Glossary · Visual identity
Color palette
In Spanish: Paleta de colores
A brand color palette is the small set of colors that identifies an organization, each recorded with exact codes for screens and for print, so the brand looks consistent on a website, a shirt and a sign.
What a brand color palette includes
Most palettes have three kinds of colors, each with a job.
- Main colors: one or two colors people should connect with you, usually the colors of your logo.
- Supporting colors: two or three colors for backgrounds, highlights and charts, chosen to work with the main ones.
- Neutrals: black, white and grays for text, lines and space.
Each color is written down with its codes: HEX and RGB for screens, CMYK for full-color printing and a Pantone (PMS) number for inks that must match exactly. Without those codes every vendor guesses, and your brand drifts a little with each order.
Why colors matter so much
Color is often the first thing people notice and one of the first things they remember. A consistent palette makes your truck, your booth and your website look like the same organization, and it helps people recognize your sign from across the street.
Colors also carry meaning, and that meaning changes between industries and cultures. Pick colors that suit your work and the people you serve, then test them with a few real customers before you commit. In California, where many organizations serve customers in English and in Spanish, ask people from both groups.
A color that glows on a screen can look duller on paper or fabric. Test your main colors on real materials before you order in quantity.
How to build a palette that works everywhere
- 01Start from your strategy. Decide how your brand should feel, for example calm, energetic or trustworthy, before you pick a single color.
- 02Keep it small. Every extra color is one more code each vendor has to match. A short palette is easier to keep consistent on paper, fabric and screens.
- 03Choose on paper. Look at your main color in a printed Pantone guide or on a printed sample before you look up its CMYK, RGB and HEX values.
- 04Check the contrast. Make sure text is easy to read on every color you put behind it. For websites, the WCAG accessibility guidelines set a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 for regular text.
- 05Write it all down. Record every code in your identity sheet or your brand guidelines, and send the same codes to every vendor.
Our guide to brand colors that print correctly goes deeper into printing, contrast and proofs. Every Essential Corporate Identity package includes a corporate color palette with exact RGB, CMYK, HEX and PMS values, for commercial printing and digital use.