Branding Inspiration from Nature - Spring Edition

Cherry Blossom Inspiration | Tulip Flower Inspiration

Estimated Read Time 2 Minutes

This week Spring has finally sprung!  The shift from winter jewel-tones and dark colors happens seemingly overnight with the first promise of warmer days.  This shift is also mirrored in the worlds of marketing, fashion, design, décor, and literally anything that has a major color component. 

Color combinations occurring in nature are a huge inspiration source for me in designing color palettes.  They are organically harmonious and reflect natural genius.  A good color palette isn’t just about finding colors that look nice together.  It should inspire an emotional response - a feeling or a vibe - in the viewer.  It communicates something about the brand or campaign it represents, and it is a way to remind viewers what a brand is all about – its focus, values, the feeling you get when you purchase from it or search its website.  Today I’d like to give you a behind the scenes look at two Spring inspired color palettes and how a scheme mirroring the colors found in nature can be developed into a beautiful brand expression.

Palette 1 – Cherry Blossoms and Blue Sky

One of my favorite spring displays of color in the Northeastern United States is the cherry blossoming.  The cherry trees in parks are loaded with delicate pastel pink flowers.  Although it sadly only lasts for about a week or two, the pale pink clouds of blossoms mean that Spring is unmistakably here.  There is a feeling of lightness, newness, and the delicate ephemerality of both the flowers and season.  For this palette, I’ll use the cherry blossom pink as the main color, with magenta as a strong accent and light sky blue as a contrasting color. 

What type of business would this palette be appropriate for?

Since pink is synonymous as a feminine color, the two shades of pink make this a great palette for businesses that have a feminine focus. The light pink and blue could also represent a child focused brand. Here I created a fictional couture company with this color palette and with a submark of the cherry blossom. Given that the name of the company is “Sakura”, which is also the Japanese name of the cherry tree, the color palette and submark tie together a mental association story for clients. I would imagine that with this name and branding, this particular company would specialize in fanciful, airy, floral, and Asian inspired luxury garments for women or girls.

Palette 2 – Colorful Spring Tulips

One of the most popular spring flowers is the tulip.  Growing up I almost didn’t like tulips because I felt like they were everywhere in the spring and almost too popular.  They have grown on me over the years though and I’ve come to appreciate especially the multi-color varieties that can add so much contrast and energy to the spring landscape.  For this palette, I’m going to pull a springy shade of medium pink, a sunny yellow, and a grassy medium green.  Spring shades generally lean more towards pastels and colors that suggest newness or a bit of uniqueness in shade.  I think these shades of pink and green reflect this and also work together perfectly.  The medium pink is not overwhelmingly feminine making this palette a little more flexible.  The yellow and green are not overly bright, keeping it refined and not tending too young or overly stimulating.

What type of business would this palette be appropriate for?

This palette is fresh and bright, but not overwhelmingly so.  It could work for many types of businesses, especially ones that have a focus on newness and new beginnings.  A few that come to mind quickly are home décor, apparel, children’s businesses, boutique outdoor-focused businesses, spa, and wellness.

For an example here, I created a fictional artisanal children’s accessory boutique.  The tulip is one of the first flowers of spring, so it’s a great name for a children’s company. The three colors are used in a tulip outline pattern on a white background to keep the clean, fresh feel.  The main colors here are the pink and green.  The yellow is used as an accent.  A lighter variation of the yellow is used in the main logo to create a sunny, positive feeling. 

What story is your branding telling your potential clients?  Get in touch today for a free consultation and see if we can work together to craft the perfect brand image and identity for your business. 

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