Social Media Brand Assets by Colour

Successful brands are easily identified and most often defined by their colours. This is no accident. Colour is a very powerful tool to specify your company’s story, vision and brand.

We can all recognise the most obvious social media brand assets from companies such as Facebook and Twitter by the colour blue. Twitter uses a brighter shade of blue which most resembles the colour of the sky. Facebook uses a more dependable blue which conveys trust and loyalty. You can see why these colours have become an important part of the company’s brand assets. Facebook’s colour choice, in particular, demands an air of trust, especially since you are sharing your personal details over their platform. It is interesting to note that we tend to see the colour blue represented by a lot of tech companies. Facebook’s new corporate entity Meta has also adopted its Logo which represents infinity, in blue.

Twitter Logo - Brand Assets
Facebook Logo - Brand Assets

It is often said that colour carries meaning and messages without words. Branding is therefore carefully considered to harness this non-verbal language and its connections to our emotions.  It is also worth noting that our purchasing decisions are influenced by about 62‐90 per cent of colours alone.

Colour – A Global Language

Colour is a language and can be referenced in quite a few ways. For example CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key). RGB is another colour space which is made up of three primary colours, red, green and blue. You see this most often used in the display of images on televisions and computers.

Pantone is a colour referencing system that is recognised around the world. It is a global language for colour references and can produce specialised colours such as metallics and fluorescents. It is the most accurate in terms of colour reproduction and a very important system for every designer’s toolbox. Every year through careful analysis Pantone releases their Colour of the Year taking into consideration all aspects of society from fashion trends, marketing, social media and cultural events all around the globe. Pantone’s global authority on consumer and design trends is also reflected in web design and digital marketing. However, when representing colour on the web we use websafe colour profiles such as RGB and hex codes as they are more likely to display correctly on various devices.

Brand Style Guide

Your brand guidelines also called brand style guides will set out your brand colour options. It will contain the essential colour guides (along with typography and other important design elements) you will need such as Pantone or PMS reference, RGB, CMYK for print and Hex Codes for digital platforms. Brand guidelines are essentially an instruction manual or rule book on how to communicate your brand. They are designed to ensure a consistent look in all your communications. Effective brand guidelines are those that can be shared and understood easily by anyone involved in communicating your brand.

Colour Psychology – Tips for Colour Communication

There are lots of evidence-based studies that will explain how colour affects consumer perceptions.

Below is a keyword list of some popular colours and what they most commonly represent in terms of branding and marketing. Remember also that there are lots of external factors such as culture, gender and personal preferences that affect colour and meaning.

Colour and Meaning

White: Simplicity – Purity – Modern – Honest

Blue: Calming – Trust – Loyalty –  Dependable – Wisdom

Green: Life  – Renewal – Nature – Natural  – Eco – Money – Finances

Orange: Creative – Happy – Fairness – Affordability

Pink: Friendship – Affection – Sweet – Calming

Red: Energy – Danger – Desire – Love

Purple: Luxury – Royalty – Creativity – Mystery – Pride

Design is the silent ambassador of your brand – Paul Rand

Brand Assets: Do’s and Don’ts

Just to note, brand guidelines are more than just colour. They encompass a whole lot more including Typography and Font Guidelines, Logo and Visuals and also very importantly your Brand Story and Voice which has become much more multifaceted due to the volume of platforms that are available today.

It’s good to remember that your brand might not always be printed on a white background. It is best practice therefore to have alternative colour options referred to in your style guide. This is important because it helps your business communicate in a consistent way across all media.

Each platform has its own list of assets that you must comply with. This is especially so if you intend to use them on your website or mobile app. It is also important that you regularly check for updates as some of these brands are continuously growing and evolving.

For more in-depth brand guidelines you can click on the social links below. If you don’t see what you are looking for please leave your suggestions in the comments and I will add them to the list.

Tools and Resources for Great Colour Combo

Adobe Colour CC

If you need inspiration for great colour combinations check out Adobe Colour CC.

Adobe Colour Tools

Colour Code

Another of my favourite online tools for creating colour palettes is ColourCode.

Colour Tools - Colour Code

Colour Lovers

ColourLovers is a creative community that shares lots of colour ideas including patterns, and palettes along with the latest colour trends. It’s a great place to showcase your designs or get advice on your work. You can join the discussion about all things colour related and even set up your own groups.

Colour Lovers Design Inspiration
Does your brand have its own colour guidelines and assets? What do the colours say about your business? What in your opinion are the most successful branding colours used by social media platforms?
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