COLOUR IN GRAPHIC DESIGN

Colour is one of the first things that can grab your attention when looking at a piece of graphic design. It can either make you think that the piece is beautiful or it can easily disgust you. Thus showing that in graphic design, I find colour to be an interesting topic. The choice of colour is hugely important and is one of the most powerful tools that a designer can have an understanding of. I believe that colour is easily a bigger aspect in a piece of design than for example typography is, due to how colour affects communicating a message effectively.

As humans we all associate colours with feelings, this is natural. Many people think of white as being hygienic, positive and pure. Whereas red can be thought as dangerous, aggressive and powerful. Baring this in mind you can then start to realise just how important colour can be in graphic design. For example if you are designing a logo for a green peace company you would think of using green which is associated with environment, balance and harmony. However if you decided to then design a peace company with the colour red you are giving out very mixed messages which to me is not what you want from a piece of graphic design. When designing I believe that everyone needs to remember just how big of a role colour has in communicating meaning and putting across a powerful message.

Everyone can interpret colour differently, however it does have underlying similar outcomes for everyone. It can attract your attention, change your mood, and can play a major part in how we see or define things. Colour can easily persuade a person, which is why it is so important in graphic design. A study of the worlds top 100 brands, determined by brand value, showed me that 95% of brands only use 1 or 2 colours, 41% use only text, 33% use blue and 29% use red. I believe that both blue and red are used in brands because they have a striking affect and if I walked past something bold and red in the street then it would make me look at it thus promoting the brand, doing exactly what the company wants. Colour choices are critical when looking at the success of a brand. A colour has many different meanings, however the perception of the colour is based on the meaning they symbolise in that culture.

Overall in design I find websites, brands and zines that have bright colours to grab my attention more thus making me look into it further. However I think it is very easy to get caught up when designing and make the design look too decorative with too much colour, which instantly makes me hate the design, and therefore the brand that goes with it. When looking at colour I do believe strongly that less is more because overall the design is there for a purpose to convey a message, and that is the most important thing.