Building Color Confidence
Joanne Chang
Lesson 17
Color is a powerful form of communication. We are so attracted to color and so repelled by it that even if the coolest design were presented to us, if we didn't like the color, we wouldn't like it at all.
The objective of this lesson is to help build color confidence. This means being able to create harmonious and effective color combinations in our designs. This can be done through practice and observation, awareness of trends, and understanding of color theory basics. Once we have that basic foundation, we can explore color and find inspiration everywhere in our world.
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The Meaning of Color
Choosing the right color can help you attract the users you want to target. Browse through the meaning of each color, choose 3 of your favorite brands, identify the primary color used for each brand and check if that color resonates with how you feel about it.
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Color Calculator
To learn about the theory behind selecting harmonious colors for your palette, start off with the section "What is the color wheel" then watch the color wheel video tutorial. Use the color calculator to find your favorite color palette for the 3 brand colors you chose in task 1. If you need ideas on how color palettes are used in websites, check out business color trends on COLOURlovers.
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Understanding Concepts And Terminology
Being fluent in color vocabulary will help you notice the subtleties and awaken your color instinct. Compare the difference between each description of color. Using the colors of your 3 favorite brands, try to analyse each color using the terms: hue, chroma, saturation, value, tint, shade, tone. For more useful examples using color blocks check out color glossary.
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Creating Your Own Color Palettes
Now that you know all about the basics, it's time for the fun part: Choose a photo, use Kuler to help you create a color palette for it, observe how the color scheme changes as you choose a different mood, if you find a palette combination that appeals to you ask yourself, how are the colors related to each other?
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9 places to get inspiration for your website’s color palette
Choosing the right colors takes a lot of creativity and experimentation. Observing the colors around you will help ensure that you never run out of ideas, but if you ever get stuck on finding the right color scheme, this post gives you 9 places to find inspiration. Keeping track of your favorite color combinations in Pinterest is a good way to keep your own personal color library to assist any current or future projects.
Joanne Chang
Co-Founder, PicCollage
I'm a co-founder and design lead at PicCollage. It is a fun and easy way to create collages on your mobile devices. I love colors and patterns and the process of bringing ideas to life. You can find me on Twitter.
