Colors & Branding - How Wheelie Can Help!

By Amanda Guy -- Our Designer

Color Theory from graf1x.com

If the image above stresses you out or gives you anxiety, you're not the only one! Chances are you are not a designer and you've started working with a creative agency to bring your visions to life.

You've decided to put your business plan into action. Congrats! Then your creative agency asks you the one question you really haven't thought about. They ask, "What colors do you have in mind, and what are you hoping your logo will convey?" You immediately think, "Um...I have no idea where to even begin."

There are so many colors out there, but it's nothing to panic about.

At Wheelie, most of our clients want some kind of input on the colors they want, but then again, some do not. Sometimes it's just easier to leave it up to the designers. In the end, you have to be in love with your brand and your brand's colors, so here is are a few ways that Wheelie can help you consider when it comes to color and the psychology of color.

Wheelie Fun Colors & Brand Development

Here at The WheelHouse, there is no shortage of branding going on. We always have at least one branding project we are working on at any given time. Branding is important to you and your emerging business, and we are here to make the process smooth and as fun as possible.

We prefer a collaborative process with our clients, so get ready to start making some decisions. We provide expertise, but you provide input, too. You not only have to weigh in on a logo, slogan, website goals, and write your business plan, but you also have to choose colors to represent your company.

Picking colors for your final branding package can be difficult and sometimes cause unnecessary stress. Luckily all of us here at Wheelie have expert-level knowledge of which colors go well together. We also can take your ideas, no matter how small or big, and put them into your branding project. If you're starting a guiding service, it can be as simple as, “Well I really like the reds from alpenglow  or the purples from hazy sunsets.” We can pull colors from photographs of sunsets or landscapes, minimal color pallets, and so much more. Through the process of elimination we'll guide you to discovering the most appropriate color or colors you want to represent your overall brand.

There are also other things to take into consideration. What is the tone of your business? Here's an extreme example, but if you’re running a mortuary, you probably don’t want your colors to be red, orange, or yellow. That’s the color of fire and that will misrepresent your brand right away, plus it might scare away your customers. This is where we can help with different suggestions. Maybe your favorite color is yellow and you absolutely want that included in your mortuary logo, okay no problem. Let's stay away from the other super warm colors and help you find some complimentary colors that will really help that golden yellow you love so much fit with an appropriate tone for the nature of your business.

There’s no way that everyone will understand the psychology of the color wheel and how colors pair well and how colors do not, but it’s something important to think about. Just to give you an idea of what the main colors on our color wheel actually mean, here is a list.

• Blue:  Peace, Trust, Tranquility
  
  
• Green: Nature, Greed, Soothing
  
  
• Yellow:  Caution, Happiness, Sunshine, Cowardice
  
  
• Orange: Energy, Warmth, Fire
  
  
• Red: Power, Passion, Violence
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• Purple: Royalty, Magic, Creativity

Confusing right? How can green represent greed but also be soothing? How can Yellow mean sunshine but also represent cowardice? Remember that scene in Back to the Future III when 'Mad Dog' Tannen calls Marty, Yella!? Marty doesn't like being called a coward.

​Anyway, back to color theory...

​Recently, we worked on a project for our friends over at Hellroaring CrossFit. We developed their branding and ultimately came up with colors that paired well together giving some contrast while also blending.

Here, you can see the evolution of the color options, what the logo could have been vs. what the final color choices are:

Just a little about the logo...
The H forms a dumbbell, the shape of the H also has almost a rugged superhero and hellish feel to it, working quite well with the name, HELLROARING CROSSFIT. Usually after you're done with your WOD, you're feeling pretty good and then that hellish soreness sets in, so the shape and typography was set, but what colors did our friends Gabe & Sarah decide to go with? 

The final colors, warm gold and burnt orange, represent the brand very well. They show strength and energy, but they also give off a sense of softness with the complimentary earthy purple tone added to the final branding. While the purple may not be a primary color for the logo, it compliments the other colors and gives a little more variety for Gabe and Sarah in the long run. They ordered some awesome shirts and tank-tops in this vintage purple color, and the logo looks spectacular over top of it.

Looking at their brand now, I cannot imagine having the dark navy blue or that brighter purple grape color as part of the final brand package. (Thank you HELLROARING CROSSFIT for having us brand your gym. We are stoked to see your social posts and really enjoyed working out with you! )

Love your brand!

If you come to us with a branding project and have something particular in mind, we will do everything in our power to make it a reality. Sometimes it helps to see different color options to reaffirm the original choices you may have made. In the end, Wheelie wants you to walk away with a powerful brand and image for you business that you can be proud of. We are here for you.