Advanced Color Techniques (Part 1)

Color is a powerful design tool. We’ve explored color on this blog before, but there is so much more to color than we could cover in one post. So we’ve created a two-part follow-up to discuss advanced color techniques. In part one, we’ll explore how designers use color in editorial and web design and how you can use color to stand out—even in the busiest environments.

Color on the Page and Screen

Color helps establish the visual hierarchy of information on a page. Bold, highly-saturated, and dark colors add visual “weight” to a design, attracting the viewer’s eye like a magnet. Brightly colored text, or even white text against a bold background, adds emphasis to specific messages. Using contrasting or complementary colors make a design more dynamic.

Together, the strategic use of both color and white space (the lack of color) can influence the order in which a viewer will consume a piece of content. There are two standard “paths” our eyes take when consuming content on a page or screen: the “F” pattern and the “Z” pattern. Designers can choose to work with these natural reading patterns, or they can create an entirely different pattern through the strategic use of color.

Color in the Wild

Subways and trade shows are two chaotic environments. Yet in each place, there is a way to use color to capture and focus a viewer’s attention on a single message. Take the Montreal subway platform for example. Canadian agency created and installed a 185-foot promotional wrap over every wall of the subway platform to promote an event. The scale of this advertisement alone was eye-catching, but the use of high-contrast colors (black, red, and white) was what truly captivated subway passengers amid the bustle of daily commuting.

Trade shows are even more chaotic than subway platforms. At a trade show, everyone is competing for attention. Standing out in an environment like this can be counter-intuitive. Rather than adding a rainbow of saturated colors to your booth and materials, incorporate white space as a major element of your designs and use pops of color in very strategic places. This positions your booth as a place of visual respite from the colorful frenzy on the rest of the show floor.

The advanced use of color is a skill that gets better with experience. Thankfully, you can rely on the experience of the Diace Designs team for your most important projects. Let us know what sort of design challenge you’re facing, and we’ll show you how color can help you solve it.

Keep an eye out for Part 2 of our Advanced Color Techniques series.

About Kara Franco
Kara writes copy that speaks. She has a knack for creating clear, compelling messages without wasting words. She is passionate about digital marketing and believes that copy is the cornerstone of user experience.

Copywriter + Content Strategist
Kara@diacedesigns.com