a beach-house-inspired color palette
I will be the first to support a girl who loves blue and a boy who loves pink, but when I see this color palette (inspired by Paul Fuentes’ lovely work) it immediately reminds me of a boy’s nursery. Is that terrible?
My daughter Em has 2 sippy cups she uses for milk: one pink, one blue. In order to give her some sense of “control” over her life, we always ask her which one she wants to use. She ALWAYS picks blue, and that makes me sooo happy because I love that she favors blue over pink.
But why am I trying to fight color/gender stereotypes in my personal life when, professionally, I’m telling everyone that colors set very specific tones that we have to be careful about? In one scenario I’m saying be free, break all the rules! and in another I’m saying—insert nerd emoji here—rules are made to be followed.
Here’s my answer to that :: when it comes to your brand, it’s all about communicating a message as CLEARLY and as QUICKLY as possible. Billboards are not philosophical debates; they are messages, images, and ideas that need to be absorbed within seconds. The truth is, colors carry meaning whether we want them to or not. I may be proud my daughter doesn’t love pink [yet], but I guarantee that if you print your birth announcements on blue paper, everyone will assume you had a boy. ;) Choosing a color palette for your business is not about your personal preferences (or attempting to go against the grain); it’s about using color strategically (i.e., using those “annoying” rules to your advantage).
BURNT ORANGE #DD7649 / TANGELO #F4A24C / SAND #EBDECB
FADED AQUA #C1DBD0 / BEACHY BLUE-GRAY #95ACA4
WHAT ARE THESE COLOR CODES? The “hex codes” above are provided as a courtesy for those customizing website colors or looking for general color inspiration. They are not based on paint or Pantone chips. Remember that ink on paper will never look the same as light on a screen. If you like a combination you see, we recommend saving the image and heading to your local hardware store to find paint chips that match. Digital colors will change depending on your phone/tablet/computer screen, so be sure to color match with real swatches. Also, I make up all the color names.
Happy Friday!
