Expand your brand colour palette with tints and shades
So, you have already chosen a few colours that reflect your business, but sometimes they just do not feel flexible enough. You want your branding to work across multiple platforms, such as your website, social media, and packaging, but adding completely new colours can feel confusing and inconsistent.
That is where tints and shades come in. These simple techniques allow you to expand your brand palette without straying from your core colours.
In their simplest form:
A tint is a colour mixed with white, which makes it lighter.
A shade is a colour mixed with black, which makes it darker.
By using tints and shades, you can create a range of variations from your existing brand colours. This allows your brand to feel dynamic and versatile while maintaining consistency.
How to use tints and shades in your brand
Here is a simple method to instantly make your brand palette more versatile:
Start with your original colour. This is your base, the primary colour that represents your brand.
Create tints. Gradually mix white into your original colour in equal increments. For example, start at 100 per cent and work your way down until you reach a very light tint, around 10 per cent.
Create shades. Alternatively, mix black into your original colour in equal increments to generate darker versions.
These variations give you multiple options for backgrounds, typography, buttons, and other brand elements without introducing new colours that could confuse your audience.
Why this technique works
Using tints and shades keeps your brand cohesive while adding depth and flexibility. You can:
Highlight certain areas of your design with lighter tints
Draw attention to key elements using darker shades
Maintain a professional and consistent look across digital and print media
No special software needed
The best part is, you can achieve this with software you already have on your computer. Whether it is Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, or even basic design tools, generating tints and shades of your existing colours is quick and simple.
Voilà! a whole new brand palette
By following this technique, you have effectively created an extended palette using only your original brand colours. This makes your branding more versatile, professional, and ready to work across all your marketing materials.
Thanks for reading, if you found this blog useful please consider sharing ～ Mechele
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