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My Notion includes images taken from the FigJam boards I have been using throughout my branding process.
If you would still like to see further details / better resolution , please view the FigJam board linked below.
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In second year of uni, we looked closely at colour psychology and how it is an important factor in the design of any product as certain colours convey certain emotions and feelings therefore impacting how it influences and motivates particular users.
When designing for children, one of my first presumptions was that everything must be bright, cold and exciting to retain their attention however after some initial research I found that this can actual create quite a harmful user experience as it prevents children's from being able to tell different elements apart and make it a lot harder to navigate the interface.
Using colour for feedback also plays a crucial role in children's understanding especially when determining what they are doing is right or wrong and using colour to provide this feedback. For example, children commonly learn that red signifies wrong or stop while green indicates correct or go. This colour psychology can be applied within a digital context to highlight a message confirming a correct answer and reinforcing positive feedback while red signifies wrong.
It is essential to maintain consistency as over time, consistent use of colour helps children form visual associations between success such as answering correctly and rewards like earning points. This means that pairing positive feedback with a colour such as red could create confusion by sending mixed signals.
After analysing colours and looking at other medicals apps, I started to create come colour palettes which reflect the Compass brand well. I created 5 different colour pallets that each had 4 colours to get some ideas of what primary and secondary colours I would like to use for my brand. From this I really liked the blue tones due to their trusty, secure and loyal feel alongside orange tones that provide confidence, warmth and bravery.
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After this and a review with Maira, I started looking at how I could expand my colour palette as 4 colours was simply not enough.
When I looked at other brand guidelines, I found that most modern brands follow a structured colour system, using a primary accent colour supported by secondary and tertiary colours across different contexts. This works really well because it makes marketing and interfaces feel cleaner and less overwhelming, which in turn reflects positively on the brand by conveying confidence and clarity.
My final colour palette still uses multiple blue tones as the primary and secondary colours but I also introduced orange and other tertiary colours into my palette to keep it fun and friendly feeling
For my final colour palette, I chose to use blue as the primary colour as is commonly associated with calmness, trust, and safety which are important qualities that are especially important in a hospital context where children may feel anxious or uncertain. Using multiple blue tones allowed me to create a soothing and consistent visual foundation for the app, helping it feel reliable and reassuring. To avoid the palette feeling too clinical or cold, I introduced orange and other tertiary colours to keep the experience fun, friendly and engaging for children. This balance helped maintain a calm emotional tone while still supporting a playful, child-centred narrative journey.