How many colours should a brand have?

One primary, one accent and two or three neutrals is enough for most brands. Large companies add secondary palettes for sub-brands or product lines, as Microsoft does.

Can I change my brand colour later?

Yes, but recognition resets. Evolve a shade rather than switching hue unless the business itself has changed. A rebrand is the right moment for a real colour change.

Should my brand colour be different from competitors?

Usually. If every competitor is blue, owning a different colour makes you findable on a shelf or a results page. The exception is when the category colour carries trust you cannot afford to lose, such as blue in finance.

Brand Colours of 5 Famous Brands, and What They Teach You

What brand colour is for

Colour is the fastest signal a brand sends. It is seen before the logo is read and remembered after the tagline is forgotten. The job of a brand colour is to be consistent enough to own, distinct enough from competitors to stand out, and appropriate enough to the category that it does not fight expectations.

What this article covers.

Five brands, five choices

1. Apple: no colour at all

White, black, silver and space grey. Apple's colour strategy is restraint: the products carry the colour, the brand stays neutral. Lesson: absence of colour can be a position, if everything else is disciplined.

2. Google: primary colours, one rebel

Blue, red, yellow, blue, green, red. Playful primaries say approachable; the green L breaks the pattern to say Google does not follow rules. Lesson: a system with one deliberate exception is more memorable than a perfect one.

3. Coca-Cola: one red, everywhere

Coke red with white. A single colour applied without exception for over a century. Lesson: consistency over time is worth more than the exact shade.

4. Microsoft: four colours, four products

The four-square logo maps colours to product lines (blue Windows, green Xbox, orange Office, red PowerPoint). Lesson: colour can organise a portfolio, not only decorate a mark.

5. Amazon: black plus one accent

Black wordmark, orange smile-arrow. Orange is the action colour across the whole site; it means buy. Lesson: an accent reserved for action becomes a call to action by itself. GoDesign's own orange works the same way on this site.

How to choose your brand colours

01Audit the category. List competitors' colours. Owning a different one is easier than fighting for the same blue.
02Decide the feeling. Warm colours read energetic and friendly; cool ones read calm and trustworthy; neutrals read premium. Pick the one your customers need to feel.
03Choose one primary and one accent. Add two or three neutrals for text and backgrounds. More than that dilutes.
04Test on real surfaces. Website, sign, business card, phone screen, dark mode. Check contrast for accessibility.
05Write it down. Hex, RGB, CMYK and Pantone values, plus rules for use, in a brand guide.

Common questions

How many colours should a brand have?: One primary, one accent and two or three neutrals is enough for most brands. Large companies add secondary palettes for sub-brands or product lines, as Microsoft does.
Can I change my brand colour later?: Yes, but recognition resets. Evolve a shade rather than switching hue unless the business itself has changed. A rebrand is the right moment for a real colour change.
Should my brand colour be different from competitors?: Usually. If every competitor is blue, owning a different colour makes you findable on a shelf or a results page. The exception is when the category colour carries trust you cannot afford to lose, such as blue in finance.