How To Incorporate Fall Colors into Your Branding
Fall has a special kind of magic. The air cools down, leaves turn golden, and everything feels a little more grounded. It’s also the perfect time to refresh your brand’s look. You don’t need a complete rebrand; just a few thoughtful tweaks can make your visuals feel warm and inviting, perfect for the season.
Whether you’re a designer helping a client with autumn campaigns or a small business owner updating your visuals, the goal is the same: bring in fall’s cozy vibe without losing your brand’s personality.
This guide will walk you through the process of doing so, including the trending colors for 2025, how to apply them to your logo, website, and marketing assets, and how to maintain a clear, balanced, and on-brand aesthetic.
If you’re designing something new with a logo maker or giving your current assets a little fall refresh, here’s how to do it the right way.
Let’s get started!
What Makes a Fall Color Palette?
Defining autumnal hues: warm, muted, earthy tones
When people think of fall, they think of warmth. Burnt orange leaves, brown boots, cozy sweaters, pumpkin tones. That same feeling translates beautifully into design.
A fall palette typically features earth tones such as brown, terracotta, olive, muted green, and burnt orange. They’re softer, deeper, and less saturated, giving a sense of calm and comfort.
The trick is balance. Too much warmth can feel heavy. Try pairing one rich tone (like amber or plum) with a few neutrals or soft contrasts to keep things clean and modern.
Trending fall 2025 colors and palettes
For 2025, fall color trends are getting deeper and moodier. These include colors like currant, amber, chocolate brown, plum, burnt wood, cranberry, rosewater, and blue haze.
These shades strike a nice balance between nostalgia and sophistication. Currant and plum feel romantic and timeless, while blue haze adds a cool, modern edge. Burnt wood and chocolate brown ground the palette, and rosewater or amber keeps it from feeling too dark.
You don’t have to use all of them. Just pick two or three that match your brand’s style. You want your brand to feel like fall, not look like a pile of leaves.
Color and emotional resonance in branding
Colors shape how people feel about your brand. Warm shades, such as red, orange, and yellow, create energy and optimism. Cool tones like blue and green bring calm and trust.
Fall colors often land in that sweet spot between warm and grounded. They show comfort, nostalgia, and connection. When used intentionally, they help your audience feel the season, not just see it.
How To Build a Fall Color Palette for Your Brand
Start from your core brand palette
Before you add new colors, start with what you already have. You don’t need to replace your color palette, just shift or extend it.
If your primary color is a bright blue, try toning it down to a muted blue haze. If your gray feels cold, swap it for a warm taupe. These subtle adjustments keep your brand recognizable but add a seasonal tone.
Choosing seasonal accent hues
Pick one or two fall accents to layer on top of your usual palette. These can appear in social media posts, email headers, packaging, or ads.
A few simple combos:
- Chocolate brown base with amber accents
- Beige base with cranberry overlay
- Olive base with a soft rosewater touch
That’s all it takes to make your brand feel in season without changing its core identity.
Tints, shades, and tones
Don’t forget! You can get multiple moods from one color by knowing its tints and shades. A tint (a lighter version) feels airy and modern, while a shade (a darker version) feels rich and cozy.
If a color feels too bold, tone it down with gray or lighten it slightly. For example, a whole cranberry might feel too strong for text, but a muted version can be perfect for backgrounds or buttons.
Neutral supports and grounding colors
Warm neutrals keep everything balanced. Taupe, beige, off-white, and deep gray work great with bolder fall tones. They give breathing space to your design and help maintain contrast.
A soft beige background with chocolate brown text looks seasonal yet still professional. When in doubt, use a neutral to calm things down.
Testing contrast, readability, and accessibility
Before finalizing your palette, test how it looks in real use. Make sure your text is easy to read and your colors meet accessibility standards (like WCAG contrast ratios).
Try your colors on both light and dark backgrounds, and test them on various devices, including phones and monitors. Good design is beautiful and readable.
Applying Fall Colors to Logos and Brand Assets
Logo variants: seasonal version, accent overlays
You don’t need a new logo, just a seasonal version. Small tweaks like swapping your accent color or adding a soft overlay can make it feel fresh for fall.
For example, if your regular logo is black or gray, you can add a warm amber tint or cranberry accent. It’s still your logo, just with a fall twist.
Use seasonal color in supporting assets
Go beyond your logo. Update your social media graphics, flyers, posters, packaging, or web banners to match your fall palette.
Autumn Customer Engagement by Design.com
Autumn Cleaning Services by BrandCrowd
Southern Autumn Sale by Design.com
Autumn Seasonal Sale by Brandcrowd
Let’s say you run a bakery. You could use chocolate brown for your backgrounds, amber for highlights, and cream for text to create contrast. It’ll look seasonal but still very “you.”
Gradient, overlay, and texture use
Textures and gradients can bring fall colors to life. Think leaf-inspired patterns, linen textures, or gradients that fade from cranberry to plum.
Keep it light. A soft grain or subtle gradient adds warmth without overwhelming your design.
