Your brand colors should do two jobs. Make you easy to spot. And make your words easy to read.
Most people only think about the first job. Here's how to choose a color palette for your brand that does both, in plain steps, with a test at the end.
Start with a feeling, not a color
Before you open any color tool, write down three words for how you want people to feel. Calm, bold, warm. Playful, sharp, safe. Pick three.
Now picture your buyer. Where will they see you? On a phone, in a feed, on a box, on a sign? Colors that look great on a big screen can look muddy on a label.
Skip the charts that say blue means trust and red means danger. Color meaning is loose, and it shifts with culture and context. What matters more is how your colors fit you, and how they stand out from the brands next to you.
How to choose a color palette for your brand, step by step
- Look at your field. Line up the logos of five rivals. Note the colors they share. That's the lane to avoid, or at least to step out of.
- Pick one main color. This is the color people will link to you. Choose one that fits your three words and doesn't match your closest rival.
- Add a support color. It should sit well next to the main one without fighting it.
- Add one accent. A bright or strong color for the few things you want people to click or notice.
- Add neutrals. A near-black for text, an off-white for backgrounds, and a gray or two for lines and boxes.
- Test the contrast. Make sure text on each background is easy to read. More on this below.
- Try it on real things. A button, a social post, a product label, an email header. Then print one in black and white.
- Write it all down. The color codes, and where each color is used. Put it in your style guide so no one has to guess.
That's it. Five to seven colors in total is plenty for most small brands, once you count the neutrals.
The 60-30-10 rule
Once you have colors, you need to know how much of each to use. That's where the 60-30-10 rule helps.
Wix sums it up well in its guide to the 60-30-10 rule. About 60% of a design goes to the main color that sets the tone. About 30% goes to a color that supports it. The last 10% is an accent, used to draw the eye.
For a brand, here's one way to use it:
- 60% is a neutral, like off-white, or a soft version of your main color.
- 30% is your main brand color, on headers, blocks and shapes.
- 10% is the accent, on buttons, links and sale tags.
Treat the numbers as a guide, not a law. The point is balance. If every color shouts, none of them can.
Check contrast so people can read you
This is the step most brands skip, and it's the one that costs them.
If your text and its background are too close in tone, many people will struggle to read it. That includes people with low vision, people on a phone in the sun, and anyone tired at the end of the day.
There's a clear standard for this. The web rules known as WCAG set a minimum contrast ratio. WebAIM's contrast checker sums up level AA like this:
- At least 4.5 to 1 for normal text.
- At least 3 to 1 for large text.
- Large text means 18 point and up, or 14 point and up if it's bold.
Paste in two color codes and the checker shows the ratio. If a pair fails, darken the text or lighten the background until it passes.
Then check for color blindness. Adobe has a color blind check that shows how your palette looks to people with common types of color blindness. Never use color alone to show meaning. Add a word or an icon too.
Brand color palette examples
These brands are made up. They show how the steps fit together.
- Say you run a calm skincare brand. Your three words are soft, clean and kind. You pick a sage green as the main color, a warm sand as support, and a deep plum accent for buttons. Text is a soft black on off-white.
- Say you run a bold coffee cart. Your words are loud, quick and fun. You pick a strong orange as the main color, a dark brown as support, and a bright teal accent. The menu board uses cream with dark brown text.
- Say you run a small law office. Your words are steady, clear and calm. You pick a deep navy, a light gray as support, and a muted gold accent, used sparingly.
Notice the accent is used least each time. That's what keeps it special.
Color picks that hurt your brand
- Too many colors. Each new one makes the rest a bit weaker.
- Picking on a screen only. Print a test before you order 500 boxes.
- Light gray text on white. It looks clean, and it reads badly.
- Changing colors every few months. People learn your colors by seeing them again and again.
Tools that help
You don't need to pick shades by eye. Adobe's color wheel tool can build a palette from one base color, or pull colors from a photo you upload.
A photo trick works well. Find an image that feels like your brand, a place or a product. Pull five colors from it. Then trim the list back to the ones that pass the contrast test.
Palette rules, explained
What is the 60-30-10 rule for a color palette?
It's a guide to how much of each color to use. About 60% goes to a main color that sets the tone, 30% to a color that supports it, and 10% to an accent that draws the eye.
How do you create a color palette for a brand?
Start with three words for how you want people to feel. Pick one main color, one support color and one accent. Add neutrals for text and backgrounds. Then test the contrast and try the colors on real things.
What is the 3 color palette rule?
It's the idea of building your brand around three colors. A main color, a support color and an accent, plus neutrals. It keeps things simple, and it pairs well with the 60-30-10 split.
Lock your colors into the style guide
Your colors don't need to be perfect. They need to be clear, readable, and used the same way every time.
Once you've chosen, write them into your guide. Our post on how to build a brand style guide shows how to make one your team will use.
The Color Palette Builder Claude Skill turns a few picks into a full system: main, support and neutral colors, shade scales and readable contrast, with codes in hex, RGB, CMYK and Pantone. For a whole new look, see our brand identity design services.