- Color is one of the most emotionally charged tools
that designers employ.
Everyone has a favorite color and a color he or she hates.
If you want to make someone defensive,
tell him or her, that her favorite color is ugly.
We've also been taught that there are clear rules
regarding color.
You need to know how and when to use primary, secondary,
and tertiary colors.
A color palette must have certain characteristics.
With these multiple issues, it's not surprising
that most designers state they feel uncomfortable
with color, but the secret information here
is that no color is wrong, no combination is ugly,
no palette is incorrect, the only mistake with color
is to use it with fear.
Color creates hierarchy for information,
directs the viewers eye, adds tone, and commands attention.
I used a broad color palette for the table of contents
in this book about color.
I ignored the standards of good taste
about adding too many colors on a page.
The section openers reference the contents page,
and each color, provided a selection of color palettes
that are contrary to traditional combinations.
On another book about color, I used color
as an effective way to create a sense of depth.
I used rows of similar colors, yellows, pinks, greens,
and so on, to create not just one target for the eye,
but 15 of them.
The pulsating effect is created with these similar colors
and varying sizes of circles.
A larger palette might also be the right tool
for complex information.
Multiple layers of dense content can be made clearer
using different colors for each kind of information.
Solid shapes behind text, alert the viewer
when the information has changed,
and colored bars help delineate different types of content,
such as subheads.
Color has specific associations in every culture.
In Western culture, white can be purity
and black can symbolize death.
Red reads as energetic and hot.
Blue is loyal and honest.
Turning these associations around,
stops the viewer and asks him or her
to understand why a target is not red, yellow, and black,
or why the American flag uses the colors
from the German flag.
When the viewer solves question,
he or she has a sense of delight and remembers the piece.
I'd love to say all photography I receive
for a project is top rate, and I never have a low res file,
but that's not life in the real world.
Color than, can be your best friend
to hide a bad photograph.
A solid overprint, creates a dramatic effect,
and disguise any of the originals flaws.
Simple color combinations are easy to control
and can be bold.
More complex color concepts take more time,
but can be compelling and engage the viewer.
The only error in working with color, as I mentioned before,
is to be timid.
Remember, as long as you work with intent,
there is no such thing as a bad color,
and don't tell someone you hate their favorite color.