Color can be used to improve the aesthetics of a design, create visual interest, and even assign meaning. Color may aid in creating a visual hierarchy, or in drawing attention; however, if used improperly color can detract, distract, and cause confusion within a design. When designing with color, consider using a limited color palette—using too many colors may detract from the design. Instead, a designer may consult a color wheel to find aesthetic color combinations. These color choices should not, however, communicate information, as a large portion of the population has limited color vision [1].
These color combinations correspond geometrically on the color wheel.
The saturation of chosen colors should also be considered. Saturated colors—or pure hues—can be used to attract attention and create visual excitement, whereas desaturated colors may create a more serious aesthetic. When choosing appropriate colors, consider that certain colors may have different connotations in different cultures; consider the audience and what significance each color may have for its members. For example, in Western cultures the color yellow is generally associated with warmth, summer, and hospitality; in Eastern and Asian cultures, members of the ruling class frequently wear yellow and it is considered sacred or imperial; in Latin America many times yellow is associated with death and mourning. Consider the implied meaning of the chosen color in relation to the audience [2].
Cultural Significance of Yellow:
Hanging scroll of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming dynasty.A Buddhist monk in traditional yellow robes.Dia de Los Muertos display with yellow marigolds.
Color Used to Draw Attention:
This sign uses the color red to draw attention to the sign’s message.Fire extinguishers are red to draw attention in an emergency situation.
Color Combination in Nature:
The bird of paradise flower has a triadic color combination of orange, purple, and green.
References:
[1] Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (n.d.). Universal Principles of Design. Rockport.
I would consider color as a specific design element rather than a principle. One way when I think about developing design principle as I am getting super lost in my research questions and data is: what do I follow when I try to accomplish my design goals (while other stakeholders AND users are all telling me to do or asking me for other different things)? In this case with color, what specific rules and guidelines support different choices of color use across context?
Hey Lisa! You did a fantastic job of explaining something that seems fairly straightforward in an educated and poignant way! I was especially drawn to your explanation of cultural context for color, as I ran into it almost daily at my previous job (where I designed in-flight entertainment systems). We worked with customers around the world, and knowing what colors would be best for a project based on where the customer was from could make the difference between success and failure.
One of my projects in particular was a Chinese customer, who insisted on reds and golds throughout the GUI. When looking at their cabin interiors, they had chosen bright red and a more subtle gold, almost tan, for the details of the seat fabric. When thinking about how the cabin would look with even more red on the screens, it was extremely overwhelming to a western audience. In the US and Europe, red creates stress, causes anger, is often seen as jarring in designs. But the opposite was true for a culture in which red was seemingly everywhere! We ended up trying to dial back as much as possible, and went with white and a light grey with only hints of red throughout, but it was a lesson well learned! That context is immensely important, even for something that we often blow over, like color.
That’s such a great example Graham! I think I posted this image in one of the Slack channels at some point but it’s just such a great visual representation of some differences of the cultural meanings of color.
Graham,
That’s such an interesting example of the cultural context of color! Airlines have to be one of the most global applications for color because they could potentially have passengers from all around the world. It sounds like you did a good job of both listening to your client and applying a designer’s eye to the project. Sometimes its hard to develop a design that is successful and pleases everyone!
One thing that I always think about when talking about color as a signifier is poison dart frogs. They incredibly bright and patterned but that is because the color signifies a warning. The term for using warning colors like this in biology is Aposematism. Another interesting piece to it in biology is how mimicry is then used by other animals of the same type in an attempt to shield themselves from predators that react to the aposematism.
Christine,
Nature uses color in so many different ways. I didn’t know that there was a term for nature’s warning colors! I wonder if the instinctual reaction to Aposematism has any implication on human cognition of these colors? I will definitely be reading up on this, thank you for sharing this tidbit!
Your post and examples are clear and easy to understand the aspect of Color! I especially liked the diverse meaning of yellow from different cultures. For another example, black color usually means death and mourning in western while it means boys and health in some eastern cultures. And now in the modern world, black has become the color of chic, edge and modernity. I agree that color is not only used for aesthetics, but also influences social, culture, spiritual things or so on. And choosing and using the right color in all types of design is important for usability and user perception.
Using bright color gradients has also been a huge trend in design. I wonder how you and others see the use of blending colors used in design.
Hi Young Sun,
Thank you for sharing this article on gradients. The Universal Principles of Design doesn’t mention gradients in its information on color and yet it is very critical in design these days! I love how the article brings up gradients in “word art”, I definitely remember those days and am thankful most people have moved past that. Unfortunately, there are still so many examples of “cringe-worthy” gradients out there. It’s something that’s easily done tastelessly, but when done properly adds a whole new layer to a design. The article points to a few useful tips for creating successful gradients, and I definitely think designers should reference that when considering using gradients. Thank you for adding this into our conversation about color!
