Design Bend Daily
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Pick your brand colors with the help of AI-powered tools.
Pick your brand colors with the help of AI-powered tools.
Pick your brand colors with the help of
AI-powered tools.
Jan 30, 2024
There are some incredible AI-fueled color palette generators out there, that are extremely fun to use for any design projects.
However, finding the perfect colors for your brand is about more than just choosing aesthetically pleasing colors. It’s a journey of intentionally aligning with your brand’s essence and identity.
Whether it’s for a digital marketing campaign, web design, or social media content, take a moment to assess the core aspects of your brand. Consider it a date—get to know more about your brand’s unique personality.
Taking the time to intimately explore your brand is absolutely crucial, because anyone with a computer can grab a stunning color combination from a generator within seconds. What will set your brand’s content apart is not pretty colors, but a strong alignment to the fullness of your identity.
So, let’s go on that date I mentioned earlier.
Here are some questions that you might ask about your brand:
There are some incredible AI-fueled color palette generators out there, that are extremely fun to use.
However, finding the perfect colors for your brand is about more than just choosing aesthetically pleasing colors.
It’s a journey of intentionally aligning with your brand’s essence and identity.
Before you even start to browse colors, take a moment to assess the core aspects of your brand. Consider it a date—get to know more about your brand’s unique personality.
Taking the time to intimately explore your brand is absolutely crucial, because anyone with a computer can grab a stunning color combination from a generator within seconds.
What will set your brand apart is not pretty colors, but a strong alignment to the fullness of your identity.
So, let’s go on that date I mentioned earlier.
Here are some questions that you might ask about your brand:
Who is your primary audience? Who are you trying to reach?
How do you reach your audience? What are your marketing strategies? What kind of social content do you release?
How are you perceived? What emotions do you evoke in your audience?
What adjectives best describe your character and personality
Which styles do you naturally gravitate towards? What has your social media content, web design, and marketing looked like in the past?
What are your core values? How does that show up for your audience?
How do you differentiate from similar brands? What sets you apart from the competition?
Do you have any brand stories? How and why was this brand formed?
What is your brand’s team like? What are common qualities amongst the group?
Is there anything you want from your audience? Is there an action or change that you’re seeking?
What’s in store for the future? How will this brand grow?
As another fun exercise, try plotting your brand on this spectrum of personality traits:
As another fun exercise, try plotting your brand on this spectrum of personality traits:
Armed with a clear understanding of your brand's identity, you can now dive into the beautiful world of color.
Remember, if you get lost in the sauce, refer back to your notes from the previous exercises for guidance.
Armed with a clear understanding of your brand's identity, you can now dive into the beautiful world of color.
Remember, if you get lost in the sauce, refer back to your notes from the previous exercises for guidance.
Khroma
Khroma is an AI-powered tool that learns your preferences and generates color palettes tailored precisely to your tastes.
You will begin by selecting 50 of your favorite colors from the large variety displayed.
Behind the scenes, a neural network powered algorithm is analyzing your input and learning your specific style. It implements that data to cultivate an assortment of colors that you like.
You can then explore the generated colors, customize them further, and choose the combinations that best fit your brand identity.
Khroma is an AI-powered tool that learns your preferences and generates color palettes tailored precisely to your tastes.
You will begin by selecting 50 of your favorite colors from the large variety displayed.
Behind the scenes, a neural network powered algorithm is analyzing your input and learning your specific style. It implements that data to cultivate an assortment of colors that you like.
You can then explore the generated colors, customize them further, and choose the combinations that best fit your brand identity.
Adobe Color Wheel
Adobe Color Wheel is a dynamic tool that allows you to explore various color combinations with ease.
To begin, find the tab in the upper lefthand corner to explore color harmonies, including Analogous, Monochromatic, and Complementary.
You can also extract a theme from a photo by importing an image and customizing the palette selection based on mood, with focus points like Colorful, Bright, Muted, Deep, Dark, or None.
This is an especially great tool for those of you who use Adobe applications, as it integrates seamlessly with Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, Lightroom, Photoshop, Behance, and Stock.
Adobe Color Wheel is a dynamic tool that allows you to explore various color combinations with ease.
To begin, find the tab in the upper lefthand corner to explore color harmonies, including Analogous, Monochromatic, and Complementary.
You can also extract a theme from a photo by importing an image and customizing the palette selection based on mood, with focus points like Colorful, Bright, Muted, Deep, Dark, or None.
