brown is bold
You know I love to start January off with the Pantone® colour of the year, which this time is causing a bit of a stir in the creative community. The yearly Pantone® colours are supposed to reflect a global mood and attitude and many people have taken that to mean "blah." So for the first newsletter of 2025, I'd like to focus on Mocha Mousse and how we can incorporate it into photography and branding in a way that is distinctly not boring but instead alluring and inviting.
Is your mouth watering yet?
who is mocha mousse for?
If your company sells chocolate or coffee, this is your year to shine. Your product was made to fit right in to the mocha mousse colour palette which includes not only the star colour itself, but lighter shades of beige and rosy pink, as well as deep greens and rich mahogany. If your brand's identity is neutral, earthy tones, or if you're a purveyor of brown like cookies, foundation and other skincare, liquors, or spices, then mocha mousse is for you. But the colour is also about subverting the prevailing characteristics of browns as humble and down-to-earth to embrace something more luxurious and aspirational. To best tap in to this feeling, layer the mocha mousse palette with textures like silk and velvet and add some sparkle and shine with crystal and chrome.
“Mocha Mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence. Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, it extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe.”
Splash!
no more boring beige
I get it – you think beiges and browns and all those drab neutrals are boring as all heck. And they totally can be, but you need to know how to treat them appropriately in order to make them shine. Because the reality is that a lot of really exciting things we love are brown. Chocolate and coffee as I mentioned before, but also stews, soups, nut butters, smoothies, and a whole lot more delicious things. If you're a food brand, you likely sell a brown product and you might not know how to make it look appealing. That's where a professional photographer comes in and can bring value to your business. We are trained in colour theory and know how to layer textures and enhance tones by playing with light and shadow.
Red and pink freeze-dried fruits add pops of colour and break up the monotony of brown and beige, allowing the eye the flow throughout the image.
add movement & pops of colour
No one can call brown boring if you turn it into a fun stop-motion or GIF. I created stop-motion videos for literally all but one of my clients last year and this year my first two projects are 100% stop-motion. Everyone is jumping on board because it is must more cost effective to produce, plus it's attention-grabbing and garners more interaction on social media. But not too many creators out there are skilled at creating seamless animations. Hiring a photographer who is also an expert at stop-motion video can make your brand stand out. And to jazz your brown up even more, add a bright pop of colour to generate interest and draw the eye throughout the frame.
play with light and shadow
When working with a monochromatic colour palette or using colours such as mocha mousse, a way to make the colour stand is out by manipulating the light to create interesting highlights and intriguing shadows. A professional photographer will know how to use lighting techniques like backlighting or hard, high contrast light to bring out the best in your products. Brown can look flat and the way to avoid this is to skillfully master the lights.
High-contrast back lighting creates striking highlights and moody shadows to make an otherwise monochromatic image appear vibrant.
make brown fun again
Chances are, if you're a business in the food industry, you sell at least one brown product and have struggled to make it look good. Pantone® has declared 2025 the year of Mocha Mousse so now is the time for all your brown foods to shine. I can help create a colour palette that best complements your product and brings out all its best attributes. We can even have some fun with the lighting and create striking animations. Rest assured that I'll make your brand look anything but boring beige. Drop me a line below and let me know how I can help you incorporate Mocha Mousse into your branding this year.
