Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/734484
www.ascpskincare.com 59 toward a classic color such as navy. Are they stressed-out business professionals who would appreciate a palette of soothing, calming colors? Think soft blues or greens. When you know what matters to them, you can use that information to guide your brand color decisions. This is where you may have to take your opinion out of the mix, and focus on what will attract your customers. MAKE SOME DECISIONS To create a color palette, select a main shade and at least 2–3 complementary colors. These secondary hues will provide depth and diversity. For example, our spa's main color is turquoise, and we use navy and an array of taupes and grays ranging from light to medium. This variety gives us plenty of options to use when we design our locations, marketing materials, and signage. We created this palette so clients would feel like they are lounging by the ocean in pure relaxation and calm, while the beautiful sunshine is light and white when it's reflected off the water. Much of our furniture is shiny white combined with some sun-bleached wooden pieces. Do not ask for feedback from your cousin, neighbor, or hundreds of Facebook friends, unless they represent your target market. TAKE A TEST DRIVE Create a vision board that showcases your color palette. Cut and paste pictures you see in magazines that reflect the overall feel you envision. Use markers, crayons, paint samples, or anything you have to showcase your colors. Once you have selected your brand colors, the testing begins! Conduct a little survey to see if they really resonate with your best clients. Be sure to do this before you spend money and time creating your logo and other marketing materials; redoing a mistake like this wastes precious time and money. Do not ask for feedback from your cousin, neighbor, or hundreds of Facebook friends, unless they represent your target market. They will all have opinions, but unless they are your target market, their opinions don't really matter. Stay focused on your market. This process needs to give your brand a clear color identification that attracts the right customer base. Finding your unique color palette can be an exciting, yet daunting endeavor. Just keep asking questions and learn what inspires your target market. This research will not only enable you to have the perfect look and feel for your brand, it will also help you run your business in a way that is more aligned with your vision and what your customers want. This kind of focus is what leads to a strong and successful business.