Igor Ovsyannykov
May 6, 2021 · 8 min read
1. Apply a little psychology.


2. Know who your audience is.
Every person has a distinct background, and color is involved in a lot of the things that make you who you are. In many Western cultures, for example, red is seen as a symbol of love, passion, and danger. In Asia, a lot of countries use red to depict prosperity, long life and happiness. Yellow is seen as a color of warmth and optimism in Western countries, but in Germany, people see yellow as a color of envy (an emotion that is represented by the color green in other places). Notice that colors have different symbolisms depending on where you are and who you’re talking to. Because of this, you have to make sure you are well informed about who your audience is before making the right color choices to make your audience respond accordingly.3. Look at the branding.


4. Don’t overdo it.
Just because your client told you to make it colorful doesn’t mean that you can use every imaginable tint and shade on the planet. Too much color will not only make your design look messy and uncoordinated, it can also become an eyesore. Design a web page that has about 10 to 15 colors sticking out, and you’ll have people leaving the page before they can even look at your content. Three colors would be great, less is even better. You can choose a major color or two to highlight, then use another one to complement the two. You can choose more than three if absolutely necessary, but make sure they do not clash or overpower each other.5. Play with shades and tints.


6. Use the right tools.
Coming up with the right color scheme becomes easier and more effective if you use the right tools. The good news is, there are a lot of free tools out there that you can take advantage of. Adobe Color is one great tool you can use to put different colors side by side and adjust each one according to the look you want to achieve. You can also browse through the color palettes other users have created, in case you need some inspiration from other creatives. Colorotate is a great app you can download from the AppStore, making it perfect for designers on the go. The great thing about this tool is in intuitiveness, allowing you to come up with color schemes based on uploaded images. Hoping to work on your computer using Photoshop instead of your iPad? Not a problem. You can connect your ColoRotate account to your Photoshop CS5 or CS6 to allow the app to automatically update background and foreground colors. You can also save the palettes you come up with on your desktop.7. Don’t be afraid to experiment.


8. Don’t lose sight of the basics.
Design theories may have evolved and designers may be stepping out of their comfort zones. But no matter what happens, you must never lose sight of the basics. Know what your primary, secondary and tertiary colors are. Know what complementary, analogous, triadic or monochromatic means. Find out what the difference is between a tint and a shade. Relying on your eyes (and instincts) will not cut it every time. Remember that the basics of color theory will always be the baseline. When you lose sight of what you really want to happen, going right back to color theory 101 would be the best way to pick yourself up and start thinking of fresh ideas once again.9. Collect inspiration from everywhere.


10. Look at your Pantone set.
No matter how hard you stare at your screen, there will be times when screen colors just won’t cut it. When this happens, here’s one simple advice – take out your Pantone set from that bottom drawer and allow it to work its magic. Coming up with the right color combinations can be challenging work, but it’s not something you should lose your head over. With these tips, you can make sure every combination you use achieves the effect you’ve been hoping for all along. From there, you amplify the chances of your entire design becoming effective.Products Seen In This Post:


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Igor Ovsyannykov
We create fonts, graphics, and produce aesthetically pleasing photos.
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