The Psychology of Color in Branding: What Does Your Business Look Like

Color does more than make a logo look nice. It helps people decide what kind of business they're looking at before they ever read a word.

Think about walking into a hardware store. You probably wouldn't expect everything inside to be soft pink and lavender. Walk into a garden center, and a wall of bright orange and black might feel a little unexpected. Color gives us clues.

We make those little judgments all the time without really thinking about them.

That's why color is an important part of building a brand. Not because there's a magic color that will make people call your business, but because the colors you choose can help communicate what you want people to feel about your business.

Color Sets the Tone

Color psychology is simply the study of how color affects the way we see and experience the world around us. Different colors can bring certain feelings, memories and associations to mind, often before we even realize it. That matters in branding because those first impressions can influence how people feel about a business and whether it feels like a good fit for them.

Color is one of the tools we can use to help set the tone for a brand. The right colors can help communicate whether a business feels dependable, hardworking, friendly, bold, professional or something completely different. Here are some common colors, the things they may remind us of, and the feelings they can bring to a brand.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A BRAND COLOR?

Your Logo Should Feel Like Your Business

A good logo isn't just supposed to look good sitting by itself on a computer screen.

It needs to make sense on a truck door, on a work shirt, on an invoice, and on a roadside sign.

That's why I don't start your logo design with, "What colors do you like?"

I want to know more about the business.

Is it a small crew that takes pride in doing things right? Is it a family business that's been around for 30 years? Is it a new company that wants to present an established look?

Are you the company people call when they need the job handled without a lot of fuss?

Those Things Matter.

If your business is built around reliability and hard work, your brand probably shouldn't feel like a trendy coffee shop. If you're selling high-end custom work, you may not want your logo to look like a discount hardware sale.

And if your business is friendly and approachable, an overly stiff or serious logo might send the wrong message.

The goal isn't to pick the "right" color.

The goal is to pick colors that make sense for the business.

Sometimes the Best Color Is the One You See Every Day

For rural businesses, inspiration is often right outside the door.

• The deep green of the tree line, the blue of an early morning sky, yellow of a fresh flower.
• The distressed red of an old barn, the earthy brown of freshly turned soil.
• The orange of a safety vest, the gray of steel, gravel and weathered buildings.
• The warm gold of an old brass sign or the silver of freshly shined chrome.
  

These colors already feel familiar because they're part of the world your customers live in.

That doesn't mean your logo needs to look like a field, a barn or a tractor. It simply means there are plenty of places to look for a color palette that feels natural to your business and your community.

Sometimes It's About the Combination

COLORS DON'T WORK ALONE.

A dark navy with silver can feel completely different from bright blue with yellow. Green with brown has a different personality than green with teal. Black with gold says something different than black with orange.

That's where the fun starts.

A strong brand palette might have one main color, one supporting color and an accent color. The accent might only show up in a small part of the logo, on a button on the website or on a piece of printed material.

You don't need six colors to make a memorable brand.

In fact, a couple of well-chosen colors can do a lot more work than a whole handful of colors fighting for attention.

DO I HAVE TO DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DOES?

Breaking the Rules on Purpose

Sometimes the smartest color choice is the one people don't expect.

A plumbing company doesn't have to be blue. A landscaping company doesn't have to be green. A construction company doesn't have to use black and orange.

Those familiar colors can make sense, but they're also used by a lot of businesses in the same industries. Choosing something unexpected can help a business stand apart and become easier to remember.

Maybe a rugged construction company uses a deep burgundy instead of a more typical orange... a mechanic uses teal instead of blue... a traditionally serious business brings in an unexpected warm color to show that they're more approachable than their competitors.

Breaking a color stereotype works best when there's a reason behind it.

The goal isn't to be weird just to be different. It's to decide what you want people to notice and remember about your business, then use color to help make that happen.

Sometimes fitting the expected look tells people, "You know exactly what we do."

Sometimes breaking the expected look says, "We're not quite like everybody else."

Both can be good branding. The important part is making the choice intentionally.

Don't Pick Colors Just Because You Like Them

This is probably the most important part.

You are allowed to like purple and you are allowed to hate green.

Your favorite color doesn't necessarily make the best choice for your brand.

Your brand has a job to do. Your logo needs to help people recognize you, remember you and get a sense of what you're about.

Sometimes that means using your favorite color. Sometimes it means using it in a different way. And sometimes it means leaving it out altogether.

Good branding isn't about decorating your business. It's about making it recognizable and giving people the right first impression.

Color is one of the tools we use to do that.

It doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs to make sense.