Utilising a simple, clean and palatable colour scheme can assist not only the social media aspects of your brand but also it’s overall aesthetic and memorability.
Picking a few colours you like sounds simple enough though, right?
If only it were that simple. A colour palette needs to be meticulous, as it is one of the most definitive features of a brand, with studies showing colour increases brand recognition by 80% (Sievers, 2020).
If you believe you need to refine your palette to better reflect your brand into something more aesthetic, it is important to do your research, as throwing a few colours together can be unappealing at best, and detrimental to your brand at worst.
There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when formulating a colour palette for your brand. Evoking emotion in the consumer is vital. If their attention is not immediately obtained, they will scroll past without a second thought.
So, if you need to refresh your current colour palette or are starting from scratch, here are a few tips to help!
Think of your brand values and target audience
Before you begin the colour palette, it’s important to think about your core brand values and how these can be exemplified in colour by understanding who is going to be perceiving your brand.
When researching certain colours, you will find statements such as ‘yellow makes you hungry’ and ‘red makes you angry’. Whilst these can be helpful, it is important to note one colour is not going to evoke the same response in everyone.
Use Colour Theory
Now that you’re aware of your demographics and brand values, you can move into developing the palette. Having a basic understanding of colour theory can help this process.
Colour theory involves understanding the colour wheel to create thousands of colour combinations, ranging from neutral to eye-catching.
For example, colours that look ‘good’ together are referred to as a colour harmony. The colour wheel can be used to find harmonies and hundreds of other combinations.
These go from monochromatic to complicated very quickly, so they can be broken into sections. Complementary colours are on opposite sides of the colour wheel, for example, pink and green.
Monochromatic means a single colour in different shades. You can begin with 1 colour that encompasses brand voice and style. If you already have a logo, use the dominant colour in the logo. Then a secondary and primary colour can be added. Aim to use between 3-10 colours, different hues of the same colours can also be used to mix it up if required.
There are hundreds of colour combinations to try and with the help of Canva’s free tool you can erase any uncertainty on colour combinations and visualise how some colours work together.
Implement the Golden Thread
So now that you’ve researched who will be perceiving the brand and sourced your selected colours, the most important step is to implement it within your social media and other marketing channels.
This is where The Golden Thread comes into play.
The Golden Thread is a performance framework used within many facets of businesses. It is how the overarching message of a brand is interwoven within everything they do. Put simply, it is designed to explain how organisations and their goals are linked. This includes their website, social media and how they portray their brand personality. The Golden Thread in relation to social media is the consistent use of brand assets and colour palette to create a cohesive and aesthetic ‘grid’. For this, repetition is the key to success: place the new palette into all areas of the business and fast!
If you are unsure of where to start, think of the social media accounts you follow or accounts in a similar field, look at their social media and ask yourself:
- What is the aesthetic/overall colour scheme?
- Does this evoke emotion?
- What should be done differently?
- How well is the Golden Thread implemented?
A strong aesthetic and brand personality go hand in hand with choosing the correct colour palette for your brand.
Incorporating a colour palette within your social media is non-negotiable. Starting with demographics, moving into colour theory and researching other brands relevant to your business or any potential competitors to see what is out in the market is a great starting point.
Then, the best way of implementing your colour palette is through the Golden Thread in each aspect of the brand but particularly across your social media content and ensuring this aligns across all other marketing channels.
And there you have it! If you still need help, browsing hundreds of ready-made colour palettes on Canva can help you identify some key colour combinations for your business.
