In our previous episode, we discussed the brand manual and closed that chapter. Remember, if it’s not in the manual, it’s not your brand. Today we start a conversation about color.
Say you’re heading down to the Cadillac dealership. You’re not going to buy that new Escalade in lime green. You’re not Busta Rhymes. I mean, you could, technically — the factory can spray any color imaginable. But Cadillac offers exactly seven colors for their Platinum Escalade. Seven primarily demure, deliberately restrained colors. Lime green is not one of them.
Because Cadillac understands something every brand should: color isn’t a personal preference; it’s a position. It is a status.
So for this episode, we’ll start with the obvious question: why does color even matter so much?
Well, color is a feeling. Color is a memory, a warm breeze, a kiss, a moment in time. Color is emotion. A designer uses all of that when choosing a palette, but they also apply logic and science. And that’s the real compass.
Here’s how I like to explain it. Imagine I served you the most beautiful, perfectly cooked steak — a big prime cut. But I’ve dyed the meat green. You probably won’t eat it. Your brain won’t let you. Color carries meaning we don’t consciously control. The wrong color doesn’t just look bad; it feels wrong. And feelings drive decisions long before logic kicks in.
Studies show that nearly 90% of snap judgments about a product are based on color alone.
Let’s take a look at the heavy hitters. Coca-Cola: red. McDonald’s: yellow. Tiffany: blue. Oh wait — Tiffany is not blue. It’s Robin Egg Blue. That’s the difference, and it’s worth billions in brand recognition. Color precision is as important as the choice of color range.
A question many startups ask: can I just use my favorite color? You shouldn’t — unless your favorite color happens to align with your actual market strategy. People love saying, ‘I have an eye for color.’ Well, unless you’re colorblind, we all have an eye for color. The difference is that a professional designer looks past the surface and sees the deeper impact.
Your palette should be chosen based on what appeals to your target audience and what sets you apart from your competitors. Your brand isn’t a weekend DIY project. It’s a business tool. Treat it like one.
So how do you actually choose the right colors? You start inward. Who am I? What do I stand for? Who do I serve? What do I want people to feel? And then you look outward. You map what your competitors are using so you don’t blend into the crowd.
Some business owners treat color like decoration. Paint, lamps, some color in the waiting room — just make it pretty. Color is not decoration. For a potential customer, it’s a subconscious, split-second judgment. A first impression, often an emotional trigger.
And I know what you’re thinking: my customers aren’t thinking about all that psycho-babble when they visit my website. And you’re right, they’re not thinking about it. That’s exactly the point. It’s involuntary. It happens deep inside the amygdala. They can’t control it, but you can guide it. And when in doubt, hire someone who does it for a living.
Just a quick one — we spoke about the importance of a brand audit. So now I’m opening up a draw for a brand audit slot, live right here in a future episode of BRAND:NEW. It could be your business; it could be a friend that you refer. We’ll dissect it under the microscope: real brand, real audit, real results, right here on the show. And if you don’t want to wait for the draw, reach out anytime. Either way, the details are in the show notes.
One more question before we wrap today: My competitor uses a similar color — is that a problem? Yes and no. The answer is a bit more nuanced than people would expect.
Sharing a dominant color with a key competitor can absolutely cause confusion, especially for a newer brand without the recognition to stand apart on its own. If your palette looks too close to theirs, you could end up quietly marketing for them instead of for yourself.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Countless brands share the exact same base color, yet represent completely different things. Let’s take a look at a very popular color: blue. Ford, General Electric, Intel, Pfizer, Visa, Samsung. About 40% of the world’s largest companies use blue as their primary color. Yet nobody confuses a Visa card with a Samsung phone.
Take a closer look, though — blue isn’t blue. Ford’s blue isn’t Samsung’s blue. Ford is a deep Kumaro Blue — I have no idea how to pronounce that. General Electric is Tibet Blue. Intel is Ocean Boat Blue. Pfizer is Copper Sulfate Blue. Samsung is Egyptian Blue. Visa is St. Patrick’s Blue. Yeah, don’t ask.
Subtle variations — and crucially, how each brand actually uses that color — are what sets them apart. So if a competitor shares your color family, don’t panic. The real question is not whether you share a color; it’s whether a customer could mistake you for them at a glance. If the answer is yes, you’ve got work to do.
In our next episode, we dive even deeper into color: how many colors your brand actually needs, and what happens when color goes wrong.
That’s it for this episode of BRAND:NEW. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I don’t take your time for granted. If this helped you, share it with the business owner who needs it. And if you’ve got ten seconds, please leave a rating — it would really mean the world to me.
I’m Donovan. This has been BRAND:NEW. I’ll see you in the next episode.
How Do I Choose The Right Colors?
