Graphic Design Using Color

As you can tell from the article title this is all about color. Color is everywhere, and sends a message even if we do not realize it. While this message can vary from cultural flavour to know what colors say; in their corner of the universe, and even what color means for your target market. If you do not think that color speaks just complete this sentence, red means ---- and green means. Even your child knows that red means stop and green means go. If such simple ideas work for all of a given culture or market what could it mean to the graphic design of your website, brochure, or product if you know some of this information.

First let’s start with the basics. The color wheel. We have all seen it. The color wheel shows the basic colors, each wheel is different in how many shades of each color is displayed, but they are essentially the same. Color harmony means colors that go well together. These are the colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example the blue and green. As for the clothes these colors match each other. Instinctively, most of us know the colors that go together when we dress ourselves every morning. Color that complements, colors that set each other of. These are colors that are opposite on the color wheel. Such as blue and orange.

Color depth; colors can retire or jump forward. Remember that some colors seem to fall back such as blue, black, green and brown. Other colors seem to stand out as white, yellow, red and orange. So if you have a bright orange background it may seem to struggle with the text or images that you place on it. The orange seems to always go forward. Now you have the basics so let’s move on. Simply because the colors go together or complement each other does not mean necessarily that you want to use them in your project.

Now you have the basics so let's go further. Just because to colors go together or complement each other doesn't mean that yo necessarily want to use them on your project. I opened this article with the meaning of colors now here is an example, keep in mind this is one example from western culture.

Color Survey: what respondents said colors mean to them.

Happy = Yellow Inexpensive = Brown

Pure = White Powerful = Red (tomato)

Good Luck = green Dependable = Blue

Good tasting = Red (tomato) High Quality = Black

Dignity = Purple Nausea = Green

Technology = Silver Deity = White

Sexiness = Red (tomato) Bad Luck = Black

Mourning = Black Favorite color = Blue

Expensive = Gold Least favorite color = Orange

Thus, in designing your project, it is important to know what colors mean. You can now see why a black background of green type would be bad, beyond being nearly impossible to read if your audience thinks that black represents mourning and green makes them sick. There are exceptions to every rule, of course.

Then you should add some research on what colors mean to your target market. Attention to colors that probably annoy an older teens personality may be colors that appeal to an elderly person. Color can be one of the forgotten aspects of design.

Color may be one of the most overlooked aspects of design. Culture, the user, competitors, the situation — whether a color evokes a positive or negative emotion is as dependent on context as color in isolation. Color can be used to add spice to your website, relay the mood of a page, as well as to emphasize sections of a site. If you think about it, as soon as you look at a website, you can normally guess within seconds what that site is all about.

What does all this mean? Just that color is present in everything we do from deciding which clothes to wear to placing food on a plate, what we see affects how we react and how others react to us. Using this fact during web design gives us an edge over the competition!