Colour Theory

Colour Meaning

Black

When it comes to design, Germans love the nordic simplicity but are not there yet. Clean black designs or sleek black cars are admired by German trendsetters and are received well in all generations.


  • Type Design
  • Product Design
  • Company Branding
  • Presentations

Blue

There are some statistics saying, that blue is the Germans' favorite colour. You'll see it often in fashion or cars, flyers or company branding.


  • Company branding
  • Corporate design
  • Logos

Green

Germany has a lot of nature and is a very green county. A lot of outdoor brands pick up on that and create greenfashion pieces. Green is also a common colour for sustainable marketing tools in Germany. When used on food packaging, it conveys the impression of the product being organic.


  • Sustainable products
  • Outdoor content
  • Bio restaurants

Beige

Beige is not just the most common colour retired people wear in Germany but also a loved colour in branding and invitations. Germans love warm tones and elegant but minimal styles.


  • Invitations
  • CVs
  • Wedding designs

Red

Germans have a weird connection to red. They love it in cars or on their nails but you don't find it often in design elements. That can be related to the fact, that black on red reminds people of the Nazi branding.


  • Women's Day
  • Mother's Day
  • Valentine's Day

Yellow

Due to the high contrast to grey German streets, yellow is often used as a branding element on posters or stickers in Germany. It represents fun and joy but also news - the German post office is yellow too!


  • Birthdays
  • Celebrations
  • Joyful elements

Grey

Germany has a lot of grey architecture and Germans love a subtle, solid colour that does not pop. You see a lot of grey cars or coats on German streets.


  • Corporate branding
  • Funeral
  • CV

Pastel Green

In clothing or branding, Germans love pastel colours and accessories. They are often used by GenZ / GenY and define a lot of social media content in Germany.


  • Social Media Posts
  • Modern Branding
  • Business Cards

Orange

Orange is a common colour used in branding for startup companies, educational content or invitations to friends.


  • Modern companies
  • Children & Education
  • Invitations

Top Colour Groups

Natural Shades

  • Weddings
  • Invitations
  • Emotional Content with Pictures


Cool Shades

  • Company Brandings
  • CV
  • Presentations

Pastel Shades

  • Birthdays
  • Celebrations
  • Social Media

Be careful with these colours

Avoid using black and red combination. It's okay, if there are other colours involved but only black on red is a big reminder to the Nazi Design Style

which should be avoided at any time.


There is a very slim line between loving the country colours and reminding everyone of the German history. Be very careful when using these colours with the copy combination or the images used.

Products and prints with the German national colours are still often used by right wing politicians and their members which we should avoid. The only time Germans use their flag colours is when there's a big sports event such as FIFA World Cup.

Trending Design Colour Palettes

#E4E1E5

#EBCDCD

#F4ABB7

#DBB38D

#C78D68

Pastel Colours

#D01C1F

#F6D100

#FEC2C7

#3AA845

#C1DB3C

Bold & Joyful Colours

#C9B3F4

#E33543

#CD832F

#538CCC

#006E6D

Mid saturation

#DADBDC

#E1FF15

#C99FED

#DEBB9D

#FFB4FD

Neon Colours

Global Services

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These guides are made for our internal marketing teams to help with asset localisation that feel truly local.

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