When choosing a range of colours for our designs, there is no absolute truth to choose the right one, as there is no way to be totally wrong in the election (well, maybe this does happen 😉 ) We must choose the range of colours that best suits what we want to reflect. And we want to reflect a particular thing, depending on who is the design for. As we said: “inspiration has to find you working,” so let’s start at the beginning.
The objectivity of colour
We know that there are more feelings than colours, so the same colour can remind us different feelings that often are conflicting. A clear example is in the red. If we think red, we can think of “love,” the feeling that connects, or of “fire” the feeling that destroys everything. Depending on our mood and our experiences, one of those two images will appear before the other. If I say green, surely you and I are not viewing the same green colour. I know Mar Valenzuela will be seeing turquoise green, Ricardo Prieto will be seeing the Betis green (a football team) and every single person who is reading this article will be thinking in a different colour-scheme.
Thus, we find that the colour is perhaps the more subjective factor when designing. But as we saw in the articles about colours, all colours have various objective factors, which are those that should help us choose which range of colours is just right for our design. We need to know what the function of our design is, and the audience to which it is addressed, and once it is cleared, start designing for them. For example, if the audience of my logo is children, I will use a range of bright colours that attract their attention; if instead the audience is people who have suffered abuse, the colours will be pastel and calm, possibly blue, giving the peace they need.
Once we have the main colour, we must create a range of this colour to reach those colours that are so dependent. As with typographies there are combinations more suitable than other, with colours there are also ranges more suitable than other to a specific design. We have already spoken of six colours in other articles, so we are going to remember those giving examples of range of colours. What do you think?
NOTE: In each of the ranges appear the web colour numbers (#), which you can easily put in programs like Illustrator or Photoshop.
ORANGE
This colour is related to the change. It is the colour of the modern, the new and the different. It is not just any colour. Although it is not the favorite colour of most people, we like it in almost all designs and advertising. Everyone wants to be different and look for that “thing” that makes us different, and that is what orange gives us in design. It is an original colour.
Orange colour palette
This range will give us warmth, while it marks the original character that we can use if we want to separate us from the competition. The orange combines nicely with the green, because they join the natural with the original, getting a place where people feel comfortable. We can also get a nice range of colours with earthy tones.
BLACK
Although many deny it, black is a colour. In fact, it is not just any colour, but the one that may represent the greatest fear of all: death, and still be the most elegant colour. In most cases it is accompanied by negative connotations, since many of the worst events of mankind are described as black. However, the tide has turned, and now the black means luxury, elegance and exclusivity. It is the clearest example of changing trends.
Black colour palette
Being such a specific colour, most often we use it alone in design, emphasizing that feeling of luxury. However, it combines with all colours, although it is risky depending on what you are designing. In most cases black goes with white.
BLUE
If we were saying that colours represent conflicting feelings, blue is the exception, as it is not referred to any negative feeling. It is the colour that is everywhere: at home, on clothing, in designs … The only place where we do not find this colour is in the food. Although it is a cool colour, it also implies peace and quiet, so the coldness can be removed with the juxtaposition of other colours. It is the easiest colour to remember and most people like it.
Blue colour palette
Maybe it is the colour with the highest number of possibilities. Only with blue hues we can get the perfect range of colours for our designs. Blue is also very easy to combine with green and red. Taking a green and a blue and choosing three colours that develop between them, we have the perfect range of colours. It is also a colour that can be used in many very different areas. We could say you will be almost never wrong with this colour.
RED
It is the most popular colour worldwide. Although it is not our favorite colour, it is normal to think red, as it is the first colour we see. It is the colour of colours, the colour of passion and advertising. Red is the colour that represents feelings, so people feel identified with it. Red is strength, passion … and although it is also anger, if we use it well, we can control this anger.
Red colour palette
It is a very attractive colour in design, although we can use it with a range of colours, it is also suitable for use alone or in combination with white. However, it is perfect with green, gray … Red has a lot of strength, so if we combine it with gray, it will maintain and accentuate its strength. On the contrary, if we combine it with green, its strength will be reduced. That is good in cases where the use of red can be violent. We think red is our colour, and we combine it with white and gray because we like the force that it transmits.
GREEN
More than just a colour, it is a feeling. When we think green, we imagine the natural; it is a colour that people like. It is the colour that is in the middle, so it transmits nice feelings; it is neither cold nor hot. It is the colour of health and healthy. But it is also the colour of immaturity, the lack of experience. Although it has some negative connotations, such as be poisonous, it is not associate with the bad, which make green a very popular colour.
Green colour palette
It combines with the range of earthy colours. Brown, orange or beige remind us of the natural and provide warmth. All these colours give us warmth and comfort, and remind us of places where we have already been and we like. It is the range of colours used at home. Moreover, as mentioned in the blue, they blend perfectly.
YELLOW
It is perhaps the most unstable colour there. Only with a hint of red becomes orange, and blue with a hint of green. Moreover, as we talked, it is one of the colours that represent mixed feelings. It is the colour of optimism, but also of envy, anger … Some brands use it, but it is a risky colour in design because it is unsafe.
Yellow colour palette
Although use it alone is risky, yellow is perfect when is combined with orange or reddish colours. These form the range of colours of the sunset and sunrise. By using this range we get the optimism we need. It is also common to see yellow with blue, as the passage between them is stable, being the green a mixture of both.
The important thing is to make an objective choice of the main colour, and from there, follow the guidelines down to the range of colours that meet our purpose. We know the meaning of the colours and what they represent, and this is the key when making the choice thereof. There are mixed feelings that bind thanks to the appearance of two colours, so many times the same colour is displayed in different range of colours. These are just some, but we will talk more about them in future articles!