I know I don’t really need to preach about how important colour is to designs, but I’m going to anyway. Colour is paramount. Colour creates specific moods, atmospheres, channels emotions and each shade has certain specific connotations associated with it. In short, colour can make or break your design.
Lets look at two branding examples. First up, we have a design by Smack Bang Designs for women’s skin rejuvenation service ‘Lite Luxe’. This design has opted for light, soft and pastel colours. Whites, light greys, soft blush tones and a copper/gold foiling, these chosen colours complement each other gently to create a calm, elegant and feminine design.
On the other hand, we have this branding for juice brand Frooti by Sagmeister & Walsh. Unlike the previous example which chose a palette that gently complemented itself, this branding has chosen a colour palette that sharply contrasts, creating a much more vibrant, energetic and playful design.
Colour isn’t a principle simply limited to branding elements though, colour expands into everything, even photographs. Filters and image adjustors have given us the unlimited ability to adjust our photographs’ colouring and tones.
Are you designing a sleek and sophisticated poster? Why not run a sharp, noir-inspired monochromatic filter over your image, like Canva’s ‘Street’ filter. Or perhaps you’re going for a whimsical look? Consider dropping the contrast on your image a little to mute your images’ colours a bit and make it softer and calmer.