This is an especially great tool for those of you who use Adobe applications, as it integrates seamlessly with Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, Lightroom, Photoshop, Behance, and Stock.
Coolors
Coolors generates random color palettes in the blink of an eye. To find your favorite, lock in any colors you like, and then simply hit the space bar to swap out the rest.
Explore the wide range of shades available for each color, and adjust the entire palette’s hue, saturation, brightness and temperature.
Hit the sunglasses icon to see how people with different types of color blindness might see the palette.
There’s even a Palette Visualizer, so that you can quickly preview your colors on real designs!
Coolers also has a new Adobe extension for Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
Coolors generates random color palettes in the blink of an eye. To find your favorite, lock in any colors you like, and then simply hit the space bar to swap out the rest.
Explore the wide range of shades available for each color, and adjust the entire palette’s hue, saturation, brightness and temperature.
Hit the sunglasses icon to see how people with different types of color blindness might see the palette.
There’s even a Palette Visualizer, so that you can quickly preview your colors on real designs!
Coolers also has a new Adobe extension for Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
Bend-based brands to inspire your journey:
Ascend produces ceremonial grade mushroom-infused blends, right here in Bend, Oregon! Their soft color palette is made up of light, earthy tones that invoke a sense of peace and grounding.
If you're interested in similar designs, explore the world of Japandi.
Ascend produces ceremonial grade mushroom-infused blends, right here in Bend, Oregon! Their soft color palette is made up of light, earthy tones that invoke a sense of peace and grounding.
If you're interested in similar designs, explore the world of Japandi.
Axiology creates 100% plastic-free, vegan, cruelty-free beauty products.
Their primary colors revolve around a classic red, with softer pinks and a touch of purple. The branding evokes timeless, fun, feminine energy.
Axiology creates 100% plastic-free, vegan, cruelty-free beauty products.
Their primary colors revolve around a classic red, with softer pinks and a touch of purple. The branding evokes timeless, fun, feminine energy.
Freedom Feels provides communication services for trailblazers and changemakers.
Their signature yellow sparks uplifting, positive feelings - which aligns perfectly with their work of liberating support.
Freedom Feels provides communication services for trailblazers and changemakers.
Their signature yellow sparks uplifting, positive feelings - which aligns perfectly with their work of liberating support.
Some final tips:
Get feedback
After exploring these tools, courtesy of artificial intelligence, you probably have quite a few color options lined up.
I recommend narrowing it down to a few color combos, and asking friends for their thoughts. Find out what each color evokes for them, and assess which best aligns with the reaction your brand seeks.
After exploring these tools, courtesy of artificial intelligence, you probably have quite a few color options lined up.
I recommend narrowing it down to a few color combos, and asking friends for their thoughts. Find out what each color evokes for them, and assess which best aligns with the reaction your brand seeks.
Consider your environment
You might want to think about the environment around your brand.
For example, Design Bend exclusively serves Central Oregon. This led to the thought of incorporating earth tones, to channel Bend’s connection to nature. However, we concluded that our bright red more closely captures the spark of energy and innovation that we aspire to bring to Bend with our digital marketing and design work.
You might want to think about the environment around your brand.
For example, Design Bend exclusively serves Central Oregon. This led to the thought of incorporating earth tones, to channel Bend’s connection to nature. However, we concluded that our bright red more closely captures the spark of energy and innovation that we aspire to bring to Bend.
Leave room for flexibility
To use Design Bend as an example, again—we pair our primary red with a greyscale, leaving the option open for additional hues.
Being a creative company, we wouldn't limit ourselves to a strict color combination. Instead, we rely on brand recognition from our bold red, and give our team the freedom to use whatever other colors feel right.
To use Design Bend as an example, again—we pair our primary red with a greyscale, leaving the option open for additional hues.
Being a creative company, we wouldn't limit ourselves to a strict color combination. Instead, we rely on brand recognition from our bold red, and give our team the freedom to use whatever other colors feel right.
Once you’ve gone through this process, it’s time to make a decision.
With the amount of thought and intention you’ve put in by now, you can trust that your brand's color palette will tell a story that resonates with your audience.
Learn more about what our team of digital marketing experts can do for you.
Learn more about what our team of digital marketing experts can do for you.
Learn more about what our team of digital marketing experts can do for you.
Design Bend Daily