Limit bold colors in your primary logo
Be careful with bold fall colors in your primary logo. If your brand is already colorful, adding more can get messy. Use stronger hues only in accents or supporting graphics unless your brand personality allows it.
For instance, a kids’ brand might lean into bright colors, but a minimalist brand should keep tones soft and muted.
Fall Color Use in UI & Web Design
Highlight buttons, call-to-actions, and hover states
You don’t have to redo your whole site. Try using fall accents for small but noticeable elements, such as buttons, CTAs, or hover effects.
A cranberry “Shop Now” button or an amber hover glow gives a cozy seasonal feel without breaking your layout.
Backgrounds and sections with warm hues
Add subtle warmth to backgrounds or section dividers. Light beige panels or muted orange cards work well.
If your website has a hero banner, a soft gradient or an overlay of autumn texture can do wonders, just make sure text remains readable.
Imagery and content that complements the fall palette
Your visuals should match your palette. Use images with warm lighting, soft shadows, wood tones, or cozy textures to create a welcoming atmosphere.
It’s about setting a consistent seasonal mood across your visuals.
Dark mode and seasonal themes
If you use dark mode designs, fall colors can look beautiful there, too. Deep plum, currant, or chocolate brown backgrounds feel rich and elegant.
Just tone down the saturation so they don’t look muddy. A muted amber or rosewater accent pops nicely against dark surfaces.
Use Cases of Fall Colors
Here are a few ways brands could pull this off:
For a local café
Most cafes already favor a soft beige and olive color palette. For fall, try adding cranberry accents and warm taupe menus. The new colors make the café feel cozy and festive without feeling fake or overdone.
Check out some examples of cafe logos below:
Coffee Bean Cafe by Design.com
Coffee Cup Cafe Drink by BrandCrowd
Hot Brewed Coffee Cafe by BrandCrowd
For a tech startup
Brand colors for tech companies typically use cool blues and whites. For fall, try introducing subtle amber gradients on the homepage and replace some buttons with muted blue haze. It feels warm but still modern and clean.
Here’s what a tech startup logo using fall colors would look like:
Tech Startup Venture by BrandCrowd
Creative Square Startup by Design.com
Tech Startup P & C by BrandCrowd
Lightbulb Media Startup by Design.com
Pyramid Agency Startups by BrandCrowd
For a growing beauty brand
Give your packaging a seasonal refresh in chocolate brown with rosewater typography. It’ll give off a luxurious and comforting vibe, perfect for fall gift sets.
Feel free to get inspiration from the beauty logos below:
Fashion Beauty Makeup by Design.com
Woman Beauty Salon by BrandCrowd
Woman Beauty Salon by Design.com
Woman Makeup Beauty by Design.com
See the pattern? You can bring in fall vibes with small, thoughtful changes that still look like your brand.
Conclusion
Fall is all about warmth, comfort, and subtle change, and your brand can reflect that, too. You don’t need a full redesign. Just add seasonal touches that match your current look.
If you’re working with a website builder, updating a few colors and accents can instantly make your site feel current. The goal is to look refreshed, not reinvented.
Try building a few mockups with your fall palette and see what fits. Keep what feels authentic, test for readability, and enjoy the process. A little color shift can go a long way in keeping your brand fresh, emotional, and relevant all season long.
If you’re ready to experiment, you can use BrandCrowd to test fall-inspired logo and color combinations in minutes. It’s an easy way to see how seasonal tones look across your designs before you roll them out everywhere. Play around, save your favorites, and give your brand that cozy autumn update.
Read more about seasonal branding:
- How To Plan a Seasonal Branding Strategy for Your Business
- How Color Palette Choices Influence E-commerce Sales
- 42 Festive Logos To Sleigh Your Holiday Campaigns
FAQs on Fall Color Palettes
What are the colors of fall?
Fall colors draw inspiration from the natural transformation of the season, capturing the essence of changing leaves, harvest time, and cooler weather. These include warm, earthy tones like brown, amber, plum, cranberry, and burnt orange.
What colors are trending for fall 2025?
The fall 2025 color trends reflect a sophisticated evolution of traditional autumn hues, blending classic warmth with unexpected modern touches. These are currant, amber, chocolate brown, plum, burnt wood, cranberry, rosewater, and blue haze.
What fall colors go together?
Creating harmonious fall color combinations involves understanding the interplay between warm and cool tones, as well as light and dark values. Mix warm and cool tones, such as amber and blue haze, or opt for cozy contrasts, like chocolate brown and beige.
What is a seasonal color palette?
It’s a set of temporary colors added to your primary palette to match a specific time of year or event, such as fall or Halloween campaigns or Thanksgiving promotions.
Shayne Jain is a content writer with 7 years of experience specializing in creating engaging and impactful content. Her passion for writing began at age 8, when she started crafting short stories and songs. You can find her kicking balls on the football field or immersed in a good video game when she’s not writing.
Original Artwork by Khim John Blazo
