A crucial part of building a successful business is defining its brand. One of the ways your business can create a memorable brand image is by carefully curating a signature brand color palette. Here’s how to choose the right colors for your brand, with examples of winning brand color schemes from Shopify stores and tips on using color from Sara Mote, cofounder of the Mote web design agency.
What are brand colors?
Brand colors, often organized in a brand color palette, are the specific hues or shades used across your marketing and branding materials. Businesses prominently feature brand colors in key areas, like websites, typography, backgrounds, packaging, and photography. A typical palette includes at least three core colors and up to 10 secondary and tertiary colors.
A distinct color palette can create positive consumer associations and contribute to a unique visual identity that bolsters brand recognition. As Sara explains, “Brand elements such as typography, imagery, and color really come into play to make sure that you are creating a really strongly branded cohesive experience.”
How to choose your brand colors
- Reflect on brand identity
- Consider color associations
- Pick a primary color
- Build a brand palette
- Test your selection
Signature colors can strengthen brand awareness and help your business stand out, but choosing a brand color palette isn’t just a marketing decision; it’s about expression. “With your color selection, even if it's primarily monochromatic, there's a lot of opportunity to inject brand personality,” Sara says.
Here’s how to identify the perfect brand colors:
1. Reflect on brand identity
Consider your brand personality, products or services, and target audience to ensure your brand colors express what matters to your business. How do you want consumers to view your company? Are you an aspirational, cutting-edge tech business or a welcoming neighborhood art supply store? Do you want consumers to associate you with relaxation and comfort or excitement and fun?
Identify your core values by listing your brand's personality traits; asking customers, partners, and advisers for input; and reviewing your overall brand strategy, including voice and vision.
2. Consider color associations
Find color inspiration by researching color psychology and theory. Color theory explains how and why different colors work together, and color psychology studies the similar emotional connotations people have for specific colors. These emotional connections often depend on demographics and culture. Common associations include:
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Red. Love, importance, and excitement.
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Yellow. Happiness, energy, and openness.
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Blue. Stability, trust, and responsibility.
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Orange. Creativity, warmth, and change.
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Green. Renewal, growth, and wealth.
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Purple. Luxury, wisdom, and spirituality.
Use these principles to inspire color selection for important brand personality traits, but don’t view color theory associations as a strict set of rules. “We all have different associations with colors,” Sara says. “When color is concerned, I usually think about kind of best practices over psychology.”
3. Pick a primary color
Choose your brand’s primary color—the shade that most represents your brand. Primary colors are often used in logos and featured prominently on website and packaging design. Consider color meaning, product type, brand personality traits, and personal significance. For example, high-end cast iron brand Le Creuset’s choice of “flame” orange was inspired by the color of molten iron.
Use hex codes rather than generic color names to ensure your brand color is unique and specific. For example, “dark blue” might describe your primary color, but the hex code #151A7B—which represents the color with alphanumeric values—identifies the exact shade of your logo’s midnight blue. Include brand color codes in your brand guidelines to ensure consistency and accuracy, allowing graphic designers to match your brand color exactly across all platforms.
4. Build a brand palette
Once you’ve identified your primary color, use it to guide your secondary color selections. Brand color palettes typically consist of accent colors, which help design elements pop, and neutral colors for balance.
Consult a color wheel, which visually demonstrates the relationship between colors, to find pleasing color combinations. Aim for one to three primary, neutral, and accent colors. Ensure text colors provide enough contrast against the background to remain easily legible.
Keep colors from overwhelming by using the 60-30-10 rule, a design guideline, to balance brand colors: Use a primary color for 60% of design elements, a secondary color for 30%, and an accent color for 10%. This principle reinforces the importance and hierarchy of colors associated with your brand.
5. Test your selection
Review your brand color palette and assess its emotional effect. Print it out, set it aside, and revisit it later with fresh eyes to gauge your natural reactions. Since color associations can be personal, gather feedback from friends and colleagues—or conduct user testing—to understand what feelings your brand colors elicit. For web design, test several mockups to ensure functionality. Choosing the right color combinations is crucial for utility and accessibility.
“I tend to avoid using anything that's pure white or pure black,” Sara says. “With backlit screens and blue light-emitting devices, that can be really fatiguing for the eye. A core color palette that maintains legibility and contrast for the website is definitely going to strengthen the overall experience."
Examples of ecommerce brand colors
Here’s how notable Shopify merchants use their brand colors for marketing and brand recognition:
Ortega
The inclusive cosmetics company Ortega chose an airy light blue for its primary brand color. In an interview on the Shopify Masters podcast, founder Etienne Ortega shared that the hue references the blue agave that grows in Jalisco, Mexico, where he was born.
Ortega uses its signature color as a backdrop in product photography, website banners, and packaging design. The Ortega website also uses analogous colors—different shades of light and dark blue—to create a breezy, calming effect.
Parachute
Parachute sells modern bedding and bath products and uses a brand color palette with dark charcoal grey, light blush pink, cream, and white. These earthy, muted tones evoke feelings of calm and relaxation.

Parachute deploys its brand colors on social media, web pages, storefronts, and products. Similar colors for marketing and product design helped Parachute build a consistent brand image.
Spanx
The shapewear and apparel brand Spanx primarily uses red, white, and black in its marketing and branding materials. These strong, high-contrast colors reinforce the idea that Spanx is for modern, confident women.
Blueland
Blueland is a brand of eco-friendly cleaning products. While many eco-friendly brands choose green as a primary color to connote a connection to the environment, Blueland went with blue to highlight its focus on supporting water supply.

Blueland’s secondary color is yellow, providing good contrast. These complementary colors appear on its logo, product packaging, website design elements, and photography props.
Our Place
The modern cookware company Our Place uses dusty blue, dark sage green, terracotta, and warm neutral tones across its brand. These warm and inviting tones evoke a sense of home and comfort.

In addition to web design and product photography accents, Our Place uses these colors in its product design. Its popular Wonder Oven is available in matte blue, terracotta, cream, and charcoal, helping it stand out among black and stainless steel toaster ovens.
How to choose brand colors FAQ
How do I choose the right color for my brand?
To find the right brand color scheme, consider the stories and emotions you want people to associate with your business. Research color psychology and select a shade that evokes your desired response or represents your history.
What is the 60-30-10 color rule?
The 60-30-10 rule, a design guideline, helps you balance brand colors. Use a primary color for 60% of design elements, a secondary color for 30%, and an accent color for 10%. This principle reinforces the importance and hierarchy of your brand colors.
What color scheme is best for ecommerce brands?
There’s no one-size-fits-all best color scheme for ecommerce. The best brand colors for your business depend on your unique brand identity and the personality you want to convey. However, because customers primarily engage with your brand online, prioritize high contrast and usability in your choices.