Pick a suit. Any suit.

My younger son asked me if I’d help him get ready for prom. I, of course, said “sure!” With a teen, it’s not always clear what his expectations are. And whether I would come close to the unestablished standard.

I asked him what he’d like from me (see, I’ve learned from previous occurrences): I needed to hear the parameters. He said, “I need help finding some clothes to go with my dates dress”. He then established:

• I don’t want to look like everyone else
• I don’t want to rent; I want to buy
• I don’t want to match too closely to her
• It needs to look like “me”

I knew exactly what he meant. It’s what we produce daily for our clients.

• A unique color palette that differentiates them
• They know what they’d like; they just want some creativity
• It needs to look like their brand

We call this a Color Suit. Or a Color Suite. What’s the qualities of a great color suite?

1. Think like a man’s suit ensemble. The suit may be fairly neutral, but the shirt adds depth with the tie adding “pop”. Think 60%, 30%, 10%
2. Most brands need 2-3 colors. Primary (suit), Secondary (shirt), Tertiary (tie; optional)
3. The combination needs to feel unique
4. The colors have to coordinate together
5. It has to feel female or male; old or young, depending on the brand
6. The combination must feel like the overall brand personality

My son said I was successful making him feel good at the Prom. It’s almost like I do this for a living. I love what I do. As a branding guy… but as a Dad too!