Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 12-08-2008
Black. Without black there would be no need for any other color. Black is the backbone of all colors. What does that mean? Well, would anyone appreciate the vibrancy of red, the energy of yellow and the intensity of green, if it weren’t compared to the dark abyss of black? What’s more, any color combined with black suddently creates a piece that pops.
Black is a symbol of class, take black limousines, and black ties and tuxedos. Some gravitate so much to black that they make a whole brand on it, such as Johnny Cash, the "man in black". In clothing, black is slimming and flattering.
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 07-08-2008
More than eggplant. Purple is the color of royalty. Originally, purple was a rare dye that couldn’t be created easily. Thus the use on royal garments. Today this color symbolism is still in tact. Think about it. How often do you really see purple used for design? Give up? It’s actually the least commonly used color out there.
Found in nature in flowers and sunsets, purple is vibrant and vivacious. It will add a new life to any design. Use it carefully though, the most powerful colors must be used with caution. Mix it with yellow and you’ve got a dynamite duo that will bring you design success!
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 05-08-2008
Judging strictly from what I’ve seen, I’d venture to guess that blue was the most popular color out there. Working in ministry circles as I do, it seems that a majority of ministers want to go with blues to play it safe. And blue does just that. When in doubt, use blue. It’s easy on the eyes and appeals to both men and women.
Few colors are accompanied by as many adjectives as blue: Sky blue, turqouise blue, cobalt blue, bright blue, navy blue, bright blue, the list could go on forever. The bottom line is choosing "blue" still leaves you with tons of decisions. Whether we’re looking for the sea blue of the ocean, the sky blue behind the clouds or the bright blue eyes of a baby, blue is a color that is known to psychologically symbolize openness, intelligence and faith. It also is known to reduce appeitite. Think about it, the only naturally blue food is blueberries. Any wonder that blue colors don’t make you hungry? When was the last time you went into a successful restaurant that was mostly blue?
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 03-08-2008
Grass. Leaves. Weeds. Nature. It’s all aournd us. I’ve heard it was the new "black". It’s also the newest fad. Everyone’s going "green." While the definition of that statement should not have anything to do with the color, firms, companies and small businesses are making subtle and not-so-subtle shifts in their advertising.
Colors are quickly being replaced with shades of green. From the rich and elegant green of the branding for Rolex to the limes of communications companies such as Windstream, green can feel rich or conservative. Loved by environmentalists and revered by those who want to make political statements, the color has recently taken on a very volatile tone.
Green is also heavily associated with Christmas, which lends a positive connotation to the color. The versatility of the color amazes me. A light shade can be mixed with a little black and a little gray for an eyepopping combination. Take a dark shade and add some golds to add class to any design.
Complimentary: Red
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 02-08-2008
Nothing says happy like yellow. The color of sunshine, daisies, and even my first car! That brings up an interesting point in itself. When I turned 15, I of course was ready to start looking for wheels. Volkswagen had just released their new beetles. I wanted a yellow, but had to sell that choice to my parents. After some research, I found that Yellow cars were statistically proven to be safer and involved in less accidents than any other vehicle color. The reason? Yellow is hard to miss.
It’s also hard not to smile, when face to face with a yellow smiley face. Yellow brightens a room. It gets your energy pumping. Yellow turns lemons into lemonade and keeps the sun rising.
Complimentary: Purple
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 31-07-2008
More than a color to a TN Volunteer fan like myself, it’s important that I have an extra special post on the color! As a toddling TN fan, the color orange was pretty much instilled into me as the best color ever created!
Okay, okay. I’ll get back on topic. Though it is true that Orange remains my favorite color. Though a derivative of red, it’s not usually associated with anger and hostility, but rather promotes creativity, sunshine and health.
Orange is notably used in marketing campaigns for companies such as Cingular, and I chose to use the color for my design firm www.paige1media.com. Fun and vibrant, orange is also found in nature in tiger lillies and several citrus fruits.
Found in fall alongside the burgandy red, burnt orange is found in turning leaves, ripening pumpkins and sunsets.
Complimentary color: Blue
Posted by admin | Posted in Color | Posted on 11-07-2008
I picked up an interesting book that belonged to a colleague this week and it opened to a section on color. As a designer, color is obviously a subject that is constantly in the back of my mind, but I realized that it had been a while since I had really refreshed myself on the ends and outs of that aspect of the industry.
It’s imperative that as designers we stay immersed in information on such topics so that we don’t get stuck in a rut. Using the same colors and combinations over and over because they are comfortable or familiar. If I want my ideas to be fresh, I must keep coming up with fresh combinations and new ways to present them.
So, what colors are popular today anyway? Well, by merely walking down any aisle at Wal-Mart, Target or other superstore, you can see a vast array of colors. Interestingly enough, predominantly on the shelves you’ll see browns, lime greens, turquoise, pinks and creams. Why? Things have a way of repeating and currently "Old’ is "In". They call it retro. But it’s merely a color palette that was popular in the 70s.
It’s definitely a fun scheme to work with. I recently finished a T-shirt design for a client that targets youth using a similar color scheme. They loved it.
A little later we’ll look at the messages behind the color and what they tell your readers, customers or clients about your product.
