If you haven’t already, you may want to also read Part 1 of Your Visual Brand: A Guide to Colour Psychology.
Colour exploration and colour choices are a crucial part of your brand identity and the impression you make on existing and potential customers.
The world of colour is so much more than just choosing colours from a batch of paint swatches or colour bridges.
So, we’ve created a guide below of essential terms and concepts to expand your knowledge. Understanding the psychology of colour can help you when working with an agency or designer during a brand discovery process, and enable you to make more knowledgeable decisions about your brand.
Colour Theory Basics
Visit our infographic on colours to gain an understanding about colour theory and association. It will outline the basics before you continue reading.
Orange, yellow and red are considered warm colours.
Blue, green and violet are considered cool colours.
You won’t see greys, browns or beiges on a colour wheel. They are considered neutral colours and are just as important.
Colour Systems
There are 4 colour systems you should be aware of when it comes to branding digital and/or print media: RGB, HEX, CMYK and Pantone.
If you work with Original Ginger on your brand discovery, this information will be included in your Brand Guide.
Having the proper colour codes makes it easy for you to provide clear direction to other designers or printers. Also, if you require a branded tent canopy, vehicle wrap, or apparel it will ensure your brand colours always remain consistent.
RGB is the basis for all digital colours used online and is based on three colours: red, green, and blue.
HEX codes are 6 character combinations of letters and number used to specify RGB colours during website development.
CMYK (aka process colour) represents cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), which are specific to professional print media.
PMS (Pantone Matching System) is used in print and represents thousands of colours. It’s the best way to ensure that you get your brand colours exact no matterwhat printer you are working with.
Colour Saturation
Saturation is a term to describe how vivid a colour appears. If a colour is highly saturated, it means it’s extremely strong or vibrant. If a colour is low saturation, it means it’s softer. Desaturation means the colour is less vibrant and more muted.
Most clients rely on us to help them choose an appropriate brand palette following a brand discovery process; however, you may find our article helpful to understand why we may suggest certain colours, or steer you away from specific colours, depending on what your brand goals and values are.
Contact us for a complimentary one-on-one consultation to see how we can help you with a brand logo, or full brand strategy. We’d love to hear from you.
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