after having an e-mail conversation with one of my reps about color, i got inspired to write about the impact of color on design. color is a major element in any design. the same mediocre design can become a masterpiece just by changing the colors. are the colors new and fresh? or are the old and out of date? being on the cutting edge of color can be made much easier with some research. i have found a few great site that inspire me when it comes to color. here is a list of a few of them.
get inspire by paint colors. who says paint colors are just for walls? behr's online color selector is a great tool when looking for specific colors. you can fine tune colors, find coordinating colors and even view pre-selected coordinating colors. just click on the link below and then select the "color smart" palette. and play your little heart away! and don't forget, you can always go to your local paint store and pick up swatches for inspiration!
behr paint
this might be one of the greatest resources ever. have you ever wondered how designers know which colors are going to be the most popular this fall? well, it's all because of the people at this next site. they're called color forecasters. they are the people in charge of picking which colors are going to be saturated (pun intended!) throughout the marketplace. granted, their services are pricey, but if you're looking for colors that are sure to be a hit, this is your answer!
color association of the united states
this next one is fun. stuck on the color palette for your website? this site is aimed to help! of course you can take the same color palette and use for your specific application. just select a color from the colorwheel and you can match it with contrasting colors, find it's triads, view analogous colors, and much more!
well styled
hope this inspires you to all create something new with color!
Friday, July 29, 2005
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2 comments:
First off, let me say thank you, for recognizing the importance of color. Not even a week ago, I was in an argument with a co-worker about this very subject. He is a network administrator, I am an artist. Imagine trying to design a website with someone who's only concern is the ability to link a calendar to Outlook for automated updates.
Anyway, the argument consisted of me telling him the colors were all wrong and his insistance that color made no difference on the usage of site. Obviously he knows nothing about design, but that's why he's the techie and I am not.
So again, thank you for reminding everyone that color is a powerful design element that should never be taken for granted.
P.S. Great websites!
thanks for the comment. i know exactly what you're talking about. it's one of the reasons i was disappointed with the corporate design world. i guess i just assumed that everyone would want things to look good. i was very wrong.
-marzi
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