How to choose a color palette for your project

An important aspect for any project, whether it's a brochure, a poster or a website, is the choice of color . Choosing a color is a complicated process that requires careful design analysis, but choosing an entire color palette can be even more complex. Of course there are many other aspects that need to be taken into consideration, but color as well as being one of those that is closest to my heart is also one of the fundamentals because it allows you to leverage the emotional aspect.

In this article, I have therefore included a series of personally tested tips to ensure that the choice of colors for a project is faster and more effective. Before starting, however, remember: each type of project has different technical needs and your design choices must be consequential. For example, choosing colors for a poster is different from choosing colors for a logo .

Why is the definition of the color palette important?

It is fundamental, because it allows us to define the chromatic aspect of the project, and it also allows, through an adequate study, to be able to give the right importance to the various elements.

It is advisable to avoid using an excessive number of colors , in order not to give the idea of disorder and to prevent the message from being misunderstood.

Obviously, as we have said, each project is different and has very specific characteristics for which all stylistic choices must be targeted for each solution.

Choosing a color palette is a process that requires analysis and study , in the design phase I usually start by identifying the main color, which can be given by the logo, an image or other references and once determined I then proceed by defining the secondary colors that will have to be associated with the principal.

Since analysis and choice aren't always easy decisions, here are some tips to make your life easier:

1. Use the standard combinations

The number one advice is the usual: if you don't know what or how to do, do things simple, start from the ABC. When it comes to choosing colors in design, the ABCs are standard combinations, the basis of color theory.

Very briefly, what does color theory say?

Virtually every color is given by hue, ie the pure color, brightness, ie the amount of white or black in a color, and saturation, ie the intensity of a color. That said, there are three categories of colors: neutral colors (grayscale from white to black), primary colors (red, yellow, blue), and secondary colors that are generated by mixing primary colors.

OK, knowing that, there are some standard color schemes that allow, especially for beginners, to create functional color combinations. There is a simple infographic, which illustrates some of them, created by Lorenzo Miglietta.

2. Don't go overboard with the number of colors

The colors are nice, ok, and everyone likes colored things, ok. However, like all good things, one should never overdo it.

Remember that a good color palette works much better when it doesn't have too many colors. Why? Well, because each color sends a precise visual message to the observer, and using too many risks confusing the observer or not getting the desired message across correctly.

This does not mean having to become a Swiss school-style design purist of the type “ you must use only primary colors ” or “ use a maximum of three colors for each project ”. No, in everyday design and graphics, each project needs a different approach , a different way of thinking and therefore a different color palette. Which can be 2, 3, 5, etc. The important thing is to know how to moderate and not use too many.

3. Use as many colors as needed

At the same time, every project needs all the necessary colors to be expressed in its entirety. This point may seem to contradict the previous one, but it doesn't, it reinforces it

In fact, by moderating the number of colors used, you must, in any case, use all those you need! For example, if you're doing an illustration concerning, I don't know, a landscape of my beloved Naples, you won't be able to avoid inserting some colors to characterize, for example, all the facets of a street like San Gregorio Armeno.

In short, use all the necessary colors but make sure that there are not too many!

4. Take advantage of color psychology

Color psychology is something every designer should always consider in every project.

When we talk about color psychology we refer to all those theories (which have a strong impact in everyday life) according to which colors have different effects on people. For example, some shades of blue give a relaxing effect, dark green generates trust, orange stimulates creativity and so on.

There is no doubt that colors play a fundamental role within a project and this largely depends on the effects that those colors generate on the observer, on his mind.

In one of the first blog articles I wrote, I explained how to choose the right color for a logo by considering the effects each color has on the observer.

And this is true for logo design as well as for any other area of design, from the color palette chosen for a website to the palette of a poster or an infographic. So why not take advantage of color psychology? I refer you again to this other article in which I explain how colors influence us and what effect they have on us!

5. Consider your target audience

A color palette intended for a poster for a bank must obviously have different characteristics than a color palette intended for an adolescent target.

Obviously the psychology of colors comes into play, but not only! Consumer habits and preconceptions also influence a target.

Consumer habits are those that lead us, for example, to look for shampoos in supermarkets through bright colours. This is because we are used to seeing shampoo packaging as very colorful packages and we also look for them thanks to the colors that identify them.

Therefore, if you are dealing with a highly habitual target, you have two options:

1. You standardize (reworking) and choose the colors that all the others choose (the competitors, in short)
2. You stand out and do something completely different

People's preconceptions are instead the cultural baggage that a person has regarding a certain color. You can be influenced by culture or by your own personal experiences. For example, in Western culture pink is associated with women, black with death, and so on. And these are preconceptions to consider if you work with well-defined targets.

5 more tips for choosing a color palette

Here are another 5 slightly more advanced tips for those who hang around a lot in the world of graphics and design and for whom choosing the right color or palette is a daily routine. Ready?

6. Use photographs to create your own color palette

One of my favorite ways to create a color palette is to start from a photograph.

Speaking of which, there is a wonderful tool called Adobe Color (once called Adobe Kuler), which allows you to do this process of creating a palette super-fast and intuitively.

Adobe Color is also available on mobile and is very convenient if you want to create a color palette using your phone's camera. Again, once you've chosen your color scheme, it's easy to save it to your libraries and view it on all devices connected to the Creative Cloud. Look for it in the App Store or Google Play.

7. Create an atmosphere

Understanding the psychology of colors, taking advantage of photographs to create your own palette, are all aspects that must serve us designers to create an atmosphere in our project thanks to the colors used.

Colors in design serve to create an atmosphere, to convey a message .

The objectives of the brand you are working for must guide the choice of colors. Certain objectives must correspond to certain design choices.