How to Choose Brand Colours for Your Business
Your brand colours appear on your logo, website, social media, and printed materials. Here's how to choose colours that work — and how to use them consistently.
2 min read · Updated 2026-05-11
Short answer
Pick one primary colour that fits your industry and audience, one neutral (white, black, or grey), and one accent for highlights. Stick to these three. Consistency matters more than perfect colour theory — using 3 colours consistently beats using 8 colours randomly.
What colours signal (and what they're used for)
| Colour | What it signals | Common industries | |--------|----------------|------------------| | Blue | Trust, reliability, calm | Finance, healthcare, tech, legal | | Green | Growth, nature, wellness | Food, health, sustainability, finance | | Orange | Energy, friendly, affordable | Food, retail, construction | | Red | Urgency, bold, passion | Food, retail, entertainment | | Purple | Luxury, creativity, wisdom | Beauty, premium goods, education | | Yellow | Optimism, attention, caution | Food, retail, children's | | Black | Premium, sophisticated, bold | Luxury, fashion, tech | | White | Clean, simple, minimal | Healthcare, tech, beauty |
This is a starting point, not a rule. Break conventions with reason, not randomly.
How to pick your three colours
Step 1: Choose your primary colour based on your industry and the feeling you want customers to have.
Step 2: Choose a neutral — white and black are the default pair; warm grey or cream for a warmer feel.
Step 3: Choose an accent — a complementary or contrasting colour for buttons, highlights, and calls to action. Use it sparingly (10–20% of any design).
How to define your exact colours
Use hex codes (for web) and RGB/CMYK values (for print). Example:
- Primary: #2563EB (a medium blue)
- Neutral: #F8FAFC (off-white)
- Accent: #F59E0B (amber)
You can find hex codes by searching "colour palette generator" or using Coolors (coolors.co) which generates palettes from scratch or from a starting colour.
Where to use your colours consistently
- Logo
- Website header, buttons, accent text
- Social media profile and post graphics (create templates in Canva)
- Email signature
- Business cards, invoices, letterhead
- Vehicle wraps, signage, uniforms if applicable
The goal: when someone sees your social media post, your website, and your van, they all feel like the same business.
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