Subscribe by RSSWhat’s Your Favorite Color?
Published on November 29th, 2007 || 3 Excellent Comments
I am curious. What is your favorite color? Is there a specific shade you prefer? Why do you like it?
I love color. I love the way it makes me feel. I love reading about color symbolism and color psychology. I love studying the physics of color and how our eyes see it. I love coming up with fun, new color combinations. Yet, I cannot seem to pick a favorite color. Every color has something to offer me. Consequently, my favorite tends to change — from day to day and even minute to minute.
When I was a young girl, my favorite was Crayola’s Ultra Blue. I loved that crayon and always searched for a reason to use it. When I was in high school, I switched to forest green. Later, I went through a phase of blue and orange together, but after I started designing, all of that went out the window.
Designing has stretched the way I think of color. Now my favorite color depends on the purpose — the message I am trying to achieve, the mood I want to convey or even the mood I am in at the moment.
There are so many fascinating tidbits and theories about color. It is hard to tell if nature or nurture is the cause of how colors affect us. My guess, it is a combination of the two. For example, in nature, blue often serves as a warning that something is poisonous. Thus, many people have studied the effects of blue on appetite and many have concluded that blue actually suppresses appetite. Consequently, it may not be the best choice for advertising food. Think about it, how many fast food chains use blue? Immediately, I think of an abundance of red and yellow. I do not think that was an accident.
On the side of nurture, the way we have been raised influences how colors affect us. In many Western societies purple symbolizes royalty, blue represents calm and loyalty, red represents power and love, yellow serves as a warning or can make you happy, green speaks of nature and fertility…the list goes on. Every color out there has many meanings tied to it. Check out this entry in Wikipedia for an extensive list of colors and their associated symbolism. For those interested in design these two sites have some more insights: www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html and www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html. Keep in mind that different societies think of color in different ways. If you want to represent royalty in China, you should think about using yellow.
What are your thoughts? Have you noticed particular colors change your mood? Do you automatically associate certain colors with certain things?
Adding Gold To Your Logo, YIKES!
Published on November 15th, 2007 || 8 Excellent Comments
No, this is not a tutorial. As a designer, I am concerned about what the general masses are learning about “design.” Free clipart. Free fonts. Free “design” software. Ugh, it is no wonder I constantly find myself cringing.
I recently attended a “Photoshop CS3 Power Tour” by Kelby Training. Overall, the seminar was useful — CS3 […]
Wicked Humanist Type Face
Published on November 13th, 2007 || 10 Excellent Comments
A good friend of mine recently bought me a first edition of Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Several times now, I have curled up with it, but cannot seem to make it past page 14. Unfortunately, the font they chose for the body copy keeps distracting me from the story.
I often run into this. Walking down […]
The Lab by Ellen Bruss Design
Published on November 9th, 2007 || Leave Your Thoughts
Print’s 2007 Regional Design Annual had several gems of its own. I admit that I’m partial to this particular design because I have a black lab myself. He exhibits all of the below behaviors and some unique ones of his own — like licking bare feet and snacking on bobby pins.
My love of labs aside, […]
Miracle Diet by Ben Harman Design
Published on November 8th, 2007 || 3 Excellent Comments
I recently received the latest Communication Arts Design Annual. I am sure I am not the only designer that feels like a kid in a candy store when I get these annuals. This year several designs caught my eye, but this particular one made me laugh too.
Now if only I didn’t have to gain 50 […]
Personal Logo Design Sketches
Published on November 7th, 2007 || 12 Excellent Comments
Most people seem to believe logos are quick and easy to design. I often hear, “I don’t want to pay that much for my logo, I just need something simple that looks good small.” If you ask me, I think the best logos out there are simple and look good small. However it’s highly likely, […]
barrettcreates.com Gets a New Look
Published on November 6th, 2007 || 2 Excellent Comments
barrettcreates.com reached its five-year anniversary about a month ago. I cannot believe it has been that long since I first launched my online graphic design portfolio. What is even more unbelievable is that I have kept the same design that entire time.
The Old Website
My original plan was to create a portal page that gave the […]