Whenever we think about branding, we immediately think about pretty things. We might open Pinterest and download all the freebies on “how to pick brand colors for your small online business”.
Which is what led you here in the first place, right? 😜
We wrongly think this is going to be the easy part of the job, because hey – it’s just colors!
Unfortunately, if we don’t plan and strategize this part of your brand, you may end up rebranding constantly which can take lots of time and money out of your pocket.
The very first thing that most people would consider when pairing colors for their small online business, is how the colors blend together.
I agree with you, colors need to be a good match. They will represent your brand on social media, website, and in every form of marketing material.
However, colors are not picked randomly. They follow a very specific and unique strategy so that you can’t virtually get them wrong!
If you have already picked some colors for your small online business and now you’re confused… Don’t panic.
You can always fix or tweak a bit your colors so that they match your vibe. Although, ideally, you want to be picking the colors at the right time during your branding journey and not right at the beginning.
The quickest way to determine your colorsis to create a mood board.
If you are unsure why you need a mood board and what are the benefits, read this blog post first, and then come back here!
You can also snug some mood board templates at the end 😉
Okay, you have your color palette.
The main question for you is: do your colors represent something big?
Are they connecting you to the big idea of your business?
What comes up for you once you see them all organized?
Some people would argue that the best way to create a color palette is to use your favorite colors. But I disagree.
These are my brand colors and none of them are my favorite colors, for example. My business is a different entity from my personal life and, although deeply connected, they are still very different at their core.
Still, they represent my playful, creative, free way to be. Which is how I want to portray my business.
They do mean something to me because I had to dig deeper into my business, life, and big future projects.
You can use color psychology to back up your colors, too.
Use color psychology to double-check that you are moving in the right direction and that your values are aligned.
I didn’t wanna bring everything down to brand strategy…
But it’s often the first step needed in order to successfully rebrand, once and for all. Before focusing on the visuals, you need to have other brand elements in place, such as:
▫ Vision
▫ Mission
▫ Values
▫ Audience Personas
▫ Competitors
▫ Message, voice & tone
It’s imperative that you do have these in place before moving to the next step, in order to not create confusion.
If you do, then please go ahead and work with color psychology and all of the data you have to come up with your brand colors.
But if you are a bit lost on these…Set aside the visuals, for now.
It’s time to do some soul-searching, friend.
Do you have a color palette that you are absolutely obsessed with?!
And does it resonate with your brand? Let me know in the comments!
If you’re unsure about what is the next step for your brand, book a call here! We can audit your brand together and determine the perfect direction for you.
