Colour Your Worlde

Smashing Magazine today posted the first in a 3 part series entitled 'Color Theory for Designers'. Part 1 concentrates on the meaning behind different color families. They dissect warm colors, cool colors, and neutrals with website design samples to support each color scheme. Check back for parts 2 & 3, where they discuss how hue, value, saturation, tone and shades affect the way color is perceived and how to create effective design color palettes.

Color in design is very subjective. What evokes one reaction in one person may evoke a very different reaction in some one else. Sometimes this is due to personal preference, and other times due to cultural background. Color theory is a science in itself. Studying how colors affect different people, either individually or as a group, is something some people build their careers on. And there’s a lot to it. Something as simple as changing the exact hue or saturation of a color can evoke a completely different feeling. Cultural differences mean that something that’s happy and uplifting in one country can be depressing in another.

We Make Money Not Art posted a book review of Chroma: Design, Architecture and Art in Color. The book by interior architect Barbara Glasner and Petra Schmidt explores the creative process behind color selection of artists and architects.

Publisher Birkhauser says: Designers and architects have to make decisions regarding color every day. But how does one find the necessary inspiration? The appropriate color? How do other designers and artists deal with the issue? With "Chroma," the Greek word for color, as its title, this illustrated book provides answers to these questions and makes it clear that color is much more than mere decoration - it is one of the central problems of creative work. In the process, "Chroma" embraces the sensuous experience of color, inspiring and seducing the reader with unusual projects, from industrial products to color field painting. The book presents works by younger designers like Stefan Diez and Arik Levy as well as famous artists like Ellsworth Kelly.

Can't get enough of color? Check out these sites

Color Contrast & Dimension in Design has an interactive presentation that explains color theory, and has examples of how it is used in design and paintings. It covers the power of color, the physiology of color, contrast, hue, and dimension.

Colour Lovers is a fun site where you can create your own color palette and pattern, share it with the Colour Lovers community, and even get rated. They track color trends and offer loads of inspiration.

This is a fun little chart that shows food in season by time of the year and color coded like a rainbow. Found [Via]

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The colors chosen for your logo can convey more than you may think. Certain colors have an instant recognition in people, and can even evoke an emotional response. Alina Wheeler author of Designing Brand Identity offers this advise "Color is used to evoke emotion, express personality, and stimulate brand association....The ultimate goal is to own a color, a color that facilitates recognition and builds brand equity." Think of the big brands that are immediately recognizable by their brand color. Coca Cola owns the color red, McDonald's golden arches, Home Depot hangs their tool belt off the color orange, UPS even replaced their company name with the logo color in their ad campaign 'What can brown do for you?'. The colors you choose do matter, because colors have meaning. There are many sources on the web that specialize in color theory, here are a few that are specific to logo color selection - A Guide to Choosing Colors for Your Brand & Brand Identity: The Importance of Color.

While your logo is the building block of your brand, your brand is not just your logo. Your brand is the culmination of the sum of things your business represents. Including your logo, your corporate colors, your office space, employees, company values and associations, your marketing material and much more.

Lets focus on marketing material. Vision dominates all other senses. People are 65% more likely to remember your brand if you show it to them visually than through any other method. A unified look to your logo and company colors that are used as building blocks in all of your marketing material can help identify you in a competitive market. The imagery used for your marketing is also key. If you are in the food business it is important that the food represented on your menu board, window graphics, and print ads look scrumptious and good enough to eat. It is worth it to hire a professional photographer that is experienced in composition, lighting, and product styling. Of course, accurate color representation in the printing of your marketing material and signage is critical.

Using creative promotional products can be like a silent salesperson for your business. Company refrigerator magnets, coasters, and bumper stickers are easily passed out, mailed and distributed. If you are throwing an event, hand out gifts that have your company logo on them. Adding a car magnet or vinyl logo to your vehicle is an affordable moving billboard that can reach thousands of people. The more areas you drive to around town, the more eyes that will see your message. Whatever you pick, all should bear your logo and contact information.

Remember your brand will develop over time as your company grows. A strong brand connects with your prospective clients and solidify relationships with your existing clients. The avenues you take to promote your company are integral with how your brand will ultimately be perceived.

Posted via email from Artisan Colour