Choosing strategic brand colors is a golden opportunity for any business to show off their brand personality to their audience. When they see your attractive, appropriate and eye-catching brand color palette, your customers will be tickled pink (and your competitors might be green with envy). If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out our eight favorite color combinations.
Navy and Yellow
Dark, classic navy and bright, warm yellow make for a refreshing color pair. This combination of light and dark often comes across as friendly and comforting, while still appearing professional. Famous examples of this brand color scheme include Ikea, Expedia and Visa. These colors might be appealing for companies wishing to communicate their high skill level without appearing too stiff.
Red, Blue and Yellow
Using the three primary colors together makes a bright and bold statement. Logos that feature saturated versions of these colors make an especially vivid impression, while more muted colors can soften the design. We would recommend this color palette for most family-friendly businesses, such as restaurants or cleaning products. Fast-food restaurant Burger King is one of many food brands to use this color scheme in their classic logo.
Pink and Blue
The combination of pink and blue can give off a peaceful, calming and relaxed feel when used in branding. These colors blend together well, as opposed to other combinations that are more focused on contrast. This combination would work particularly well for a wellness brand, a business offering more feminine products and services, or any company hoping to make their customers feel at ease. Brands you might recognize with this color combination include Baskin Robbins and Vineyard Vines.
Purple and Yellow
Purple and yellow are complimentary colors on the color wheel, meaning that they’re placed exactly opposite of each other. Using these two colors together creates high contrast, which tends to attract the human eye. Purple and yellow are also both quite bright and intense, which can communicate optimism to viewers. We think this color combination would work really for for companies in more creative industries. You might recognize this color combo from brands like Hallmark and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Blue and White
Blue and white is one of the most common brand color combinations today. Think of all the famous companies who use it: Facebook, Ford, HP, Lowe’s, the list goes on. The color blue is associated with feelings of trustworthiness, honesty and security, making it a logical choice for huge variety of businesses. Depending on which shade of blue you use, you can add a little playfulness with a lighter color or choose a deep shade to appear more formal.
Green, Navy and Turquoise
When used together, green, navy and turquoise can also feel very calm and soothing. However, they also pop on a page due to contrasting light and dark colors. This combination is well balanced and one of the more unique palettes on this list. Companies hoping to stand out from competitors or appear a bit more luxurious might find success with these brand colors.
Red, Orange and Black
This color combination is particularly well suited for energetic, adventurous and bold brands. An attention-demanding red is softened when used alongside an optimistic orange color, and black adds a solid balance of professionalism. We could see sports brands and outdoor products really benefiting from this color combination.
Black and White
We saved one of the best color combinations for last. Black and white is as classic as it gets. When using these two colors for your brand, your business will appear sophisticated, modern and professional. If you still want to inject a bit more personality into your brand, you might use a third accent color of your choice in small, strategic doses. Most other colors will look great alongside black and white.
Of course, these are just a small selection of the possible color combinations you could choose for your brand. The ultimate goal of brand colors is to match your brand’s personality, industry and mission. If you’re looking for a more in depth look at the psychology behind brand colors, check out our previous article.