How to Choose Brand Colors That Attract Customers
Oct 30, 2025
Did you know that changing a single color in your marketing materials could increase your sales by 21%?
In fact, studies show that up to 90% of customers assess products and brand’s colors alone. Now, we live in an age where AI can select the perfect color for your brand. What exciting times we live in!
In 2025, you can subscribe to an AI color expert for just $5 a month. Thanks to AI, small business owners now have the tools to build color strategies that are as professional as global brands. And, considering that customers judge products by their color within seconds, we’re gonna need it in order to keep up.
Market Overview: The AI Color Industry Is Booming
Take a look at these numbers! In 2024, the global AI branding market was worth over $2 billion, and it's expected to reach $80 billion by 2034.
And here’s the most important statistic: 80% of surveyed designers using AI color-picking tools reported a significant reduction in design time, some even up to 50%.
Three Key Reasons Why AI Color Palette Tools Are Booming
1) Changing Consumer Behavior
Studies done on the psychology of color reveal some shocking facts: 90% of impulse purchases are based on product color, and the right color choices can increase brand recognition by 80%.
An experiment conducted by HubSpot demonstrated that simply changing a button on your website from green to red can boost conversion rates by 21%. Several companies, including Amazon, swear by the “Big Orange Button” theory, which states that as a rule of thumb, orange buttons are clicked on the most often because orange is associated with fun and excitement.
2) Widespread Access to Technology
In the past, optimally planning your brand’s colors required the help of professional designers or agencies costing thousands of dollars. Now, AI tools allow us to do the same thing in just minutes.
From free tools like Khroma and ColorMagic, to affordable paid options like Coolors Pro and Canva Pro, today there are more choices than ever.
3) Proven Results
This goes beyond guesswork. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), for every $1 invested in generative AI, $3.70 in ROI is generated. It was also reported that over 60% of small businesses that have started utilizing AI tools have experienced positive returns.
Did You Know?
There's a reason that colors are so important for branding.
The human brain forms a first impression of visual information in just 0.05 seconds, and color can determine up to 90% of their perception. So when customers look at your brand, they decide if they like it (or don’t!) in under a second.
Case Studies: The Real Power of Optimized Colors
Subtle Search Engine Changes
Google famously conducted A/B tests to determine which shade of blue (out of 41 shades total) was most likely to be clicked. They changed their link colors based on their findings, and it resulted in an increased $200 million in ad revenue that year! Bing, a search engine competing with Google, conducted color tests of their own and, by choosing their optimal shade of blue, generated an extra $80 million annually. Such a small change made a huge impact!
Apple’s Gradual Redesign
Apple’s logo has gone through many iterations over the years (you can learn more about that here), one of which was a major color change. The original version of the minimalist apple that we all recognize today was rainbow-striped. At the time, it represented the fact that Apple had the first computer that could display colors. This colorful version of their logo launched in 1977, but in 1998, the company decided to switch to plain black and white for a sleek, professional look. The company continued to use a monochrome color scheme for its logo, lending to the company’s reputation as a trustworthy, intelligent tech brand.
A Practical Guide for Small Business Owners
How to Get Started with A Zero-Dollar Budget
Get started right away with these free AI tools:
Khroma: This tool learns from 50 colors you select and generates personalized palettes based on them.
ColorMagic: This tool generates color palettes based on keywords, images, or text.
Tidy-B: Tidy-B offers a free trial of our log design tool, which generates a full branding kit, including specialized colors and fonts based on your business’s description! These assets are free to use, even without upgrading to a pro subscription.
A Professional Setup for Under $50 a Month
These paid tools offer some of the best value on the market for AI color-picking tools.
Coolors Pro ($5/month): A paid plan includes unlimited saves and the ability to export palettes to high-quality PDFs
Canva Pro ($15/month): This plan allows you to produce AI-powered color palettes. It also includes a tool called “Magic Switch,” which allows you to automatically apply color changes to your branded material.
Tidy-B ($10/month): Coming in under the cost of Canva Pro, Tidy-B offers more than just customized color palettes. It offers full automation for the entire branding process, from logo design to generating templates and marketing content. Consider subscribing to Tidy-B to get more bang for your buck.
Industry-Specific Color Strategies
If you’re in the food and beverage industry, you should aim to use warm colors, which have been proven to stimulate the appetite (such as red, orange, and yellow).
For businesses in the beauty and fashion industries, it’s recommended that you choose colors that match seasonal trends and use palettes that have been optimized for Instagram.
If you’re in the tech or IT industry, selling SaaS or B2B services, it’s best to use a blue tone as a base (these are associated with trustworthiness) and to pair it with innovative accent colors to stand out from the other tech brands on the market.
4-Week Action Plan
Week 1
Define between three and five of your core brand values. Then, analyze the colors being used by five of your competitors.
Week 2
Use AI tools to create 10 different palettes, and then apply the 60-30-10 color rule to them.
Week 3
Send out preference surveys and conduct A/B testing with your customer base to determine which colors are most successful
Week 4
Finalize your brand’s color documentation and apply those colors across all of your brand’s touchpoints (i.e., social media, physical signage, business cards, etc.).
Five Mistakes to Avoid
Prioritizing Personal Preference: 65% of business owners choose their brand’s colors based on personal taste. This is a big mistake. Read up on some cautionary tales about ignoring your customer needs in favor of your own wants.
Using Too Many Colors: Using more than five colors can dilute your brand’s recognizability.
Ignoring Industry Norms: Some standards exist for a reason! Shy away from using the color red for medical products, for example, or neon colors for luxury goods.
Using Inconsistent Colors Across Platforms: Be sure to always use the same color codes across all of your media, whether it be printed or digital.
Not Optimizing for Accessibility: Neglecting to consider color blindness when choosing your brand’s palette could lose you up to 8% of your potential customers. In addition, using color combinations that are too low-contrast risks alienating consumers with limited eyesight.
Make the Smart Choice with Tidy-B
Overwhelmed by all the work it takes to build a brand?
Tidy-B is a one-stop branding platform powered by AI. It handles every element of branding, from strategy and color selection, to logo design and generating marketing materials. Once you’ve answered a few simple questions, our AI will generate a custom palette and a full design guide that’s tailored to your brand.
What’s more, it even considers local consumer preferences and cultural factors, making it a perfect fit for small businesses. Give our free trial a shot, and if you’re satisfied, plans start at just $10 a month.
Experience a Magical Transformation in Your Brand
In 2025, taking advantage of AI tools to fuel your brand’s color strategy is no longer optional. Now, it’s essential. If just $10 a month can lead to a 21% increase in sales, then what’s stopping you?
However, finding the perfect tool isn’t what matters most for your brand’s success. It’s having the courage to get started. Whether you run a local café, an online store, or a solo business, you can now build a world-class color strategy by using AI.
The color palettes suggested by AI aren't just guesses. They’re determined scientifically, by analyzing millions of data points. So, give these revolutionary tools a try and watch your brand experience a magical transformation that will win over new and loyal customers' hearts.
