Oftentimes businesses tend to ignore the type of colors and fonts that they use in their branding, marketing materials, and advertising, which can be a huge misstep. This is especially true for small- to medium-sized businesses that might not have the manpower to research what kinds of colors and fonts would be best for their brand. Instead of just picking random colors and fonts, there are quick and easy solutions for businesses who don’t have a huge corporate budget, that will look just as professional and cohesive as those bigger brands.

Fonts Can Create a Persona

When you think about certain brands such as Subway, Apple, Starbucks, and Target, you also imagine the type of font they happen to be using because it has become so ingrained with their brand. The same goes for colors, but first let’s focus on typography.

A company wants to communicate certain aspects to customers, and one of the best ways to do this is through branding and logos. Companies only have a split second to make a lasting impression so a font needs to do a couple of things:

• Can be clearly and easily read, whether online or offline
• Is memorable and in line with the company’s overall persona

Think about it: Apple’s font is clean and minimal, just like their company culture and products. Playing around with different fonts is a good way to figure out which one is best for your own brand. This is commonly part of the branding process. Apple didn’t find the font they are using now immediately and used it ever since. All companies evolve and so do their fonts, but the general theme never really leaves.

Coloring Is Meant to be Memorable

Once you have figured out an appropriate font for your brand, coloring is another crucial part of branding that you should spend a good amount of time on. Looking back on the previously mentioned brands, all of them have very bold and impactful colors that are directly related to their brand in some capacity. When customers think of Subway, they are also associating them with yellow and green coloring. With Target, red is found all over their stores and marketing material.

Most experts say the most popular colors are blue, red, orange, yellow, and green. However, these different colors evoke different emotions from customers. For example:

• Blue is associated with technology related companies, as well as helping customers trust your brand. Facebook is one of the most notable brands that uses the color blue.
• Red is the color of being bold, exciting, and passionate. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Target certainly fit into those categories.
• Orange tends to be associated with rustic, retro, and mellow themes as seen with Etsy or Amazon.
• Yellow is known to be youthful, vibrant, and energetic. Newer brands wanting to make a big splash can tend to use yellow in some way with their brand.
• Green is commonly associated with organic, environmental, frugal, and trustworthy. Think of Mint.com or Starbucks, both of which fit into those categories.

Brainstorming words that match your branding is a great way to understand the best color or colors for your business. This is also a great exercise when choosing the right font to be associated with the coloring. Finally, when you have a few mockups of your new branding, take the time to get a fresh view of everything from an outsider’s perspective, such as a branding engineer or graphic designer.

Don’t want to navigate the branding process alone? Contact us today.