brand style guide and color symbolism

Gisel Martin l March 19, 2020 l Blog Post 8

What is a Brand Style Guide?

A brand style guide is the set of rules that a business follows when creating content. It details things like logos, brand colors, specific fonts, etc.

This is important because it tells everyone how to communicate the brand in a consistent way. It's also very useful when you need to hire a graphic designer to create digital or printed items. With a Brand Style Guide, your brand identity is clear.

Choose Colors That Fit Your Brand

According to Canva.com, "Color holds power... the power of color is both emotional and practical." It's important to know the symbolism of each color and symbol in your logo and brand because it will provoke a specific feeling in your consumers. You want to make sure that your brand, colors, and logo are all aligned. For example, if your brand is about being bold and adventurous you will want to stay away from a calming color.

Brand Color Meaning & Symbolism

Black- serious, sophisticated, elegant, luxurious, powerful, bold, night, death, mystery, aggression, rebellion

Dark Grey- conservative, dull, classic, responsible, somberness, authority

Light Grey- neutral, logical, practical, reserved, trust, rich

Blue- trustworthy, dignity, security, communicative, reliability, sadness, depression, nautical, wisdom, heaven

Light Blue- calming, patient, cool, trusting, water, contentment, tranquility

Teal- unique, sophisticated, expensive, self-awareness, spiritual, serene, clarity

Green- natural, health, fertility, prosperity, wealth, money, greed, ambition, jealousy

Light Green- vitality, soothing, refreshing, youthful

Yellow- friendly, optimistic, happy, cheer, sunshine, energetic, surprise, caution, cowardice

Orange- fun, fresh, creative, adventurous, spontaneous, speed, enthusiasm, success, encouragement

Amber/Gold- richness, wealth, confidence, earthiness, tradition, autumn, conservative, safety

Brown- wholesome, organic, earthy, natural, durable, honest, rustic, warm, simple, foundation, grounding

Dark Red- vigor, willpower, leadership, refined, expensive

Red- passion, love, strength, desire, sexy, bold, confidence, fire, blood, intensity, assertive, danger,

Hot Pink- playful, excitement, affection, flirtatious, energy, fun, youthfulness

Pink- feminine, sentimental, romantic, innocence, tenderness, sweet, compassion, overly emotional

Purple- royalty, spirituality, wealth, mysterious, sophistication, nobility, power, ambition, wisdom, pride, magic

Light Purple- romanic, sentimental, nostalgic, feminine, graceful, elegant

Ivory/Beige- classic, soft, comforting, pleasantness, relaxing, natural

White- purity, faith, refined, simplicity, innocence, individualism, honest, transparent

Metallic Silver- sleek, modern, glamorous, sophisticated, wealth and riches, moon energy

Metallic Gold- prestigious, valuable, wealth, extravagance, sparkle, wisdom, success, divinity

Next Blog Post

The next blog post will be about creating a profit and loss statement for your business. Do you you know your numbers? For every dollar that comes in, do you know how it's distributed?

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