The Design Lab’s Best: Brand Color Resources for Any DIY Design Project
At The Design Lab, color is our favorite part of any branding project. It’s the cherry on top of the perfect vibe, and those colors can easily transform anything — fonts, icons, you name it — to effortlessly match a brand.
Want to show off your lighthearted nature that doesn’t let you take yourself too seriously? Bright and bold colors it is. Want to provide a calm, relaxed experience for your clients? Try pastels and cool tones.
But choosing the right colors is key. And it comes down to so much more than just picking what you like. Pink may be your favorite color IRL, but it may look disjointed when you throw it into your brand palette. Likewise, yellow may not be your cup of tea, but when you add it to the mix, it just makes sense.
If you’re in the process of completely rebranding, giving your biz a brand refresh, or starting from scratch, check out some of The Design Lab’s best brand color resources below.
Decoding designer lingo
If you’ve worked with a designer before, then you know that sometimes the jargon can be confusing. WTF does RBG, CMYK, and HEX code mean anyway?
We promise — it’s not to be pretentious. It may be easy to rattle off “I want blue” or “Green is my go-to.” But in the world of design, you have to get specific. That’s because whether you’re working with print or web content, there are specific ways to format colors to get what you’re looking for.
But don’t worry, you don’t need to learn how to speak designer — in this post, we’re decoding the language of color so you don’t have to!
Read: Designer Lingo 101: Color
Picking your brand colors
Maybe you already have your brand colors down pat, but when you put it all together to create a design, you end up with something that looks like unicorn barf. The good news is there’s no need to toss everything and start all over again from scratch.
Every color won’t be right for your brand. But there are a few tricks to ensure you have a palette that is both visually appealing and something you like.
In the video below, we’re showing you how to kick your brand colors up a notch. Even if you haven’t created a brand color palette yet, this video will show you everything you need to know to get started.
P.S. Need a little help making those first few decisions? Struggling to find inspo? We have a few color packs available for purchase in our shop. Make a strong statement with bright and bold tones, or keep things calm, cool, and collected with a softer palette.
Forget about color psychology
Let’s get real — we all have colors we love and hate. With a passion.
What looks like a beautiful emerald green to one person could easily remind you of your grandma’s nasty old couch. Or maybe you love the color orange because it reminds you of fun, comforting, childhood memories. But your friend hates it because it’s a little too bright and perky.
Color, and what we think about it, is subjective. That’s why you need to forget everything you know, or everything you think you know, about color psychology.
Sure, there may be some research around color theory and how color affects mood, but the truth is that it’s still an individual experience. And that’s why you have to dig past the surface when it comes to choosing your brand colors.
Want to know how you should be thinking about color instead? Check out our post below.
Read: The Problem With Color Psychology
Need to change the color of your logo?
The great thing about color is that it adds versatility to anything you’re designing. You can easily transform and repurpose your designs by simply changing the background color or text color where needed.
But what about when your logo no longer matches the color scheme? Maybe you just have a black-and-white version of your logo, but after you’ve made edits and repurposed your graphics, you can’t see it anymore. What do you do when the vibe is just…off?
If you have limited options, fret not! In the video below, we’re showing you how to easily change the color of your logo (we’re talking 5 minutes or less).
Learn the basics of DIY design with the Balanced Brand Lab Kit!
Ultimately, color boils down to your brand standards and guidelines. A neutral color palette just isn’t going to cut it for an outspoken brand with punchy taglines. Brand values are important, and it’s the colors you choose that bring those values to life.
Struggling to create a well-defined brand and colors to match? The Balanced Brand Lab Kit can help!
This is a DIY branding workshop that will show you how to build a personalized and balanced brand formula to help guide all your design decisions. You’ll also get to see how to choose key brand assets past the colors — like the right fonts, photography, and more!
Interested in seeing what it’s all about? Learn more and then join the waitlist here!