Your depiction of the design principle of Color is really great! Your examples on different color palettes and how they can enhance design is powerful, especially showing how some combinations are even rooted in geometry and represented in nature is really interesting. I also like how you addressed the range of cultural significance of certain colors.
Hi Liliana,
The cultural significance of color is something that could be studied extensively; I also find it very interesting. The examples I give of the perception of yellow in different cultures is only a few of many such perceptions.
The way colors are rooted in nature is such a fascinating subject. Nature is amazingly strategic in its use of color but also utilizes principles like the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. These are things we see repeated through nature on a global and even universal scale.
I would consider color as a specific design element rather than a principle. One way when I think about developing design principle as I am getting super lost in my research questions and data is: what do I follow when I try to accomplish my design goals (while other stakeholders AND users are all telling me to do or asking me for other different things)? In this case with color, what specific rules and guidelines support different choices of color use across context?
Hey Lisa! You did a fantastic job of explaining something that seems fairly straightforward in an educated and poignant way! I was especially drawn to your explanation of cultural context for color, as I ran into it almost daily at my previous job (where I designed in-flight entertainment systems). We worked with customers around the world, and knowing what colors would be best for a project based on where the customer was from could make the difference between success and failure.
One of my projects in particular was a Chinese customer, who insisted on reds and golds throughout the GUI. When looking at their cabin interiors, they had chosen bright red and a more subtle gold, almost tan, for the details of the seat fabric. When thinking about how the cabin would look with even more red on the screens, it was extremely overwhelming to a western audience. In the US and Europe, red creates stress, causes anger, is often seen as jarring in designs. But the opposite was true for a culture in which red was seemingly everywhere! We ended up trying to dial back as much as possible, and went with white and a light grey with only hints of red throughout, but it was a lesson well learned! That context is immensely important, even for something that we often blow over, like color.
That’s such a great example Graham! I think I posted this image in one of the Slack channels at some point but it’s just such a great visual representation of some differences of the cultural meanings of color.
https://thumbnails-visually.netdna-ssl.com/what-colors-mean-in-different-cultures_50290a647f1f2_w1500.png
Graham,
That’s such an interesting example of the cultural context of color! Airlines have to be one of the most global applications for color because they could potentially have passengers from all around the world. It sounds like you did a good job of both listening to your client and applying a designer’s eye to the project. Sometimes its hard to develop a design that is successful and pleases everyone!
One thing that I always think about when talking about color as a signifier is poison dart frogs. They incredibly bright and patterned but that is because the color signifies a warning. The term for using warning colors like this in biology is Aposematism. Another interesting piece to it in biology is how mimicry is then used by other animals of the same type in an attempt to shield themselves from predators that react to the aposematism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmtxNQNZ1V0
Christine,
Nature uses color in so many different ways. I didn’t know that there was a term for nature’s warning colors! I wonder if the instinctual reaction to Aposematism has any implication on human cognition of these colors? I will definitely be reading up on this, thank you for sharing this tidbit!
Hi Lisa,
Your post and examples are clear and easy to understand the aspect of Color! I especially liked the diverse meaning of yellow from different cultures. For another example, black color usually means death and mourning in western while it means boys and health in some eastern cultures. And now in the modern world, black has become the color of chic, edge and modernity. I agree that color is not only used for aesthetics, but also influences social, culture, spiritual things or so on. And choosing and using the right color in all types of design is important for usability and user perception.
Using bright color gradients has also been a huge trend in design. I wonder how you and others see the use of blending colors used in design.
https://uxplanet.org/why-gradients-are-back-to-rule-in-2018-8b36711c335f
Hi Young Sun,
Thank you for sharing this article on gradients. The Universal Principles of Design doesn’t mention gradients in its information on color and yet it is very critical in design these days! I love how the article brings up gradients in “word art”, I definitely remember those days and am thankful most people have moved past that. Unfortunately, there are still so many examples of “cringe-worthy” gradients out there. It’s something that’s easily done tastelessly, but when done properly adds a whole new layer to a design. The article points to a few useful tips for creating successful gradients, and I definitely think designers should reference that when considering using gradients. Thank you for adding this into our conversation about color!
Your depiction of the design principle of Color is really great! Your examples on different color palettes and how they can enhance design is powerful, especially showing how some combinations are even rooted in geometry and represented in nature is really interesting. I also like how you addressed the range of cultural significance of certain colors.
Hi Liliana,
The cultural significance of color is something that could be studied extensively; I also find it very interesting. The examples I give of the perception of yellow in different cultures is only a few of many such perceptions.
The way colors are rooted in nature is such a fascinating subject. Nature is amazingly strategic in its use of color but also utilizes principles like the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. These are things we see repeated through nature on a global and even universal scale.