It’s hard to know where to start when trying to choose the right color palette for your brand. Should you lean on personal preference? Or should you consider what’s trending? What the competition is doing? What your audience wants?

There is even an entire color psychology. From impacting emotion to resurrecting memories to inspiring a vision, it can transport audiences to a completely new headspace.

Whether you're revamping an existing business or starting from scratch, your brand colors silently communicate your values, story, and promise. So, how do you accurately leverage the power of color when choosing the right Pantones for your brand?

This guide will take you step-by-step through the process of using color psychology to build a standout brand.

The Value of Brand Colors

Ever walked into a shop or landed on a website and felt an instant, unshakable connection? That’s the magic of a brand that knows how to resonate emotionally, sparking a sense of ‘This is exactly what I need in my life.’

Choosing your brand colors isn’t just about picking hues you like. It’s a strategic move that intertwines with your messaging, values, and the emotions you want your audience to feel.

Understanding Color Psychology

Let’s talk about the magic of color. It’s more than what looks good. Colors have can shape how people feel about your brand, often without them even realizing it. That’s why understanding how colors influence emotions is like a secret weapon for connecting with your audience and encouraging them to take action.

Let’s dive a bit deeper:

Blue: Calm, trustworthy, dependable—the “let’s grab coffee and talk big ideas” kind of vibe.
Red: Bold, passionate, full of energy—think fire, excitement, and all things fearless.
Yellow: Sunny, optimistic, creative—it’s like a cheerful hello in color form.
Green: Fresh, grounded, abundant—it whispers “growth” and feels oh-so-natural.
Orange: Vibrant, enthusiastic, courageous—this one’s the life of the party.
Purple: Luxe, creative, a little dreamy—it’s for brands that want to feel premium and imaginative.
Pink: Romantic, tender, playful—it’s all about warmth and softness.
Brown: Earthy, reliable, authentic—this color feels like home.
Black: Sleek, modern, a little mysterious—it screams sophistication and edge.
Gray: Cool, balanced, understated—it’s all about calm and simplicity.
White: Clean, pure, fresh—it’s like a blank canvas ready for your next big thing.

Colors are flexible. A richer blue might feel bold and powerful, while a softer pink can turn playful into calming. It’s all in how you combine, tweak, and make them your own. Your brand’s personality is unique, and your palette should reflect that.

Step One: Brand Foundations

Before diving into color choices, it’s essential to know your brand inside and out. Think of this as setting the stage for everything your business stands for, because your colors should reflect your brand’s personality, values, and story. Ask yourself the following questions:

Ask yourself:

Do you have a defined brand personality? If not, consider exploring brand archetypes to uncover it.
Which of your brand traits tend to appeal most to your audience? What keeps them coming back?
What three to five adjectives best describe your brand?
What’s the core message or brand story you want people to remember?
How do your brand values show up in your work?
What is your purpose — your why?

By answering these questions, you’re not just setting the foundation for your brand, but creating a strategy for choosing colors that feel aligned and meaningful. Remember, your palette should do more than look good; it should capture what makes your brand special.

Step Two: Look to Your Competitors

It’s hard to make time to do research, but taking a closer look at how your competitors use color can reveal a lot about your industry and how your brand can stand out. Here’s how to approach it:

What colors and combinations are they using? Notice the dominant tones and how they’re paired.
Why do they use these colors? Think about what these choices communicate about their brand values or identity.
What emotions or associations do these colors evoke? Are they aiming for trust, excitement, elegance?
How do these colors appeal to your audience? Look at the connection between their palette and their messaging. Does it work?

Next, zoom out and view the competitive landscape as a whole. Line up their color palettes, almost like you’re reviewing a curated Instagram feed. Ask yourself:

Are there recurring patterns or common trends?
Is everyone using similar colors? (Hello, sea of sameness!)
Where is the opportunity for something fresh?

This exercise helps you decide whether to align with what’s familiar in your industry or carve out a bold new space. Whether it’s subtle tweaks or a completely unexpected palette, your goal is to ensure your colors amplify your niche and set your brand apart. Make your mark with intention.

Then, look at the competitive set together as a whole. Take your competitors’ color palettes and line them up together. Look at them as you would look at a brand’s Instagram presence. Do you see a pattern? Similarities? Vast differences? Is it a sea of sameness? Is there white space for you?

By doing this, you can decide whether you should follow suit or try to break through the clutter. How can you use color to fit within your niche or differentiate your brand?

Step Three: Consider Your Audience

Next, look to your audience:

What are they like? We recommend creating an ideal client avatar to help you visualize exactly who you’re speaking to through your branding.
What brands do they flock to?
What is it about those brands that make them flock? Is it something visual? Do they lean toward brands that have a softness to them? An edge? Do they have expectations for brands in your space? Do you need to portray confidence? Compassion? Excitement?

