A Short Guide on How to Fill Your Color Palette

Have you wondered why your favorite brands stick to specific colors? After Steve Jobs pulled down the ‘rainbow’ logo in 1998, he chose a monochromatic apple image. Apple’s Mac computer didn’t go well with the colored logo. Though the shape of the logo remained the same, the product color became the deciding factor for its color.

What role do colors play in the B2B market?

Color does tell your brand’s story. Adding a color palette to your brand image means a reflection of your beliefs, core values, and tone. Each color has the power to influence the consumer’s purchasing decision. It’s the first thing that they notice when they see your brand. So, it is essential to see if your brand color is consistent throughout various platforms.

Why do colors matter?

Whether you know it or not, customers rule the market. Visually appealing marketing designs is the way to reach their heart. Is it possible to choose colors when each customer has a different opinion of the same color? While society links certain emotions to color, the truth is no two individuals will react in the same manner. The perception of colors varies from person to person. Customers have opinions based on their personal background, the context of their upbringings, past experiences, and personal choices.

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A correct color combination can effortlessly take your design up a notch. Let’s learn from scratch –

Color jargon you must know –

1. Color wheel: It’s a circular representation of the relationship between different colors. The colors are divided into three parts – primary, secondary, and tertiary.

• Primary Colors: There are three pigment colors – red, yellow, and blue. They are stand-alone colors. Other colors are created by depending on them.
• Secondary Colors: Green, orange, and purple are secondary colors. Let’s see what happens when you mix two primary colors –

Blue + yellow = green.

Yellow + red = orange.

Red + blue = purple.

Combine two primary colors in equal proportion to get the best results.

• Tertiary Colors: Blend primary colors with secondary colors to get tertiary colors. You’ll have a pack of six shades – yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green, and yellow-green.

1. Color Psychology: Color psychology studies how humans react to colors. It determines the effect of color on customers’ decisions. Their evaluation of colors helps you choose the color wisely. While color preference is subjective, colors create emotions, trigger memories, cause a sensation to everyone. The difference is caused by factors such as an individual’s upbringing, gender, place, values, and other factors.
2. Color code: It’s a system of identifying different colors. Whether your design is in print or online, you want your design to be perfect. The right color code conveys the message in the desired manner. Dive in to understand the types of color schemes.

• CMYK color: It’s cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in different quantities. The colors are subtractive because it gets darker as you blend them. CMYK mode is only meant for computer screens. If you need to recreate your arrangement with ink or paint, this color mode will give you more accurate results.
• RCB color: The RGB mode is a combination of primary colors. You get a vast range of colors that can be used for websites, applications, videos, and more by mixing it.
• PMS color: When there’s a need for multiple lines of the same collaterals, you need PMS (Pantone Matching System). PMS is just like a cake premix. It’s ready to use color for maintaining consistency. If you own a paint/fabric business, go for it.

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1. Color breakdowns: Every color has got its own story. On what basis will you place it in your palette? Take a look

• Hues: It refers to variations of the primary colors – red, yellow, and blue. These are independent colors that you can mix equally.
• Shade: Adding black to a hue decreases darkness. Another way to look at the shade is by adding grey to the hue.
• Tint: It’s opposite to shade. You add a white color to the hue to light up the design.
• Saturation: Saturation shows the intensity of your matter. Full saturated color is the correct version. At the other end of the color spectrum, a hue with 0% saturation is slightly grey. The more saturated a color is, the brighter it looks. Desaturation is dull and boring. Using saturation, you can figure out the next color.
• Temperature: At any given point, you want to highlight the mood, use temperature. It’s the warmth or coolness of a color. Warm colors are red, orange, and yellow, while cool colors are green, blue, and violet—the temperature changes between warm and cold.

You’ve got all you need to make your color palette stand out. Pin it today for future reference.

Understand the psychology of color to make the right choice!

Looking to improve your color theory and strengthen your brand? We’ve got you covered.