One colour is enough
Most brands we inherit have nine colours and use none of them with conviction.
- Written by
- Lucía Ferrer
- Published
- Reading time
- 1 min read
Most identities we inherit come with a palette of nine colours, each with a tint scale and a rule about where it may appear. In practice, nobody remembers the rules and every page looks a little different.
We now start with one colour and a pair of neutrals. If the brand needs a second colour later, it can earn it.
Choosing it
We do not start from colour theory. We start from the places the brand will live: a shopfront in winter light, a phone screen at night, a paper bag, a delivery van. A colour that survives all of them is rare, and usually obvious once found.
For Ælen it was a burnt orange that held up on screen and on cheap uncoated paper. Everything else became black, white and one warm grey.
Using it
One colour means it has to be used with confidence. Large fields, not thin lines. Whole pages, not buttons. When it appears, it should feel like the brand has walked into the room.
