How do you choose a colour palette for a new brand or project?

What the interviewer wants to hear

• Start from brand personality, audience and context
• Research competitors and cultural meanings
• Use colour harmonies with a dominant colour and accents
• Build tints, shades and neutrals for real use
• Check contrast, accessibility and print and screen versions

Model answer

I start from the brief: the brand personality, the audience and where the colours will be used. A calm financial service and a children's snack brand need very different energy. I look at competitors to find space to stand out, and I check cultural meanings in the target markets. Then I pick one dominant colour, one or two accents and a set of neutrals, often using harmonies like analogous or complementary as a starting point rather than a rule. I build tints and shades so the palette works for backgrounds, text and charts, not just the logo. Before finalising, I check contrast ratios for text combinations and test the colours in real mockups, both on screen and as CMYK or Pantone proofs, so the palette works in every medium.

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