Website Design & Branding: Choosing the Right Color to Make Your Mark

At the beginning of this year, we finally did it – we made the trip to IKEA, prepared to get lost in its labyrinthine aisles, to invest in new book shelves. With three bookworms in this household, all with a passion for second-hand book shopping, it was long overdue. Our existing library was already drooping with the weight of double-rows and, as an added extra, another bookcase would double as a dividing wall between our living and dining room. Perfect!

We spent an afternoon following (and, naturally, arguing over) the instructions, and another full day arranging all our books – some shelves by genre others in complete disarray. I even tried creating one of those perfectly color coordinated rainbow shelves I’d seen online, but the only way to accomplish that would have been to mix different sizes in one line. Luis and I agreed that this was a source of stress we did not want to invite into our dining/reading room.

While spending time looking at the book covers, their designs and, specifically, their color palettes, we came to another realization – one that filled me with joy and motivation, and launched Luis into feelings of absolute dread. Now that we had added these new, white and shiny book cases to our dining room, they highlighted just how old and dull the surrounding walls looked. Years of our dog shimmying his body against them in fits of itchiness, and our toddler believing herself to be the new Banksy, had left their mark.

So, there was only one thing left to do: start looking at color palettes and get to painting!

Choosing the Right Color Palette – An Expression of Who You Are & What You Do

You might be wondering why I’m sharing the story of our dining room makeover with you – how does that have anything to do with your website, your company, your branding?! Well, let me tell you: it has everything to do with it! There are so many similarities between choosing the right color for your living, sleeping or even bathroom walls and choosing the right main and accent colors for your website. And it’s not as easy as you might think.

Our dining area is the first room you enter when you come into our home. It’s the first impression you are going to get. If we were to opt for a dark blue feature wall with minimalist décor touches, it would paint a picture that does not compute with the energy of our household. It would suggest a sense of calm and sophistication and, as much as we like to fantasize sometimes, those characteristics do not really describe our family.

Our vibe is warm and cozy, with a touch of everyday family chaos. The colors we finally landed on exude just that: a warm (not sad!) beige for the walls, a few subtle pops of burgundy red and dark wooden picture frames et voila – people enter our house with a good sense of what to expect: the homeliness that springs from our family’s unique eclecticism.

Now, this is exactly what you want from your – conveniently titled – homepage design and beyond. For people to land upon your business space and know: this is what this organization is about. This is the message they are sending.

We See Your True Colors: Examples of Businesses & Organizations that Are Doing it Right

Whether you’re offering a direct service or are selling products online, potential customers want full transparency – i.e. your true colors. Of course, you’ll be doing most of this with the messaging and content across your website, but you will also achieve a lot of this through your branding. Your color and font choices, your design choices, iconography and your logo, are all elements that need to work together to paint a clear and truthful picture of your business.

Let’s take a look at Deep Roots Milling, for example. This is one of the most popular websites in our portfolio and – without tooting our own horn here – for good reason. The design immediately informs what this business is all about, it’s as simple as that. Operating from a historic mill built in the 1790s, this is a small mill-to-order business that still follows traditional milling methods with a focus on regionality. The website’s color scheme – comprised of different shades of brown, beige and black – evoke this dedication to the artisanal ways of the past, family tradition, a passion for the craft and a deeply rooted (pun thoroughly intended) sense of loyalty towards both the customer and the environment.

Another one of our personal favorites, is Imaging the World – a non-profit organization doing incredible work by offering ultrasound and imaging services in underserved communities across Uganda, Malawi and Kenya. We cannot state enough, how incredibly honored we are to help organizations like this bring their message out into the (online) world. As designers and branding experts, it excites us to hone in on what represents an organization and its services. In the case of Imaging the World: sustainable and scalable diagnostic imaging solutions prioritizing maternal and child health.  

The main color scheme we decided on for Imaging the World is within the blue family – these include a deep ocean blue, opaque teal and a medium-light shade of cyan blue. This combination offers a beautiful contrast that helps to highlight the different sections of the homepage and interior pages. Blue is a popular color used within the medical field as it expresses its most important values: the conveyance of trust, compassion and professionalism. Along with subtle touches of a deep orange used mainly for infographics and background texture, this palette really brings this website and the organization’s message to life. Add to that the chosen shapes – the circular logo evoking the frequency waves of an ultrasound and the irregular blurb shapes used for the infographics, and it all ties in to relay a story at first glance.

Through years of experience in branding and website building, as well as a close working relationship with our clients, we have learned what it takes to hone in on what makes a business unique – through visuals, wording and design. We take great pride in the fact that this is perceptible in our work and approach each new project with enthusiasm and precision. Are you ready to pitch us yours?

Hand Over the Pantone Swatch & Let Us Do the Work

Yes, of course, it can be super fun to flip through the pantone swatch and marvel over all the different ways you could use a color palette – or more – and why. After all, it’s your brand and your vision, so you’ll have a good idea as to what could work for your business or organization. But – and this is a big one – it can also be incredibly time consuming and not quite as straight-forward as you might think. An aesthetic that might feel right in theory, can be totally off in practice, and this is exactly what we want to help you avoid. Before you start printing out your stationery and slapping your Canva logo onto tote bags – let us take a look. Let’s have a chat, let’s take it slow. We’ll land on something you – and your clients – will love. Promise.