🌈 Do Brand Colours Matter?

Hello! Welcome back to this weeks episode.

Today I am answering a question that has popped up a few times in the last few weeks, and that is do brand colours really matter? Hint... they absolutely DO!

I'll explore the power of colour in branding and why it matters, how it impacts first impressions, and its role in building recognition and driving conversions.

I also discuss aligning your brand colours with your why, values, and audience, and I'll share practical tips on creating a unique colour palette, perfect for your business.

If you're ready to take this next step and work with a designer in 2025, we have limited design packages available. Head over to our website or send an email to hello@thefearlessdesigner.com to get on the waitlist.

x Morgan
 
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Transcript

Morgan Macdonald:
Hello and welcome back to the Fearless Designer podcast. I am so thankful that you're joining me today. My name is Morgan. I am the Fearless Designer. I am a graphic designer and a brand designer, and I'm also a coach and mentor. So I wanted to come with this amazing phenomena that happens every now and then, and that's where there are waves of topics that keep popping up, and it's nearly too much for me to walk away from. And this week, it's all been about color. I've had so many questions about color.

I've been talking to my clients all around color choices for their branding, and even to the point where, when I first started my business, I invested in Pantone Color Books, which is a very specific way to print colors. And these books were so expensive, they were about $1,000. And I have honestly rarely used them. There isn't a very big trend in the industry anymore for people to use these books.

So I've actually used them three times.

This week and probably been two years since I've used them last. So I thought, that's a sign from the universe. Let's talk about color. And I had a particularly great question from a client and it was, do my brand colors really matter? And I wanted to hit this one right on the head and say to.

You, yes, they absolutely do.

Hello and welcome to the Fearless Designer podcast.

I'm your host, Morgan McDonald, aka the fearless designer, and I'm here to help you embrace your fears, level up your visual brand, and and take your business to fearless new heights. For two decades, I've worked with business owners just like you, designing brands that are bold, consistent, and authentic.

I've lived a profesh corporate life as a graphic designer, and I've also spent the last 13 years running my own brand and graphic design business. So whether you're running a six or seven figure business, craving a brand refresh Or just ready to add a little more wow to your visuals, I got you. Each week, we'll dive into fearless brand strategies, design tips that you actually can use, live brand audits, and interviews with fellow business owners who have dared to do things differently. So if you're ready to stop playing small, take control of your brand, and lead with confidence, you're in the right place. Let's go.

If you've ever felt really unsure about whether your color choices are making a difference to how your brand is being perceived, especially online, well, this episode is perfect for you. I'm going to put forward three key points to why your brand colors are crucial to creating A standout business brand. And I'm going to dive into how colors impact first impressions. They also build recognition and even drive conversions. And because I know so many of you are so passionate about building a brand that feels really true to who you are, I wanted to touch on how the choice of your brand. Colors can really reflect your why, your.

Values, the audience that you're speaking to.

And they're going to help you create something truly magnetic. All right, let's start at the first point. First impressions are absolutely everything. Did you know that it takes seven seconds for someone to form an opinion of your visual brand? And apparently 90% of those judgments are based around color alone?

I actually recently did a podcast episode Around those precious seven seconds that we have to make an impact. So head back, have a listen to that episode if you're interested in learning a bit more about that. Colors create an instant emotional response. For example, these are very common examples. You've probably heard of them. Blue evokes trust and calmness. Red stirs up excitement and energy. Green can signal quality and freshness.

And if your colors don't align with your brand message, you might be unintentionally sending the wrong signals to your audience. When your colors align with your message, your audience's first impression feels seamless and really intentional. So take a moment and ask yourself, what emotions do you really want people to associate with your brand? And also ask yourself, do my current colors reflect those emotions? For me, asking those two questions is so important. Doing that research, doing that analysis of yourself, and what kind of emotions that you want people to associate when they connect with your brand, they are so valuable. It isn't something that is set in stone, picking our colors. So don't stress if you feel as though your current colors are not reflecting those emotions. There is always an opportunity to tweak and change them. Did you know that colors can boost brand recognition as well? Consistency in your colors can increase brand recognition by 80%.

That is huge. 80%. Think about all of the big boys like Coca Cola and McDonald's and Tiffany and Company. Their colors are so consistent and distinctive that you recognize them instantly. You don't even really need to see their logo. I know these businesses are huge, and they've spent millions and millions of dollars on their brand development, but you can start doing that, too, at a much smaller scale. I know what you might be saying, oh, okay, well, can I ever use red? Can I ever use yellow if they're so iconic to those large businesses? Well, you absolutely can. You just need to Find something, a combination, a color palette that is iconic for you and you need to stick with it.

Why does this matter for your business? Because that consistency is going to lead to strong brand recognition that builds trust. It's also going to lead your customers down the path of loyalty and repeat business, which is amazing. For example, if you're scrolling through Instagram and spot the Tiffany blue, which is actually their color, you immediately think of luxury. 

