Choosing the perfect color scheme for your printed project

Color is an integral part of good design. Each shade conveys certain emotions and carries meaning, so choosing a color scheme can be very difficult. It can either make a printed product very bright or blur the entire impression. But there are several secrets that will help in this difficult task.

Inspiration along the way

Take photos of the shades you like. First of all, we can talk about nature, because natural patterns are, as a rule, very pleasing to the eye and the number of options is almost endless. Landscapes, fruits, sunset - all this is an accessible way to find a suitable solution.

It is precisely such photos that can subsequently help you choose a color scheme for a future printed product. Moreover, the shade you like can be used in Photoshop or Illustrator. In addition, a photograph with a diagram you like helps you evaluate whether the rest of the graphics or text will be suitable.

By the way, you don’t have to limit yourself only to natural objects. You can also create your own “bank” of images you like online or collect photos of beautiful billboards. It will also be useful to note the mood that a particular illustration evokes.

Use color rings

They help you choose shades that are as close as possible to the required ones. For example, if you need to add a shadow to an object, or a frame to match. In addition, such rings help to choose contrasting colors. It would also be a good idea to look at ready-made color schemes on specialized websites.

Interior design

Interior designers “play” not only with colors, but also with various textures. Their experience can be useful when developing the design of printed products. Consider room designs that you like. Pay attention to the main tones and accent shades.

Color fans

Sometimes it’s worth stepping away from your computer when choosing a color combination. You can take a Pantone shade guide and see how a particular color looks in print. This, by the way, can be useful not only when looking for inspiration. For corporate colors, accurate color reproduction is very important and the easiest way to get exactly your color is to order a print with a specific Pantone shade.

Few restrictions

Any color scheme should be limited to three or four colors. Otherwise, the printed product will turn out to be too colorful and unattractive. As a rule, it is worth choosing a couple of colors that complement each other and one or two contrasting ones.

Correct associations

Remember to take into account the theme and plot of the printed piece. What are we talking about, fashion, sports, business, beauty? Based on this, think about what associations should arise and what effect you want to achieve - to attract attention with a bright flyer, to convey information with a useful brochure, or something else. What style should you work in - feminine, serious, cheerful, elegant? It will be very useful to study information about the psychology of color.

Fortunately, the days when it was necessary to be content with a few shades of natural pigments are long gone. According to the Colourlovers community, there are about 8 million named colors and over 16 million combinations. Full-color printing is also no longer a luxury - modern printing allows you to convey any tones chosen by the designer - and the cost of the project in most cases does not depend on their quantity. But the more options available to the designer, the more difficult the choice becomes, so it is worth carefully systematizing the designs you like, looking for inspiration in nature and the environment, and taking into account elements of psychology in the design.