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Lesson Info
Using Color as a Guide
Let's talk about how we can use color as a guide in our designs. So open up file here. In this brochure example that we have here, you can see that they do a lot with the rhythm and flow, and we'll talk about this a little bit later on when we talk about rhythm in another section of the graphic design course. But basically what I'm focusing on here is the color itself. So take a look at the gold colors that are going throughout this design, and they use this gold color as a way of navigating you through the entire piece. So when you see the gold color, you can easily follow that with your eyes to see exactly where you're going to go. In this case, it's almost like the yellow brick road, right. I'm sure everybody knows what that is, and they do that in stark contrast with the background, so the background is very dark. It's got very dark colors, like purple and blue and black and that kind of thing. They do not let the gold color bleed into many other elements inside of the brochure. Th...
ey keep it as a focal point and as a guide. And so that's something that you need to consider when you're working with color is using things like accents or imagery or icons, whatever it might be to direct someone on where to go. When you're talking about filling out a form online, for instance, have you ever done a Google form or even I'm just filling out a contact form on a website? Chances are there's a natural flow to the form itself and then at the bottom special. If it's a multi page form, they've got some sort of button that is red or green or blue, and it's got an arrow pointing for you to continue. They've also got next to it, not something that's colored. Usually it's usually gray or not, even a button. It all may be just the word back or go back something like that. They want you to keep moving forward, so they're drawing your attention and guiding you forward. You can still go back if you want. Teoh. Same way with this brochure that we're looking at. Here you can you can backtrack all you want, but the the piece itself is urging you to go forward because it's got these colors in these lines that are pushing you in that direction, and that's ultimately what you want to do is a designer you control where the roller coaster goes right? Everybody else just has to ride along with it. So you are in charge of making sure that the aesthetic elements that you create tell them where to go. You've gotta lay out a great road map, and the only way to do that is through effective use of color and making sure that the contrast and readability are there because this is this is a pretty busy piece. And so, without all of the subtle hints to keep going to the right, you might get lost in there. You might focus on one thing as opposed to reading it as a whole, and that can be kind of dangerous. So you do not want to run into that problem
Ratings and Reviews
Natalie Santana
Great discussion about the creation and use of color pallettes.
a Creativelive Student
Jolanda van Meringen
Student Work
Related Classes
Color Theory