Journal · 8 September 2026 · 4 min
How many colours does a brand need?
Usually fewer than you think. And almost always one more than planned, for backgrounds.
One colour people remember
Most brands you can spot from a distance rely on one strong colour. The others are there to support it. If you’re torn between two main colours, it’s often because neither is the right one.
The colours people forget
A light background that isn’t pure white, a grey for secondary text, a colour for error messages on the website. They aren’t brand colours, but if nobody chooses them, someone else will, and not necessarily well.
Check on paper
A green that looks deep on screen can come out flat on uncoated paper. We always ask for a print test on the actual paper before fixing the values. It takes two days and saves reprinting a thousand cards.