6 min read

Let me start with a personal opinion: colour is one of the most underrated tools in branding, and most small businesses play it far too safe.

Yes, there are rules and psychological principles worth knowing, but here’s the truth: colour is often your biggest chance to stand out.

Yet, too often I see business using colour to blend into their industry. I see it all the time: competitors in the same category using identical colour schemes. Tree surgeons? Always green. Yoga studios? Soft purples and calming greys. Tech start-ups? Pick a shade of blue, any blue. And I get it, those colours make sense. But if your business looks like every other one in your category, you're making it harder for customers to remember you.

I believe that understanding colour psychology is a powerful foundation, but the real magic happens when you use that knowledge creatively. So in this post, I’m sharing how I approach building brand colour palettes for clients. Whether you're DIY-ing or reviewing your current branding, here’s how to choose a palette that not only makes sense, but makes a statement.

Why Colour Matters More Than You Think

You already know colour makes people feel things.

But just how much of an impact does it have? Some studies claim that up to 90% of a first impression comes down to colour alone. That’s wild, right

Before anyone reads your tagline or notices your beautifully kerned logo, they’ve already clocked the colours and made a snap judgement.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet of what colours often represent in Western cultures:

Blue – trust, reliability, professionalism
Red – energy, passion, appetite
Yellow – optimism, creativity, warmth
Green – nature, health, growth
Purple – luxury, creativity, spirituality
Orange – friendliness, enthusiasm, boldness
Black – sophistication, power, modernity
White – purity, simplicity, cleanliness
Pink – playfulness, approachability, romance

Are these fixed? Not at all. Context matters. A muted mustard yellow has a very different vibe to a zingy highlighter yellow. But it’s still a great starting point.

The takeaway? Colour communicates before you do, so it’s worth choosing it deliberately.

Know Your Competitors – Then Zig When They All Zag

I always start colour discussions with clients by looking at the competitive landscape. Not because we want to copy it, quite the opposite. I want to know what everyone else is doing, so we can deliberately do something different.

Here’s a real example. A while ago, I worked with a local tree surgery business. Every other tree surgeon in the area was green. Of course they were: trees, leaves, growth, it all makes sense. But it also meant every van, website, and social post blended into one leafy blur.

So we went bold: bright red. It still felt earthy and energetic, but stood out beautifully against all the greenery. It looked amazing on signage and gear, and more importantly: people remembered it.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you do want to avoid being forgettable. There’s always room to shift the dial: pick a different shade, introduce a punchy accent, or lean into a harmony that feels familiar-but-fresh.

Start with the 60/30/10 Rule

Here’s where the practical stuff comes in. One of the best ways to build a balanced palette is the 60/30/10 rule:

60%: Dominant colour (usually a background or neutral)
30%: Secondary colour (adds personality)
10%: Accent colour (used for highlights and calls-to-action)

This ratio keeps things feeling cohesive, even if you’re working with bold or contrasting colours. It also stops the common problem of everything screaming for attention at once.

Let’s say you’ve picked a warm terracotta as your hero colour. That might take up 60% of your materials – web backgrounds, printed flyers, packaging. You pair it with a soft sage green for contrast (30%) and add a zingy yellow as your 10% accent – perfect for buttons, icons, or stickers. Boom. You’ve got a palette that’s both balanced and distinct.

How Many Colours Should You Use?

In most cases, I recommend aiming for 3–5 colours total. That includes your main brand colour, a couple of supporting colours, an accent, and some neutrals (white, black, grey, or beige).

More than that, and things can get a bit chaotic unless you’re really confident in your design chops. Fewer is fine too – even a two-colour palette can look iconic if it’s used consistently.

When I’m building palettes, I’ll often create a set with:

1 main colour (your recognisable brand hue)
1–2 secondary colours (complementary or analogous)
1 accent colour (used sparingly)
Neutrals to tie it all together

These colours should interact nicely, which brings us to...

Understanding Colour Harmonies (Without the Jargon)

You don’t need to be a colour theory expert to make this work, but it helps to understand the basics of colour harmony. It’s all about how colours relate to each other on the colour wheel. Here are a few simple schemes I use:

Analogous – Colours that sit next to each other on the wheel (e.g. blue, teal, green). These create a soft, cohesive look. Great for brands that want to feel calm and natural.
Complementary – Opposite colours on the wheel (e.g. blue and orange, red and green). High contrast and full of energy. Use one as dominant and the other as an accent.
Split Complementary – A base colour plus the two colours next to its opposite (e.g. blue, red-orange and yellow-orange). Gives contrast without the intensity of full complementaries.
Monochromatic – One hue, multiple tints and shades. Elegant and clean. Works well for minimalist brands or those with a luxury feel.
Triadic – Three colours evenly spaced on the wheel (e.g. red, yellow, blue). Bold, playful and high-impact. Can be great for creative or kids’ brands.
Tetradic – Two sets of complementary pairs (e.g. red & green, blue & orange). Rich and diverse but can be tricky to balance. Best with one dominant and the others as accents.
Square – Four colours evenly spaced around the wheel. Offers variety while maintaining harmony. Good for brands that want colour diversity but with control.

Start by picking a base colour that fits your brand vibe, then explore what pairs well using one of these systems.

Common Colour Mistakes

Here’s what I see often — and how to fix it:

Picking favourites: “I love purple” isn’t a reason to use it for your gym brand.
Choosing too many: Five or six bold shades is hard to manage. Keep it simple.
Forgetting accessibility: Check contrast. Make sure your colours work for users with visual impairments. There are free tools for this.

Tools to Help You Build a Palette

You don’t have to do this alone. These tools are my go-tos:

Coolors.co: Super easy palette generator. Lock colours you like and shuffle the rest. Also has a helpful contrast checker to ensure your colour palettes are accessible to
Adobe Color: Great for exploring colour harmonies and building palettes from scratch.
WhoCanUse: A helpful contrast checker to help you understand how colour contrast can affect different people with visual impairments and ensure your palettes are accessible.

Play around with these to get a feel for combinations that reflect your brand personality.

What About Neutrals?

Don’t overlook neutrals – they’re the backbone of most good palettes. A simple cream, off-white, charcoal, or warm grey can give your colours space to breathe and help your palette feel more grounded.

Consistency is Key

Once you’ve chosen your colours, use them everywhere. On your website, packaging, signage, social media graphics, merch – keep it consistent. Repetition builds recognition.

Map out competitor colours
Choose a colour harmony
Apply the 60/30/10 rule to your own brand
Test how your palette feels across different applications

Want a Second Opinion?

If you’ve already got a palette but something feels off – or if you’re just stuck – I offer a free 30-minute brand audit. We can look at your current colours, how they’re working (or not), and how they fit into the rest of your brand visuals.

It’s completely no-strings. Just a good chat about how to make your brand feel more like you.

Final Thoughts

Colour might seem like a small part of your brand, but it carries a lot of weight. With the right palette, you can tell your story, stand out from the competition, and build a more recognisable brand.

So do your research, know your audience – then go and pick colours that make you feel excited. Bold. Unmissable. And totally on brand.

Or book your free brand audit and let’s chat.

Cheers,

Mark

The Psychology of Colour: Choosing the Right Palette for Your Brand