How to choose the right colors for your brand.

For my first blogpost I thought...'what other way to start educating than using my own experience and examples of when I started creating The Social Amiga?’

As I was deciding on the name, my focus, the purpose, what kind of information to share, etc…I also thought, what about the colors? Which colors should I use? This is important because nowadays everything is about keeping a consistent and aesthetically pleasant brand across all channels. At the same time, I had to think of the overall brand and its mission. It is easy to deviate and choose your favorite colors and the colors you are usually more attracted to when it comes to your style and taste and although some brands need the essence of yourself, they don't always need to represent your style to a T. So, it is important to choose the colors that will go noticed and will ultimately be associated with your brand and what you offer.

How to choose the right colors for your brand?

To help your brand become successful it is very important to understand the impact that colors have on consumer behavior.

“Eighty-five percent of consumers believe color is the biggest motivator when choosing a particular product and 92% of consumers know that visual appearance is the most persuasive marketing factor overall.”

Why are brand colors so important?

You probably have a favorite color, a color that you wear all the time, an inclination perhaps when choosing products when you're shopping. It could be that you like minimalistic looking products, or you wear black a lot, or you love all color everything. Color is what attracts consumers and it is more than likely the first thing they notice. Colors usually elicit emotions and feelings and are linked to conveying certain information. We can say that colors are the first impression for consumers to decide if they want to engage or not. This is why is so important to get a brand’s color palette right so that we can control, to a certain extent, the consumer’s perception and behavior towards the brand.

First: Understand colors meaning and behavior

Let’s define some colors…

· Red triggers impulse buys, it is stimulating, increases heart rate (as a result appetite), it is associated with danger, excitement and energy. Also, lets not forget it’s the color of love and passion.

· White is pure. Conveys innocence and simplicity. It often gives a minimalistic feel. 

· Yellow is the happy color, optimistic and playful! It is the color of sunshine and energy. Very visible from a distance (aka McDs).

· Green is the natural one, sometimes used to demonstrate sustainability. It can also be aligned with prestige, wealth and safety.

· Orange is like an orange: fresh and full of vitality. It is also stimulating, creative and adventurous. Portrays joy and enthusiasm.

· Blue is the neutral trustworthy and reliable color. It’s calming or often associated with depression.

· Purple portrays royalty, power and majesty. It can also be spiritual and mysterious. Nowadays associated with the feminist movement.

· Brown is down-to-earth and honest, often used for organic wholesome products.

· Pink is sweet, innocent, sentimental and romantic. However pink can have different shades that can change the tone of the message. 

· Black is both sophisticated and elegant. It can be formal and luxurious, but also sorrowful.

· Multicolor is united or open to anything. It’s great for capturing the spirit of diversity.

There are many companies that have done an incredible job building brands that can be recognized by color alone.

Second: Identify your brand essence

What is your brand about? What are your brand’s goals? What do you want your target audience to feel?

With The Social Amiga I established the following:

Brand goals: informational, useful, educational, interesting

Target audience goals: to feel empowered, informed, for small businesses and start-ups to learn about marketing and social media, ignite creative processes

Personality traits: fun, inspirational, creative, educative

Ultimately, how you want to be perceived by your customers.

Third: Look at your competitors brand colors

Brand colors should stand out and be recognizable. You do not want to look the same as others in the industry, you want to be looked at and generate curiosity. It is recommended to create a mood board of competitors to determine how can you separate yourself from the others.

Fourth: Create brand color palette

Choose multiple colors for your brand even when the logo only uses certain ones. A brand palette is important so you can use those supporting colors together in harmony on your social media and website. Canva has a color palette generator for those who need a little help narrowing down and defining the colors that best match the brand. With a color palette you can combine colorful options that will still keep your brand consistent and combined.

Where will you see your colors?

· Logo

· Events

· Social Media

· Website

· Emails

· Advertising

· Stores

· Uniforms

· Stationary

· Others

Lastly, it is important to create a brand guideline. This means creating rules on how your brand should look like in different platforms. This will help your brand look consistent across the board resulting in maintaining a strong brand identity and helping customers recognize your brand when seen.