Say you’re heading down to the Cadillac dealership. You’re not going to buy that new Escalade in lime green. You’re not Busta Rhymes. I mean, you could, technically — the factory can spray any color imaginable. But Cadillac offers exactly seven colors for their Platinum Escalade. Seven primarily demure, deliberately restrained colors. Lime green is not one of them.
Because Cadillac understands something every brand should: color isn’t a personal preference; it’s a position. It’s a status.
So let’s start with the obvious question: Why does color even matter so much?
Why Color Matters More Than You Think
Color is a feeling. Color is a memory, a warm breeze, a kiss, a moment in time. Color is emotion. A designer uses all of that when choosing a palette, but they also apply logic and science. That’s the real compass.
Color isn’t a personal preference; it’s a position. It’s a status.
Color is a feeling. Color is a memory, a warm breeze, a kiss, a moment in time.
The Steak Test: Why Color Isn’t Just Aesthetic
Here’s how I like to explain it. Imagine I served you the most beautiful, perfectly cooked steak — a big prime cut. But I’d dyed the meat green. You probably wouldn’t eat it. Your brain won’t let you. Color carries meaning we don’t consciously control. The wrong color doesn’t just look bad; it feels wrong. And feelings drive decisions long before logic kicks in.
Studies show that nearly 90% of snap judgments about a product come from color alone.
Look at the heavy hitters.
Coca-Cola: red.
McDonald’s: yellow.
Tiffany: blue. Except Tiffany isn’t blue — it’s Robin Egg Blue.
That’s the difference, and that difference is worth billions in brand recognition. Color precision matters as much as the choice of color range.
The wrong color doesn’t just look bad; it feels wrong.
Nearly 90% of snap judgments about a product come from color alone.
CAN I JUST USE MY FAVORITE COLOR?
A question many business owners ask me: Can I just use my favorite color? You shouldn’t — unless your favorite color happens to align with your actual market strategy.
People love saying, “I have an eye for color.” Well, unless you’re colorblind, we all have an eye for color. The difference is a professional designer looks past the surface and sees the deeper impact.
Your palette needs to be chosen for what appeals to your target audience and what sets you apart from your competitors. Your brand isn’t a weekend DIY project. It’s a business tool. Treat it like one.
Your brand isn’t a weekend DIY project. It’s a business tool. Treat it like one.
Unless you’re colorblind, we all have an eye for color. The difference is a professional designer looks past the surface and sees the deeper impact.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR COLOR PALETTE
So how do you actually choose the right colors? You start inward:
Then you look outward and map what your competitors are using, so you don’t blend into the crowd.
Some business owners treat color like decoration — paint, lamps, a bit of color in the waiting room, just make it pretty. Color is not decoration.
For a potential customer, it’s a subconscious, split-second judgment. A first impression, often an emotional trigger.
And I know what you’re thinking: My customers aren’t thinking about all that psychology when they visit my website. You’re right, they’re not thinking about it. That’s exactly the point. It’s involuntary. It happens deep inside the amygdala. They can’t control it. But you can guide it. And when in doubt, hire someone who does it for a living.
Color is not decoration. For a potential customer, it’s a subconscious, split-second judgment.
It happens deep inside the amygdala. They can’t control it. But you can guide it.
What If My Competitor Uses The Same Color?
One more question worth answering: My competitor uses a similar color — is that a problem? Yes and no. Sharing a dominant color with a key competitor can absolutely cause confusion, especially for a newer brand without the recognition to stand apart on its own. If your palette looks too close to theirs, you could end up quietly marketing for them instead of for yourself.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Countless brands share the exact same base color yet represent completely different things. Take blue. Ford, General Electric, Intel, Pfizer, Visa, Samsung — about 40% of the world’s largest companies use blue as their primary color. Yet nobody confuses a Visa card with a Samsung phone.
Look closer, though, and blue isn’t blue. Ford uses a deep Kumaro Blue. General Electric uses Tibet Blue. Intel uses Ocean Boat Blue. Pfizer uses Copper Sulfate Blue. Samsung uses Egyptian Blue. Visa uses St. Patrick’s Blue. Subtle variations — and crucially, how each brand actually uses that color — are what set them apart.
So if a competitor shares your color family, don’t panic. The real question isn’t whether you share a color. It’s whether a customer could mistake you for them at a glance. If the answer is yes, you’ve got work to do.
The real question isn’t whether you share a color. It’s whether a customer could mistake you for them at a glance.
About 40% of the world’s largest companies use blue as their primary color. Yet nobody confuses a Visa card with a Samsung phone.
This article is a companion piece to Episode 15 of the BRAND:NEW podcast. You can listen to the full episode, including the audio version of this transcript, above.
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