What’s your favorite Color?

My previous blog was all about typography, but now, it’s time for my absolute favorite design element: color! Color is what initially got me into art, design, crafts, and pretty much anything visual. Ever since I can remember, I have been in love with color, and it seems that color plays a part in many parts of my life, whether it be organizational, personal, or consumer-related decisions.

The Power of Color

Color impacts our lives in numerous ways, many of which go unnoticed. Color can affect mood, evoke emotions, set feelings or tones, and add dimension and hierarchy to designs. Humans are hardwired to respond to color. That’s why logo design is so crucial for companies and businesses. Did you know what many fast-food companies incorporate red in their logo because when humans see the color red, they are scientifically more likely to get hungry? This is because we naturally associate red with the color of meat, which was how the earliest humans survived in the beginning of civilization. It’s in our DNA. Glance at the chart below and notice how color is used in these famous logos to evoke some sort of emotion, feeling, or brand association.

Color 101

Let’s begin with a quick introduction to color and some terms!

• Color Wheel

  • A visual organization of color hues around a circle, and it demonstrates the relationship between different colors

• Color Scheme

  • The choice of colors used in different artistic and design contexts

  • There are six foundational types of color schemes that are meant to demonstrate ways in which colors can look best: monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triad, split-complementary, and tetradic.

When choosing a color scheme based off of the six categories listed above, it is important to note that some colors can be chosen of different levels of saturation and brightness, which will typically make your color palette more cohesive. Here are the three dimensions to color:

• Hue

  • Another name for “color”

• Saturation

  • The intensity or dullness of a hue

• Brightness

  • Also called “value” - a measurement of how dark or light a color appears relative to black and white

Adobe’s Color Picker might be the best way to generate your own color schemes and palettes. You can not only start by picking your own colors, but you can also search trends and find color palettes based on entering a search word, such as “nature,” for some community-made themed palettes. Check it out here: www.color.adoble.com!

If you want to take a similar test to the one I provided in my “What the Font!” blog, check it out here! It’s a super fun exercise that will test your ability to match colors in a specific amount of time.

Color + Me

As mentioned before, I have always been attracted to and valued color throughout my life. I aspire to have a career in any field that will incorporate the use of color in some way, shape, or form. As a little girl, I would order design books that were literally just filled with different color swatches and color palettes. I loved how the combinations seemed almost endless. One of my favorite books about color, which is quite historically educational also, is Pantone’s The 20th Century in Color. Not only does this book create color schemes for defining moments in the 20th century, but it also provides some historical information regarding the design styles and cultural attitudes of the respective decades.

All of this talk about color, and you’re probably wondering what my favorite color is. I honestly don’t know how to answer that. Every time I try to single out a certain color to be my “favorite,” I end up wanting to pick a different one. I obviously gravitate toward a certain few, such as light blue, salmon pink, and mint green, but I still feel like I can't single any out. A better question for me would be, what’s your favorite color scheme… to find out, keep scrolling!

Color seems easy, but it is honestly one of the hardest elements of design. A small change in a color scheme for a project could change the message of the entire thing. I have been trying to develop a color scheme that speaks to my personality and brand for a while, but it has been a work in progress. Below, I have displayed what I am going with for now. The core values of these colors are spot on, but every now and then, I tweak the saturation or shade a tiny bit. However, as my life changes, my core color scheme will probably change, too. I always love hearing about other people’s favorite colors too! So, what’s your favorite color (or color scheme) and why? :)