Your brand color is one of the most important decisions you'll make. It affects recognition, emotional connection, and how people perceive your values.
Trust, stability, professionalism, intelligence. The go-to for banks, insurance, and SaaS.
PayPal, LinkedIn, Dell, IBM, Facebook
Growth, nature, wellness, sustainability. Perfect for organic brands and healthcare.
Whole Foods, Spotify, Animal Planet, Starbucks
Excitement, passion, urgency, appetite stimulation. Great for food and entertainment.
Coca-Cola, Netflix, YouTube, KFC, Target
Friendly, energetic, affordable, creative. Appeals to younger demographics.
Nickelodeon, Fanta, Home Depot, Amazon
Royalty, creativity, spirituality, premium quality. Used for high-end products.
Cadbury, Twitch, Yahoo, FedEx, Hallmark
Femininity, playfulness, compassion, modern. Beauty and lifestyle brands.
Victoria's Secret, Barbie, Cosmopolitan, T-Mobile
Sophistication, elegance, timelessness, power. Premium and professional brands.
Apple, Nike, Chanel, Prada, The New York Times
Happiness, optimism, clarity, warmth. Grab attention and spread positivity.
McDonald's, Best Buy, Snapchat, National Geographic
The most trademarked color in history
Tiffany & Co. has used this specific shade of robin's egg blue since 1845. The color is so iconic that it's trademarked (Pantone 1837 - the year Tiffany was founded). You don't even need to see the logo - that blue box instantly means luxury, romance, and prestige.
The color of happiness and refreshment
Coca-Cola's red has been consistent since 1890s. They've spent billions associating this red with joy, family, and refreshment. Even Santa Claus wears red in modern imagery partly thanks to Coca-Cola's 1930s advertising campaigns.
The color of engagement and binge-watching
Both streaming giants use red for the same reason: it grabs attention and creates excitement. Red increases heart rate slightly and signals "action" - perfect for getting you to click that next video. It also stands out against any content thumbnail.
Standing out in a blue tech world
When Spotify launched, most tech companies used blue. They chose this energetic green to differentiate, signal freshness, and associate with the "growth" of music discovery. On dark backgrounds (which they use heavily), this green pops beautifully.
Building a gaming culture through color
Twitch's purple appeals to gamers - it's energetic but not as aggressive as red, creative, and slightly rebellious. The color helps Twitch feel like a distinct community space, not just another video platform. Purple is rare in tech, making them instantly recognizable.
A complete brand palette needs more than just one color. Here's the structure most successful brands use:
Your hero color. Used in logo, main CTAs, and brand touchpoints. Should be distinctive and memorable. This is "your color."
Complements primary. Used for accents, highlights, and creating visual interest. Should work harmoniously with primary.
Backgrounds, surfaces, subtle elements. Usually light grays or off-whites. Lets brand colors shine.
Text, borders, dark mode. Near-black or charcoal. Better than pure black for most designs.
Confirmations, positive states, success messages. Usually green. Functional, not decorative.
Errors, warnings, destructive actions. Usually red or orange. Critical for user feedback.
Screenshot your top 10 competitors' websites. Lay them out side-by-side. You'll quickly see patterns - is everyone using blue? Is no one using green?
Look for colors competitors avoid. If you're in fintech and everyone's blue, could you own green (growth) or purple (innovation)?
There's usually a reason competitors choose their colors. In healthcare, blue = trust. In food, red = appetite. Decide if you're following or disrupting.
Show just color swatches (no logos) to people. Can they identify brands? If yes, those colors are taken in your space. Choose something distinct.
Premium brands can use sophisticated colors (black, navy, purple). Budget brands often use bright, cheerful colors (red, yellow, orange).
You'll invest years in this color. Choose something you can own, defend, and grow into - not just what's trendy right now.
Use this comprehensive worksheet to guide your brand color decisions. Click checkboxes as you complete each step.