5 Color palettes to create a color scheme for your business start-up

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Colors are difficult for me. Not because I’m colorblind or anything that impacts my ability to see color, but I want to use all the colors most of the time.

I had this lesson every year of taking a traditional art class. Usually, it came down to using paint, but you can use other materials, like colored pencils or other mediums. It still makes me think about the colors that I use in branding and illustration projects.

These color palettes should help you, not limit you in your color schemes. While these color palettes give you a set of rules to follow, they also help you narrow down how your target audience will identify your brand.

You can make your brand color scheme as diverse as you want, but sticking with one of these color palettes will help. Not only will it help you determine what colors are acceptable for your business, but it will help others identify your brand more easily.

One of these color palettes will probably stick out to you more than another, but if not, take a minute to think about what you can and want to be known for your brand. Each color palette has its way of presenting a brand. 

Here are five color palettes that can strengthen your brand color scheme.

**These color schemes are meant to be shown as examples, not actual brand color schemes.

Monochromatic

A monochromatic color palette will keep your colors within one color. This color palette could be a range of blues or oranges, but it essentially stays within the same color rather than a range of colors. 

This type of color palette can be straightforward to orchestrate for a small business. You don’t have to mess with knowing if another color is compatible with your primary colors because it’s all shades and tints of your primary color. If you find a light, dark, and middle-range color, you should be good to go.

If you’re not sure about your brand’s color scheme, start with finding a monochromatic color scheme to find viable primary colors. This way, you can see a range of colors and see how far you might need to branch out.

Analogous

When you use an analogous color palette, you are using neighboring colors within the color wheel. If you were to use blue, you would also use green and yellow to support your color scheme.

This color palette can be a bit trickier than others since you are compiling different colors together. Analogous color palettes are easiest when colors are the same shade or when there is a pop of color from one of the colors.

If you think you need a bit more color, but as the general premise of working with a monochromatic color palette, you should consider using an analogous color palette. An analogous color palette will help your brand’s color scheme have a bit more range but still stay closer to home.

Complementary

Complementary color palettes are opposite colors on the color wheel. If you’re thinking of Christmas colors, you’re on the right track.

You can create a bunch of drama with this type of color palette. Your website and marketing will pop the colors against each other to draw your audience’s eye, especially when you keep your colors within the same shade or tint.

Using a complementary color palette will let you have some standard colors and challenge you to make a bold contrast to your primary color. I’ve heard of using this color palette as me vs. them. You can assign one of the colors to yourself but use the other to draw in your target audience.

Neutral with Pop

Neutral with a pop of color is a relatively modern color scheme, but it’s also one of my favorites. All you need is a pop of color from a primary color in your color scheme, and surround that color with blacks, grays, or neutrals.

This color palette can be either easy or difficult. It can be easy when you find a popping color option but can prove tricky when finding the grey-scale or neutral colors to support it. I’d determine if you want a dark or lighter color scheme before finding your supporting colors in this color scheme.

I chose this color scheme for modern thumbprint because I wanted a contemporary feel from many of the brand color schemes that I looked at with these color palettes. I also knew I wanted to make a more neutral color palette than to play with grey-scales. It can be challenging but also refreshing to try something different.

Triad

Triad color palettes are exactly how they sound. Instead of a complementary color palette, triad color palettes use three colors in their color scheme makeups, such as the traditional yellow, red, and blue. 

This color palette offers the most variety in your color scheme. While it provides the option of multiple colors within your color scheme, it can be tricky to make them all harmonize together. Like a complementary color palette, your color can naturally pop against each other and provide a lot of contrast to certain elements.

I’m going to be honest and say I don’t see many of these within brand color schemes. I think they have evolved into squares or involve more colors. That’s not to say they don’t exist and can’t give you a diverse color scheme for your brand.