Color may be one of the most very important parts of designs. 

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It could be said that color can make or break the design.  Using too much color can cause the design to look cluttered and hard to read.  Having a determined color pallet will help keep your design unified.  You can create a punch with color by also using tints and shades of your color pallet.  Additionally, color is important because it can create a specific feel to your design.  It is also important to think about color with the audience you are communicating with.  For example, if you use the color red in your designs, what red might symbolize here in America: love, anger, passion, may not be visualized the same way in another country.  Your audience and communication play an important part to color. ("Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color”)

Color Theory is an integral part of designs.  Colors are used to spur the look and feel of designs and the message that they are trying to communicate to the viewer.  The differentiations of warm and cool colors are a good way to start to plan out the color usage of your designs.  Deciding what message you want to communicate will ultimately decide the color pallet you should incorporate into your design work. 

Warm colors are said to be more colors of passion, romance, and energy.  With color theory, it is important to understand that what colors you are use, does have an effect on your viewer.  With whatever message you are trying to communicate, you should try to incorporate your color pallet to enhance this message. An example would be a sale ad.  Many times, retailers use warm colors in sale ads to get attention, and invite people to their sale. Many commercials we see on television use this.  Warm colors pack a bold punch that can be seen from a far distance away.  That is why many ads and marketing campaigns cater to a warm color pallet.   Warm colors are a great attention getting color pallet to use to draw attention to the important message that you are trying to communicate too. ("Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color”)

Red is a color that a lot of people associate with anger, passion, love, or it can even be related to awareness.  Red is one of our primary colors.  It can be used to highlight or communicate a bold message.  If you are looking to raise awareness for a cause, using the color red or a tint and or shade may be a good way to communicate that the message as important.  In my personal experience, using red has to be done in a very specific way.  Using too much red, or the wrong shade of red has either benefited the design, or made the design fall apart completely.

Orange is a color that is usually used to represent happiness and positive energy.  Orange has been used a lot in health ads and grocery store campaigns.  Orange is a step down from red in terms of boldness.  If you want to get your audience’s attention, orange is a good way to start.  It will create a noninvasive way to grab attention without being over bearing. It can create a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

Yellow is also a warm color that can be used to not only energize a design, but draw attention to it in a positive way.  Yellow can be associated with many things like happiness, sun, energy, children, and hope. An example would be the ‘Livestrong’ campaign.  Yellow is used as a color of an awareness ribbon or bracelet.  Yellow is being communicated as a color with a message.  It is bright, positive, and full of hope.  Yellow is also a great color to add as a highlight or secondary color.  Small bits of this color can add a big punch to your design.

Moving on to our color theory of cool colors, include theories on green, blue, and purple.  Cool colors are usually less invasive in designs.  Usually associated with earth tones, cool colors can have a relaxing and calming feel to them.  They are perfect for conveying a message of peace.  If you notice, our colors of blue, purple, and green, blue is the only one of the three that is considered one of our primary colors.  Blue is often used a secondary color in designs for this reason.  It can enhance a subtle but bold part of your message.  You will see cool colors used a lot in office settings due to their relation with being considered calming and relaxing. ("Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color”)

Green is often a color people think of when it comes to money.  Green is used a lot in communication that has a relation to finances.  The color cues your brain to think of a specific thing.  Being that the color green is often associated with finances, it also brings on feelings of wealth and prosperity.  With my Graphic Design and marketing experience in the food industry, green is also used a lot in food ads.  Green makes your brain think of the food as being fresh, while brown on the other hand does not.  This is another example of how Graphic Design is a bridge to communication.  Green is also an earth tone, so it is often equated to nature as well.

Blue, our final primary color, has a lot of connotation to it.  Pending on how you use the color in your message, will determine how your brain views it.  Blue can be associated with sadness, or it can be used to show serenity and strength.  Your message entirely depends on the shade of blue that you use.  Blue is also depicted to describe religion and spirituality.  Blue is used often in homes in a bedroom to promote peace and tranquility.  Home décor uses the hue to soothe.  Using it in designs can have the same effect if used correctly.

Another color we will talk about in our color theory is the color purple.  Purple has a long standing reputation to promote a sense of royalty.  It has also been used to communicate creativity and also to luxury.  Many times, purple is used as a feminine color like in products that are marketed to the holiday ‘Mother’s Day’.

Neutrals are also an important part to color theory.  They can be used often times to promote earth tones and balance.  Neutrals are used in the home front as a basic color that just about anything will match.  The same applies to design.  They are not too overbearing, but they allow for the use of your color pallet to let the message speak for itself.  Depending on the colors you use as your main focus in your design can determine the feel of your design.

Gray is color that many people equate with professionalism and neutrality.  Gray is often used in color blocking to elusively break up the design without drawing too much attention to it.  It is a strong color that will not only enhance your design, but do it in a non-invasive way.  While black at times can be too heavy or overbearing, you may see gray used in place of it.  Typography is a big user of the color gray.  Many websites use gray because it is an easy color on the eyes without being too light.

Black is used in designs because of its symbolism with strength.  It can be over powering if used in the wrong way.  It is used a lot in typography also because it is easy to see.  Depending on how you use the color black will depend on its message.  In America, black is often viewed as a color of mourning or evil.  It also has a sophisticated connotation to it.  Many people equate black with elegance. It is also used to thin out designs in areas that may appear to be too bulky.  Modern design considers black to be edgy.  Black is used often in designs, because of its general ability to appear neutral.

White is a color that is used a lot in Modern design as well.  White gives a fresh clean appearance.  It matches with every color and can be used to liven up dark color schemes.  White is generally communicated as innocent or pure.  An example would be wedding invitations.  Many wedding invitations have white on them because of its elegance, purity, and innocence.  White is often times used as a background to designs.  Negative space and the color white are often used together.  Used correctly, this can enhance your design and pull it together. ("Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color”)

Browns and Beiges are our final neutral colors of study.  They are the colors most associated with nature.  Brown and Beige are usually considered warm colors but they work well in neutral design.  This is why they are commonly used in backgrounds.  They are non-invasive color that still gives a warm feel to the design.  It is also commonly used in typography because of the easy readability and strength it holds, much like gray.