Your logo is only the start of how your business looks. Every post, invoice, signboard and web page also needs colours and fonts, and when those change from one place to the next, even a good logo stops looking like it belongs to one business. This guide shows how to choose brand colours and fonts that match your logo, stay readable, and are easy to use consistently. If you’re still designing the logo itself, begin with our guide on how to make a logo.
Start From Your Logo, Not From a Trend
Your logo has already made the biggest decision for you. Pull your main colours from it, and pick fonts that suit its shape: a clean, geometric logo pairs naturally with a clean, simple font, while a logo with a handwritten feel can handle a friendlier one. Colours also tend to carry different associations in different industries and cultures, so treat any “colour meaning” chart as a hint rather than a rule. As we noted in our guide to choosing a brand name and logo, choosing a colour that contradicts your industry’s expectations needs a deliberate reason.
How to Pick Brand Colours and Fonts: 6 Simple Rules
1. Keep the palette small
Use one main colour, one or two supporting colours, and neutrals such as white, off-white, dark grey or black. Three or four colours in total is plenty for most small businesses. More than that makes it hard to stay consistent.
2. Check contrast before you fall in love
Readable text matters more than a fashionable palette. The W3C’s accessibility guidelines ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between normal text and its background, and 3:1 for large text, which they define as 18 point or 14 point bold. You can test any pair of colours with a free contrast checker. The guidelines exempt text inside a logo itself, but your website text, buttons and social graphics are not exempt. Read the W3C contrast guidance for the details.
Here’s an example. Suppose your logo is a warm yellow. Yellow text on white is hard to read, so use the yellow for buttons and highlights and a dark neutral for your actual text.
3. Test on screen and on paper
Colours often look different on a phone screen and in print. Before ordering visiting cards or a signboard, print a small sample of your palette and look at it in daylight.
4. Choose two fonts at most
One font for headings and one for body text is enough. Pick a body font that is easy to read at small sizes, and keep decorative fonts for short headings only. Avoid fonts that look similar but not identical, since the pairing then looks like a mistake.
5. Use fonts you’re allowed to use
Many fonts on download sites are free for personal use only, and using them for a business can cause trouble. Google’s own FAQ states that all Google Fonts are open source, free to use, and can be used commercially, including in logos, print, websites and apps. Browse them through Google Fonts and download from the official source.
6. Write it down on one page
A simple one-page style guide saves endless arguments later. Include your colour codes (hex values), font names, where each colour and font is used, and a note on minimum logo size. Share it with anyone who designs for you, from a freelancer to the printer.
Common Mistakes
Using five colours because each one looked nice, setting body text in light grey on white, and using a different font on every platform are the usual problems. They sit alongside the other logo mistakes that make small businesses look unprofessional. Fix them once, in your style guide, and you won’t need to think about them again.
Quick Questions
How many brand colours and fonts do I need?
Three or four colors and two fonts are enough for most small businesses.
Do I have to pay for fonts?
No. Google Fonts offers a large free library that you can use commercially. Just check the licence on any font you download elsewhere.
Should I hire a designer for this?
If you want a complete system of logo, colours, fonts and usage rules, a designer can build it for you. Our guide to DIY logo vs hiring a designer helps you decide.
The Bottom Line
Good brand colours and fonts aren’t about finding the perfect shade. They’re about a small palette, readable contrast, fonts you’re allowed to use, and a one-page guide that keeps everything consistent. Do those four things and your logo will look like it belongs everywhere it appears. If you’d like help building the whole system, see our branding services.
Next step: Your brand is ready. Next, choose a domain name for your business
