Choosing brand colours: a practical approach
Colour choice is not about the 'psychology of colour' from listicles; it is about distinctiveness, contrast and how the palette holds up everywhere.
Start with competitors, not taste
Collect ten competitors' logos and sites in one document. Often the entire niche uses one or two colours: blue and green for clinics, blue for finance, red and yellow for delivery.
Taking the same colour makes you blend into the market. A deliberate shift away is the cheapest way to stand out and needs no elaborate design.
Structure of a working palette
One primary colour carrying recognition across most of the surface. One accent reserved for buttons and key actions — which is precisely why it must be used sparingly.
A neutral group of two or three greys for text, borders and backgrounds. Neutrals occupy the most space on a real site, and without them the palette shouts.
Utility colours for success, error and warning, usually forgotten until every designer picks their own red.
Contrast and accessibility
Check text contrast against background: at least 4.5:1 for body text. Light grey on white looks tidy in a mockup and vanishes on a phone in sunlight.
Never rely on colour alone to convey meaning; a form error needs text and an icon, not just a red border.
Testing on real media
Screen and print differ: saturated screen tones often go dull in CMYK. If signage or packaging is planned, fix print equivalents from the start.
Test the palette on a sign in daylight and under illumination, in a tiny avatar, and in a dark-mode messenger. Any colour that disappears in one of those needs rework.