Branding Tip #04 2 min read · Implement in 20 minutes

The colour you chose is doing more than you think.

The Tip
Your brand colour is a first word. Make sure it's saying the right thing.

Colour increases brand recognition by up to 80%. That number should stop you cold. Because most businesses pick their brand colour based on what looks nice, what their designer suggested, or what their competitor isn't using.

None of those are bad reasons. But they're not enough.

Colour communicates before your brain has had time to process a single word. It triggers emotion, memory, association. Blue signals trust and calm. Red signals urgency, passion, energy. Green signals growth, health, permission. Yellow signals optimism and approachability — or cheapness, if you're not careful. Purple signals luxury and creativity.

But here's what most people miss: it's not just about the colour, it's about the shade and how you use it.

A deep navy and a bright cornflower blue are both "blue" — but they say completely different things. Tiffany blue is a specific hex code that means one very specific thing. Louboutin red is a specific shade that's legally protected. These brands didn't just pick a nice colour — they chose one strategically and then owned it completely.

And owning it means using it consistently, across every touchpoint, without exception, forever.

Our periwinkle at MiM is #8F99FB. It's a deliberate choice: the softness of blue (trust, calm) combined with the energy of violet (creativity, vision). It's not an accident. Every time you see it, that feeling is being reinforced.

Do this today
Look up the hex code of your brand colour. Then Google '[your colour] colour psychology.' Does what you read match the feeling you want to create? If not — that's a conversation worth having. If yes — are you using that exact colour consistently, everywhere, without exception?
The Compound Effect
Once you've locked your colour down, audit 10 touchpoints. Website, social headers, email signature, packaging, invoices. Consistency of colour alone is a measurable brand improvement. 3 tips a week = 12 improvements a month.

Want this done for you?

MiM Creative helps small brands build identities that actually matter — strategy, design, and creative direction built around your business. No templates. No junior teams. Just real work.

Work with Christina →