Exploring the Color Palette
How using the emotional response of colors can enhance the visual appeal of your pocket folder design
In design, a little color can go a long way. But what color do you choose for your pocket folder design? The use of color is more than just a pretty design aspect; it's a psychological game with the consumer. Using the right colors can influence people, and knowing which colors to use and how to pair them together can help you create a winning design.
Whether you've studied the intricacies of design or are simply an aware consumer, you know that color influences our emotions and can, in turn, affect our actions. Let's explore the color palette and see how colors make us feel.
BLUE: Cool and Neutral
Perhaps the most common color used in any type of design. Though it is a cool color, blue is considered conservative, neutral, calming and trustworthy, which is why you see a lot of companies—especially banks and financial institutions—using it in their logos and product packaging design.
GREEN: The Color of Nature and Money
Like blue, green is another neutral color. It can be used in a cool color palette or warm; it is a natural hue that is often perceived as a peaceful color, yet its lighter shades can have an invigorating feeling because of the warmth from yellow undertones. Green is often associated with environmentally-minded companies. On the other hand, some businesses use green in their designs because it is the color of money.
YELLOW: Bright and Cheerful
This light yet bright warm color conveys happiness. Bright yellow can be intense and energetic, so consider using it as an accent with a neutral color like blue or green to give your design a little "pop" but not so much as to make it overwhelming for the viewer.
ORANGE: A Splash of Refreshment
An invigorating and warm color; has a fresh, positive feel to it. Because it is a mix of red and yellow, orange has the vibrancy of red without being quite as loud. A color often associated with fall, orange can be integrated into an earthy color palette, yet it works well with cool colors as well for a fresh and modern business-oriented design.
RED: Bold and Invigorating
Also an invigorating, bold warm color that conveys excitement and passion. Because it is considered a "loud" color, some designs would be better suited with just a splash of red rather than an entirely red palette. Pairing red with a cool color like light gray or blue can help downplay the intensity of this vibrant color.
PURPLE: Dark and Rich yet Light and Airy
Purple is a strong combination of warm (red) and cool (blue) colors. Along with pink, light purple is a delicate, feminine color. However, deeper, richer shades of purple can easily bridge the gap between feminine and masculine, often lending a sense of wealth and luxury to the design.
BLACK: Sleek and Sophisticated
Often used in modern, edgy designs as well as formal, elegant creations. It is often associated with power as well as upscale products or services. While it certainly can be used as the main color, because it is such a bold, drastic color use it with care; it often serves well as a contrasting color for lighter color palettes or as a backdrop for artistic photographs.
BROWN: A Grounded, Natural Color
A neutral organic, natural color. Pairs well with most colors. A deep, rich brown hue is an increasingy popular shade in certain designs, as it adds some great earthy contrast alongside lighter shades of blue or green. When brown is the main color, it can give the design a sophisticated yet casual, relaxed feel.
COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEMES
The idea behind complementary color schemes is to use colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel, and this can result can result in some strong contrast if you're using bright or bold colors. On the contrary, you can use complementary colors but use pastels or muted versions of those colors to still achieve contrast but tone it down a little.
MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEMES
For a monochromatic color scheme, choose your main color, and choose others by varying the tone or shade of that main color. Seeing as there is little contrast in hues in a monochromatic design, a palette like this often isn't too "loud". If the hues are all a bit too close, consider adding one small bit of contrasting color to highlight part of the design.
ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEMES
An analogous color scheme is made up of colors next to each other on the color wheel. The contrast is higher than that of a monochromatic color scheme, but the colors are typically within the same color family. For example, you could choose yellow, orange and red, or choose colors even closer together like green, yellow-green and yellow. Just like the monochromatic color scheme, you can add a contrasting color, typically chosen from the opposite side of the color wheel, to highlight part of your design.
TAKING COLOR AWAY: USE WHITE SPACE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
A white folder with just a bit of color might sound like a bit too minimalistic and lacking in design, but in all reality the simplisitic design can have a greater effect than a full-color printed folder. Sometimes white space is a good thing; it lets people focus on what matters, which is your company name and logo. Too many graphics—even on a well-designed folder—can distract customers and have a negative psychological effect on them.
TAKE THE FINAL STEP: DESIGN YOUR CUSTOM BUSINESS FOLDER
Whether you have an eye for design or need a little nudge down creativity lane, we can help you create a presentation folder that will act as effective product packaging for your business, group or organization. We work with small businesses and large companies, non profit groups and churches.
From one-color printed folders or foil-imprinted names and logos on premium papers, we've done it all and we make it affordable for any size business to design promotional pocket folders! View our full line of folder options or do some research to see what others in your industry are doing with their business pocket folders.
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