange images, colours, textures, and design elements to convey a particular style, theme, or concept. It serves as a reference point for creative projects, helping to establish a clear vision for branding and design.

A mood board collects colours, brand inspiration, and competitor visuals. This tool helps visualise how colours work together in different contexts: logos, social media, packaging, and more.

Mood boards are particularly useful for comparing brand directions. For example, you may notice one palette feels too cold while another feels too playful. The right mood board helps eliminate confusion and build focus.

For instance, when launching a fashion label, creating mood boards with colour swatches from trend forecasts, seasonal palettes, and competitors helps ensure your branding remains modern and market-relevant.

Testing Colours in Real-World Contexts

Seeing your palette on a screen isn’t enough. Test it on different devices, in print, and under various lighting conditions. A colour that looks rich on a high-end monitor may appear dull on a phone. Likewise, colours that look good online might lose vibrancy in print.

Ensure your colour choices maintain impact and readability across all media, from business cards to billboards.

Many band designers discover that light colours chosen for digital designs don’t translate well to print. Pale text may become unreadable, and low-contrast logos may disappear against white paper. Testing beforehand avoids costly reprints.

Useful Tools for Choosing Colour Palettes

Here are some free and effective tools that help designers pick strong, harmonious colour schemes:

• Coolors.co: Instantly generates attractive palettes and allows customisation.

• Adobe Colour: Offers advanced options like complementary, analogous, and triadic colour schemes.

• Canva Colour Wheel: A beginner-friendly tool for choosing harmonious colours.

• Khroma: Uses AI to create palettes based on your preferences.

• Colormind.io: Generates palettes that work well for websites and user interfaces.

These tools help test, refine, and preview palettes quickly.

Choosing Colours That Convert

Beyond looking good, colour can influence conversions. For instance, call-to-action buttons in red or green tend to perform better than grey or brown. A/B testing your colour choices in live campaigns can reveal which palettes work best for engagement and sales.

Web designers designing online shops often test colour combinations for product pages and checkout buttons. A red “Buy Now” button may outperform a blue one in urgency and visibility. Subtle colour changes can lead to measurable increases in conversion rates.

Combining Colour with Other Brand Elements

Colour doesn’t work in isolation. It should complement typography, imagery, layout, and tone of voice. A pastel palette with bold, geometric fonts creates a different vibe than the same palette with handwritten fonts.

Ensure your entire brand system feels unified. This consistency helps customers recognise and remember your brand, whether they see it on a website, social media post, or store shelf.

That’s why beauty brands often pair soft colour palettes with elegant typography and minimal design to convey purity and luxury. Inconsistent use of colour or fonts can dilute this message.

Summary

Colour psychology is central to effective branding. Choosing the right palette involves more than aesthetic preference. It requires understanding your audience, defining your brand personality, considering cultural and psychological factors, and testing your choices in real-world applications. With the right strategy and tools, your colour palette can create lasting impressions and drive brand success.