Shift your perspective to view the brand through the lens of your audience and try to think about how they would like to see it come to life.

Step Four: Get Inspired

Now the fun begins. Do you have looks or design styles that you love? If not, go out and find a few. Start gathering logos and design work that speak to you and, more importantly, your audience.

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Your inspiration doesn’t have to come from design work — think more broadly. It could be found in just about anything – you could start with editorial imagery, textures, architecture, art, pop culture, or even nature.

Once you have some ideas start to bring it all together. And do it in a way that will help you visualize it best.

You could go old school and create a collage, or pull some digital images into a file. You could even use a quick and easy mood board tool, like the Free Mood Board Maker from Adobe Express.

The easiest way to put together a quick mood board, IMO, however? Just use Pinterest. You can create a single board for all your inspiration, or separate boards for different types of inspiration. Your boards will be easily sharable with your designer or members of your ideal audience to get feedback. And, it’s all in one place to revisit as needed.

To learn more, visit our blog post on the art of the mood board.

A hand holding paper, creating a mood board based on color psychology.

Step Five: Test Combinations

So, you have your inspiration, you have your brand, and you know enough about your audience and competition to be dangerous. Now, you need to put it all together. Here's how you can go about selecting primary, secondary, and accent colors:

PRIMARY COLORS
These are the main colors synonymous with your brand. They’re the ones you'll use most often, and they should embody your brand's core values and personality. Think about the colors that best reflect who you are.
SECONDARY COLORS
These complement your primary colors and add a bit of versatility to your brand toolkit. Consider colors that harmonize well with your primary choices but aren’t quite as dominant. This could be a softer hue from the same family or something that provides contrast without clashing.
ACCENT COLORS
Accent colors add a splash of personality. They're the colors you use sparingly to draw attention and highlight specific elements. They should stand out but still harmonize with your primary and secondary colors.

You can use the Canva Color Wheel to find and experiment with colors and visualize how they will work together, or the Canva Color Palette Generator to extract color palettes from an image.

When selecting these colors, always keep color psychology in mind. Ask yourself what each color communicates about your brand. Does it evoke the right emotions?

Step Six: Test Your Palette

Your color palette might look great on your computer screen, but how does it hold up in the real world? That's a question you'll need to answer before committing to any specific choices.

Print
First, let's talk about print media. Colors can look very different when printed, and you don't want any surprises. Always request test prints to see how your colors appear in print materials like business cards and packaging. This way, you can tweak any hues that don’t quite translate.
Digital
Web colors can vary across different devices and screen settings. What looks crisp and vibrant on a high-end monitor might appear dull or washed out on a smartphone. That's why you should always check your color palette on various screens, like laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, to ensure consistency.
Social
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn each have their nuances. Make sure to test your brand colors within the context of these apps. For example, an eye-popping yellow might look amazing on your website but could be hard to read on a Twitter post.

Don't shy away from getting feedback. Sometimes, others can spot inconsistencies that you might miss because you've been staring at it for too long. Collect opinions from your target audience and team members.

Color Mistakes to Avoid

It's easy to make some pretty common mistakes if you’re not careful. Let's dive into a few pitfalls you definitely want to sidestep.

Ignoring Your Audience
One of the biggest blunders is to choose colors based purely on personal preference rather than what resonates with your target audience. To avoid this misstep, remember to conduct market research. You can create surveys to gather feedback or look at popular social media accounts or websites in your niche that are popular with your target audience to see what appeals to them.
Not Considering the Competition
Don't forget to consider your competition. Choosing colors that are too similar to your competitors can make it difficult for your brand to stand out. Conduct a competitive analysis to ensure your color palette is distinctive and helps differentiate your brand in the marketplace.
Ignoring Color Psychology
Another mistake to avoid when choosing brand colors is ignoring color psychology. Understanding the psychological impact of colors can help you make more informed choices that align with your brand's message and values.
Choosing Too Many Colors
While it might be tempting to use a wide range of colors to make your brand stand out, this can lead to a cluttered and inconsistent look. Aim for a balanced palette with a primary color, a secondary color, and a few accent colors to maintain visual harmony and brand consistency.
Overlooking Accessibility
It's important not to overlook accessibility. Ensure that your color palette is inclusive and that your colors have enough contrast to be easily seen. You can use Adobe’s Color Contract Checker to make sure your colors are accessible to all users.

Concluding Thoughts

By thoughtfully selecting colors that evoke specific emotions and associations, these brands made purposeful choices. When you do it right, your color palette won't just be aesthetically pleasing; it'll connect with your audience and strengthen your brand's identity.

Designing a brand and choosing colors are not easy tasks, but with these simple steps, you can streamline your approach and uncover the perfect color palette for your brand.