You picked your brand color from dozens of shades on screen, and it was perfect. Then the first batch of business cards came back dull, the sign was a different shade, and white text on that color in your social posts was barely readable on a phone. In most cases the reason is that the color was chosen on a screen and never tested anywhere else.
The choice often starts from lists of color meanings: blue for trust, red for energy, green for nature. Those lists are fun to read, but they will not help you much with the decision.
Is color psychology real?
Colors have associations, but they change with culture, industry and context, and no fixed rule says a particular color makes customers trust you or buy more. Red in a restaurant reads differently from red in a hospital, and green at a bank means something other than green on a farm.
Two things do make a difference, and you can check both: whether the color sets you apart from competitors in your market, and whether it can be used clearly on screen and on paper. If every competitor uses dark blue, dark blue will not help anyone remember you, whatever it is supposed to mean.
How many colors should a brand palette have?
You need one primary color that people link to your name, one or two supporting colors, and a set of neutrals: gray, white and black, or shades close to them. Most of what you design will use the neutrals, while the primary color appears in the logo, buttons and important headings.
Set proportions too. A common rule is that backgrounds and quiet areas take the largest share, the primary color takes less, and the supporting color is kept for details. If every color shows up at full strength in every design, the result looks crowded and the primary color loses its effect.
How do you make sure text is readable on your brand colors?
Check the contrast between text color and background color with a free contrast checker before you approve any combination. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text.
Mid-tone colors cause the most trouble: light orange, bright green, sky blue. White text on them looks fine on a large monitor and becomes hard to read on a phone in the sun. Black text on the same color can be far clearer. So a good brand guide states for each color whether text on it should be white or black, and which shade of it works for text.
Do not rely on color alone to carry information, such as a red error marker with no text. Some people cannot tell certain colors apart, and a label or icon next to the color fixes that.
What is the difference between screen colors and print colors?
A screen shows color with light, while a printer builds it from ink on paper, so the two never match exactly. That is why each brand color needs more than one value.
| Color system | Where it is used | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| HEX and RGB | Website, apps, social media, presentations | Can show bright colors that may not be printable |
| CMYK | Standard four-ink printing | Results vary with the paper and the print shop |
| Pantone | Printing a specific color with a dedicated ink | More consistent, used for repeat print runs and packaging |
Neon colors and bright blues and greens lose the most in print. If your primary color is one of them, choose the closest CMYK value and print a proof on the paper you will use before ordering any quantity. Paper changes the color too: matte stock makes colors calmer than gloss.
Other materials need their own tests: fabric for staff uniforms, acrylic and lighting for signs, plastic and cardboard for packaging. Each material takes ink or dye differently, and most suppliers can give you a sample before production. Ask for one whenever the color is part of how people recognize you, as with a storefront or a uniform.
How do you choose brand colors step by step?
- Competitor mapWhich colors does your market already use?
- Primary colorSets you apart and suits your tone
- Supporting and neutralsFor backgrounds, text and details
- Contrast checkEvery text and background pairing
- Printed proofOn the real paper and material
Try the palette on real designs: a website page, a social post, an invoice and a sign. A color that looks lovely in a single swatch can tire the eye when it covers a full page.
Where should you document your brand colors?
Put them in your brand guidelines with every value: HEX, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone if you have one, along with the contrast rules and usage proportions. Without that, every designer and print shop picks the shade they think is close, and your colors drift a little with each supplier.
Read what brand guidelines should include and the tests a logo should pass before approval, since logo and colors are tested together. We choose and test colors on screen and in print as part of our branding and design service. Send us your current colors and samples of your printed material and we will tell you where they differ and why.
Questions our partners ask
How many colors does a brand identity need?
One primary color people know you by, one or two supporting colors, and a set of neutrals for text and backgrounds. More than that is hard to control, and consistency suffers.
Why does my logo color look different in print than on screen?
Screens show color with light and printers build it from ink, and some bright screen colors cannot be printed with the four standard inks. That is why each color needs a defined print value that you check on a printed proof.
Do colors have fixed psychological meanings?
Colors carry associations that change with culture, industry and context, and no fixed rule says a given color increases sales. Standing apart from competitors and staying readable matter more in the choice.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
