Color plays a HUGE role in the vibe and presence of a brand. The placement, strategy, and use of color can either make your brand appear fresh and modern, or old and dated. One of the most common questions we get from our customers is how to create a balanced color palette to keep their brand interesting without being overpowering.

In this post we'll be sharing our favorite methods for creating a cohesive and dynamic color palette for your brand.

Step One: Choose A Color That Reflects The Feeling Of Your Brand.

This will be your main color. For example, if you want your brand to feel soft and feminine, you might choose a light shade of pink (see the image below).

PRO TIP: A lot of entrepreneurs and personal brands want their business to represent them personally. For these types business owners we ALWAYS recommend that they take a step into their closet. Some people tend to say, "I don't know what colors to choose … I can't make up my mind."

Whether you know it or not, you choose color schemes every day. When you wake up, you choose to put on clothing items that represent you. And funny enough, the colors that you are attracted to tend to be the colors that look good on you too.

Our advice is to take a step inside your closet and notice the colors that you have acquired over the years. Squint your eyes. Do you see mostly dark or mostly light? For neutrals, what shade do you see most? Shades of gray? Or off white? Finally, what is that "pop" of color that is overflowing your closet? Don't be afraid to mix and match and try different hues and shades.

Step Two: Start Monochromatic.

Monochromatic means using different shades and tints of the same color. This can look REALLY good – especially when placing it with different photos and images. After you’ve decided on your main color, select the lighter and darker versions of it as your secondary color. See the photo to see the two shades of pink we chose!

Step Three: Go Complementary.

Once you have your secondary color, it’s time to add a fun color pop using a complementary shade. Complementary colors are colors that are at opposite ends of the color wheel and - for lack of a better word - complement each other. Select the shade on the opposite side of your primary shade on the color wheel. See the example below to see opposite ends of the color wheel.

Step Four: Choose Images That Reflect Similar Colors

It’s always a great idea to have your color palette nailed down early in the branding process. That way if you schedule a brand photo shoot, you can select outfits and backdrops that will complement your palette. If you need images for your brand, we also recommend Unsplash.com - which has a massive collection of free stock photos! If you're a photographer we recommend choosing images for your home page that reflect these colors and hues.

PRO TIP: We love the Color Tool By Adobe. It has a lot of cool features that can help you land on a perfect combination. Upload a photo, and it will automatically pull different colors from it. You can explore using a variety of monochromatic and complimentary hues and begin a trial and error process. IT'S ADDICTING!!!

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