Choosing colours for a logo or visual identity design.

There are a lot of ways to select colours for an identity you’re designing. How I do it might be different from others - and I’m sure there are better ways to do it 😂 - but I find this way a nice, organic way to choose colours for a business logo and extended brand.

How do I do it?

After researching the company and competitors (that’s a whole new blog entry) I will attempt to use an image or visual representation of the future brand that I think covers the area of the business - and has a varied palette of colours to use.

Then I will pixelate the image a fair bit in Photoshop and see what happens. Normally I will get a minimum of 4 - 6 colours out of it, some maybe similar in hues so I move ahead with a selection that feels right to my eye but also makes sense from the colour wheel perspective. Are they harmonious? Are they complimentary colours (opposites on the colour wheel)? Are they analogous (neighbours), triadic (3 colours that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel) or even tetradic (four colours that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel). From this step I can play with my chosen selection of colours to create or add to the brand.

One of the most fruitful ways to do this is choose your source image from nature. She always has the best colour schemes that work together perfectly!