Insights
November 20, 2024
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The Role of Colour Psychology in Design: A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Palette for Your Brand

Colour plays a crucial role in shaping your brand's identity, influencing how your personality and tone are perceived by your audience, and impacting the effectiveness of your messaging. Understanding colour psychology is key to making informed strategic choices that resonate with your target audience and position your brand effectively in the market.

Be Introspective

To begin, it is essential to have a deep understanding of your brand's values and mission. Factors such as your brand story, tone of voice, unique selling points (USPs), target audience, and competitors should all be carefully considered. These insights form the foundation of your brand profile, guiding your colour choices to align with your brand's essence.

Colour Impacts Emotion

Emotion plays a significant role in influencing behaviour, making it crucial to select colours that evoke the desired emotional response. While individual responses to colour can vary based on factors such as culture, gender, and personal experiences, there are general associations that can serve as a starting point for your colour palette. For instance:

  • Red: Passion, Energy, Excitement, Danger
  • Orange: Friendliness, Confidence, Warmth
  • Yellow: Optimism, Creativity, Happiness
  • Green: Health, Hope, Growth, Nature
  • Blue: Trust, Loyalty, Professionalism
  • Purple: Wisdom, Luxury, Spirituality
  • Black: Sophistication, Power, Elegance
  • Gray: Timelessness, Neutrality, Balance
  • White: Clarity, Simplicity, Transparency

However, it is important to note that colour selection is nuanced, and a one-size-fits-all approach may not be suitable for every brand.

Suppose you aim for your brand to exude trustworthiness, professionalism, and maturity. Logically, blue may seem like the natural choice. Yet, upon examining the local competition, you may discover that numerous competitors already utilise a similar palette. In this scenario, it could be wise to consider alternative colour options to set your brand apart.

Creating a Colour Palette

Building a cohesive colour palette involves selecting core, secondary, and accent colours. 

Core colours serve as the foundation of your palette and are directly associated with your brand, think Vodafone’s red, or Selfridges’ yellow.

Secondary colours support the core colours and broaden your palette. Secondary colours are often (but not always) neutral colours such as black, white, grey, and brown, or tints and shades of your core colours.

Accent colours are used very sparingly and add visual contrast, drawing attention to specific elements within designs.

Colour Ratio

A useful guideline for structuring your colour palette is the 60/30/10 rule:

  • 60% of your palette should comprise core colours.
  • 30% should be allocated to secondary colours.
  • The remaining 10% should be dedicated to accent colours.

This ratio ensures balance and coherence within your palette, enhancing visual appeal and clarity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a well-crafted colour palette is essential for communicating your brand's identity and message effectively. Remember to keep your palette simple and harmonious, allowing colours to work together seamlessly. By mastering the basics of colour psychology and experimenting with different approaches, you can create a distinct and memorable brand identity that resonates with your audience.

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Kenshō Agency & Ads.gi Joins Forces with the Capurro Group

Kenshō Agency & Ads.gi Joins Forces with the Capurro Group

After several years of collaboration, we’re thrilled to announce that the  Capurro Group has acquired a majority stake in Kenshō Agency &  Ads.gi, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership that will  propel us to new heights.

INTRO

After several years of collaboration, we’re thrilled to announce that the  Capurro Group has acquired a majority stake in Kenshō Agency &  Ads.gi, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership that will  propel us to new heights.With over 150 years of business  expertise, the Capurro Group brings an extensive network and deep  industry knowledge, enabling Kenshō Agency to operate on a more global  scale.

This partnership strengthens our ability to serve our clients,  unlocking new opportunities, markets, and strategic connections that  will enhance the value we deliver to them.

Having worked  together for nearly a decade, this move is a natural evolution of our  shared vision. With Capurro Group's backing, Kenshō Agency is poised for unprecedented growth while continuing to innovate and push boundaries.

We’re incredibly excited for this next chapter and the possibilities it  brings, not just for us but for our clients, partners, and the  industries we serve.

Stay tuned for what’s next!

News
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Two Weeks at Kenshō: My Internship Experience

When I first came across the internship at Kenshō, I was looking for an opportunity in Gibraltar before heading into my final year at university... Something that would give me a taste of life in a creative studio and a chance to finally put into practice what I’d been studying. I was lucky to find Kenshō advertising a two-week student internship on their social media, and I applied immediately.

I had already referenced Kenshō in my university work as an inspiring agency in Gibraltar, so I was familiar with their work. They had a range of different projects with a clean, thought-out style. I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss. It felt like it was the perfect place to learn, contribute, and grow as a graphic design student in Gibraltar and also prepare me for my final year in University.

Before starting, I was quite nervous. It was a completely new environment, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I worried about whether I’d be able to apply my graphic design knowledge from university in a real-world setting, and even whether I’d enjoy working in a design agency despite studying Graphic Design. I imagined I might just be observing from the sidelines and quietly working at a desk. But from my very first day, I realised I had nothing to worry about. The team couldn’t have been more approachable and welcoming. They made me feel included straight away, showing patience and taking the time to explain their roles in depth. During my first week, they walked me through how to process a new client brief and encouraged me to contribute by sharing my ideas and sketches throughout the design journey.

Over the two-week internship, I was given the chance to get involved in real client work. I sat in on meetings, joined creative discussions, and watched how ideas are designed, refined, and brought to life from start to finish. It was amazing to be part of these sessions and to see first-hand how the team translates a client’s vision into design, and how they handle feedback in such a professional and creative way. I quickly realised just how much groundwork goes into a project before design even begins, particularly the initial communication and research phases. I discovered I really enjoyed the strategic part of the process, which is something I might not have realised without this internship. Along the way, I also learnt the basics of software I hadn’t used before, like Figma, as well as valuable design tips and platforms that I’ll now take forward into my university work.

The studio environment at Kenshō was inspiring and extremely encouraging. Everyone was supportive and always happy to answer questions. I enjoyed going into the office every morning and looked forward to it over the weekend. I am now leaving this internship with a much clearer understanding of what it’s like to work in a creative team and how graphic design works in practice. I have learnt how to approach projects, and the difference that good communication makes in producing the best design possible. Every single day within these two weeks I have walked out the office having learnt something new, making it a very valuable step in my design journey. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and excited to take what I’ve learnt into my future work.

Thank you Kenshō!

Insights
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Welcoming Zsuzsa Papp to the team
News
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