That is the power of color consistency in action. Why don't you take a moment to audit your branding? Are your colors consistent across your website, your social media, your emails, all of your other materials? If not, it's time to tighten things up. Review whether they're working. Pick colors that you know are going to work together and go from there. And finally, I want to give you the argument that colors can actually drive conversions.

And here's what I mean. Colors can increase brand engagement and conversions by up to 42%. What I mean by this is the color red creates urgency. So it's perfect for sales banners or call to action buttons. Orange encourages action. It's inviting, it's not as aggressive as red. Blue fosters trust. All of these little subtle uses of color can absolutely increase conversions.

So say, for example, you're on a website and everything is beautifully black and white. You'll find these really distinctive pops of call to action buttons in that business's brand color.

It could be a blue, it could be a royal blue, something that really stands out. The smart use of color can then flow onto the other platforms as well. So say, for example, you've got this really luxe black and white vibe for your business. Maybe you use royal blue as a heading font or something that is supposed to stand out the most. That consistency in color use is what I mean when it comes to increasing brand engagement and conversions. Sometimes it's all about experimenting as well. You may have had this beautiful website designed by a web designer and you're figuring out that the colors aren't exactly working for you anymore. Tweak and play and try new things, even just the smallest tweaks.

It could even just be changing up. Those call to action buttons on your Website could really lead to big changes.engagement on that website. Or it could be even you really embracing your brand color and wearing it, showing up in your photos for your brand shoot, wearing that color or including it in your nail color. Those little tiny subtle hints of your color choices really help to drive that brand recognition. And if you don't think people are noticing, they totally are. Especially if You've been in business for a while. All those extra touches do not go unnoticed by your audience. All right, finally, I want to touch on aligning your colors with your why, your values, and your audience. Let's dig a little bit deeper on this.

If you've been following this podcast for a while, you know that I am so huge on starting with your why, why you started your business business, how it connects with your values, and how it serves your audience. Your brand color should flow from this foundation, and here's how. Number one, your why is the starting point. Your why is your heartbeat of your brand. Your colors can actually visually represent this purpose. If your why is about empowerment, bold, confident colors will most likely align with your brand. Make sure you select a color that you love and that reflects that empowerment piece for you. If your why is all about calm and clarity, maybe something like softer blues or greens could actually reflect your mission, reflecting your values.

Number two, your values are your guiding principles. If sustainability, for example, is a value of your business, maybe some earthy greens or a brown or something very muted might resonate with that. Or if innovation drives you, maybe a vibrant or unexpected color pairing could really align with your creativity and your energy. I recently had a client rebrand their business and decided to change their color palette during this process. And they went for more of a coral muted neutral tones to really reflect her core value of connection. And her audience loved it. It was very welcomed. It was very seamless rebrand.

And the fact that she actually loved those color choices herself and often wore coral in her wardrobe, it meant that it was just the perfect transition for this new rebrand. And finally, number three, your audience's perspective. Ultimately, your colors need to speak to your ideal audience. I'm not saying that we need to craft a color palette around that audience and what they like, but it would be naive of us not to take that into consideration. Are they looking for elegance and sophistication?

Could you add some neutrals or a metallic tone into your palette to reflect that? Are they wanting something playful? Is your target audience children? Because bright and colorful might just suit there. When your colors align with your why, your values and your audience, they become such a powerful tool for connection, trust, and recognition. They don't just look good, they work for you and they feel really good. They feel really authentic. They feel like they are your colors. Now I want to do a really super quick recap of why your brand colors really do matter. Number one, they shape first impressions, which are crucial. Number two, they boost recognition and trust.

Number three, they drive conversions and influence buying decisions. And number four, when they're aligned with with your why values and audience, they create a brand that truly stands out. Your colors are much more than just design elements. They're visual expression of your brand's story and personality. But I want to leave you with one final point. If you've been listening to this and thinking, oh no, this is more daunting than it needs to be, it is 100% okay to change your colors as your business grows and evolves. My suggestion is to stick to a main color that you love and then build a secondary palette of other colors that not only complement your main color, but they give some depth to your message as well. You can change your colors at any time as long as you do it.

Consistently and that it's really authentic to you.

Go for it. Well, if this episode has inspired you to rethink your brand colors, I would love to hear from you. Why don't you DM me a screenshot of your color palette on Instagram or send me an email? I am always here to chat and I love matching colors and talking about all things brand colors and how they work for your business.

So please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more tips and I can't wait for you to join me again on another episode. And that's it for today's episode of The Fearless Designer podcast.

I hope you're feeling really inspired, fired up and ready to go make some bold moves with your brand. If you love today's episode, don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that you never miss a dose of Fearless branded goodness. And if you're feeling extra generous, drop us a review. It just helps more fearless legends like you find this podcast.

If you've got any ideas or questions for future episodes, please slide into my DMS or send me an email. I would love to hear from you. And until next time, keep being bold, keep being fearless. And remember, your brand is your superpower. So go out there and dare to be different. Bye.