Designing my brand’s color palette and business card was a rewarding experience that allowed me to define the essence of my brand visually. I wanted to create a timeless, elegant, and simple design that would leave a lasting impression. By sticking to neutral tones and focusing on clean typography, I was able to develop a color scheme and business card that truly reflect the identity of my brand. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the process, tools, and design choices I made, and I’ll also share some lessons learned along the way.

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Techniques and Tools

For both the brand color palette and business card, I used Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator allowed me to work with precise vector graphics for creating the logo and business card design. Through out the process I relied on color theory to ensure my colors were harmonious and aligned with my brand values.

For the typography, I chose a clean, minimalist sans-serif font to maintain a sense of sophistication. The typography had to be legible and match the overall mood of the brand—timeless yet modern.

Brand Color Palette:

I started by narrowing down my choices to neutral tones that convey elegance and timelessness. Initially, I thought about using black as my primary color, but I ultimately chose a dark espresso brown for a softer, more welcoming and warm feel. This dark color paired well with lighter tones and gave off a luxurious vibe.

For the background, I opted for a creamy beige. It offered a calm, neutral foundation that complemented the espresso brown without being overpowering. I also selected a soft and darker taupe for secondary accents to add depth to the palette.

To ensure my colors aligned with my brand identity, I tested how the color palette looked on various mockups—like digital screens and printed materials—to make sure they maintained their integrity across different mediums.

Business Card:

For the business card, I had a vision of keeping things simple and clean. I started by sketching my initial ideas by hand. Below is my hand-drawn sketch, which helped me visualize the layout before moving to digital design

I knew the front needed to be minimalist, so I decided to feature only the brand name, “Ataraxia,” in espresso brown on a creamy beige background. The simplicity of this layout gives the card an elegant, modern feel.

On the back of the card, I added essential details such as the phone number, email, website, and logo. These elements are arranged neatly and aligned, ensuring that the design remained clean and organized. I wanted the back to feel like a helpful extension of the brand, providing everything a customer might need to get in touch.

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Critique

Strengths:

The simplicity of the design works really well. The business card is visually appealing and communicates professionalism. The neutral colors I chose are both elegant and versatile, making the brand feel high-end.

Weaknesses:

One area for improvement could be adding a pop of gold to the front of the business card. While I love the creamy beige background and the espresso brown text it might be a little too simple. I feel like in a way the simplicity of the business card could take away from the luxuriousness of the brand.

Challenges:

The biggest challenge in the design process was narrowing down my color choices to just a few neutrals that felt cohesive yet dynamic. I spent a lot of time experimenting with different shades of brown, beige, and taupe to make sure they worked well together. Once I found the right palette, though, everything fell into place smoothly and it was easy to create my business card design.

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In conclusion, designing my brand’s color palette and business card was an enriching process that forced me to refine my brand’s identity through visual elements. I’m proud of the final result and the way it embodies the core values of my brand—timelessness, elegance, and simplicity. The journey was a reminder that sometimes the simplest designs are the most powerful.