Choosing a brand color isn’t just about picking something pretty from a digital palette.
(If only it were that easy.)
Your brand color palette is so important to creating a consistent foundation that builds brand recognition with your audience. But the language of color can sometimes look like a foreign language! RGB, CMYK, U, C, HEX… what does it all mean?
As a branding expert I will you it’s best to select very specific color formulas in three versions:
1) RGB and HEX, which is how your color appears on screens,
2) Pantone Spot Color, which is how your color would print IRL, and
3) the CMYK version of that spot color for multi-color printing
(say if you’re printing a brochure with photographs), which can print slightly differently.
With #1 you have the most flexibility to choose whatever colors your heart desires! However, you may find that there is no corresponding #2 to match since there is a limited palette of solid spot colors. So what I typically do with clients is: I create a general brand palette for direction on screen in the conceptual phase, then as we get closer to a decision, I’ll pull out my Pantone books and send them exact chips. And to further complicate it, you also should have both coated and uncoated decided upon as they can look different depending on if you’re printing on coated or uncoated paper.
Color and printing can be so confusing! I get much more in depth about it in one of the many instructional videos in the Brand Building Foundations course as we learn how to build out your basic brand assets. You also get a Brand Guide template that you can fill in as we go through all the steps and exercises, to have a summary in your hands at the end of our work together! Get a discount offer for a limited time when you sign up for the free workshop:
