Colour psychology in branding: what each colour says and how to choose one
“Blue inspires trust, red means urgency” is true enough to be dangerous. A brand's colour does not communicate on its own; it communicates against what the competitors chose, on the material it sits on and next to the other colours around it. Here is what we actually know, and how to choose without relying on a list.
What the studies say, briefly
The serious research (Labrecque and Milne, 2012; Singh, 2006) reaches three conclusions that matter for a brand. First: people form an opinion of a product in under 90 seconds, and colour accounts for 60–90% of that first impression. Second: there is no “good” colour in itself; what matters is the fit between the colour and the brand's personality (a playful brand in dark grey looks wrong, not serious). Third: associations vary with age, gender, culture and category, so the universal list of “red means passion” is a simplification.
What each colour communicates, with the necessary caveats
Red
Common associations
Energy, urgency, appetite, passion
Categories where it is frequent
Food, retail, entertainment, sport
What to watch for
Too much red tires; on a white background it reads as an alert
Blue
Common associations
Trust, calm, competence
Categories where it is frequent
Finance, technology, healthcare, corporate
What to watch for
The most used brand colour in the world; differentiate by shade
Green
Common associations
Nature, health, growth, money
Categories where it is frequent
Food, wellness, sustainability, finance
What to watch for
“Eco” green has become a cliche; a dark or olive green is more credible
Yellow
Common associations
Optimism, attention, cheapness
Categories where it is frequent
Fast food, children, warnings
What to watch for
Weak contrast on white; used alone it looks cheap
Orange
Common associations
Friendliness, energy, accessibility
Categories where it is frequent
Retail, entertainment, products for young people
What to watch for
Hard to print faithfully; check it in CMYK
Black
Common associations
Luxury, authority, minimalism
Categories where it is frequent
Fashion, premium technology, cosmetics
What to watch for
Without an accent it becomes anonymous
White, cream
Common associations
Cleanliness, simplicity, space
Categories where it is frequent
Cosmetics, healthcare, design
What to watch for
A background, not a brand colour, unless accompanied
Purple
Common associations
Creativity, spirituality, luxury
Categories where it is frequent
Cosmetics, art, education
What to watch for
Rare in B2B; can look childish in light shades
Pink
Common associations
Softness, playfulness, feminine (or the opposite, ironically)
Categories where it is frequent
Cosmetics, sweets, fashion
What to watch for
The gender association is cultural and shifting
Brown, terracotta
Common associations
Earth, warmth, craft
Categories where it is frequent
Coffee, chocolate, handmade products
What to watch for
Can look dated without a modern accent
Grey
Common associations
Neutral, technical, professional
Categories where it is frequent
Technology, architecture, industry
What to watch for
Not distinctive; needs a colour beside it
Context matters more than the chart
Three things overturn the table above. The category: if every bank is blue, a new blue does not communicate trust, it communicates “another bank”; distinctiveness from the competitors is worth more than the association in the textbook. The culture: in Romania, for instance, red also carries political and historical associations, and green works well in food but harder in finance; every market has its own version of this. The material: the same colour is a different thing on a screen, on glossy paper, on kraft, on fabric.
The four-step method
- 01Start from personality, not from colour. Take the three adjectives from the strategy (“warm but not sugary”) and write down which colours contradict them. Eliminate those.
- 02Look at the competition. Note each one's dominant colour. What is left free?
- 03Choose one primary colour and one accent, not five. The primary carries the brand; the accent is reserved for action (button, link, discount) and must contrast strongly with the primary.
- 04Test on real materials, at real size, with the contrast checked (minimum 4.5:1 for text on a background). A colour that fails the contrast test is not a brand colour, it is a decoration.
The shade makes the difference, not the colour
“Blue” covers everything from navy to turquoise, and the two communicate opposite things. A brick red is artisanal, an electric red is technological, a deep red is luxury. When you choose, choose an exact code (HEX for screen, CMYK or Pantone for print) and document it in the brand guidelines. A colour without a code is a colour every printer interprets.
What a good palette looks like
Primary, secondary, accent, two neutrals (background and text), each with a written role and its contrast ratio calculated. How it is built, with examples and the usual mistakes, is in the brand colour palette. RHAM builds the palette from the brief with the roles and contrasts calculated, and if you already have a colour (from the shopfront, from a pack) you can give it as a starting point or extract it from a photograph.
Frequently asked
- What is the best colour for a logo?
- There is none. The best colour is the one that fits the brand's personality, is absent from the competitors and works on the materials you use. A textbook-correct blue is a blue lost in a category full of blue.
- How many colours should a brand have?
- One primary, one accent and two neutrals are enough for most brands; a secondary helps when you have many materials. Above five, every material comes out different and the brand loses its recognisability.
- Does the logo colour matter for sales?
- It matters for recognition and for the first impression, which influences the decision. There is no evidence that a given colour sells more in general; there is evidence that a consistent, distinctive colour that fits the brand's promise is recognised faster.
- Can I change the brand colour later?
- Yes, but it costs the recognition you have built. A shift of shade (a darker blue) passes unnoticed; a change of colour (from blue to green) is a rebranding and is communicated as one.
Read next
- Brand colour palette: how to build one properlyThe structure of a palette that works (one accent, two neutrals, state colours, proportions, accessible contrast) and the codes you have to fix in the guidelines.
- Brand strategy: the complete guide, with examplesWhat brand strategy actually is, the five decisions it is made of, and how to write each one on a single page, audience, positioning, promise, personality and tone of voice.
- Branding for a cafe, restaurant or bar: the complete guide, from logo to menuWhat to decide before the logo, how to choose colours and typefaces for a venue, which materials truly matter (sign, menu, packaging, Instagram) and the mistakes you see in every town.