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The Art of Combining Colors to Create Great Designs
Creating appealing designs involves much more than randomly selecting colors. Professional designers deeply understand color theory, recognize how colors harmonize, which combinations suit specific purposes, and the cultural and emotional significance of various hues, e.g., the symbolism of the color gold and its association with wealth, luxury, and prestige.
If you find creating harmonious and innovative color schemes challenging, keep reading this article. You'll learn the basics of color combinations and discover how to create eye-catching designs that resonate with your audience's emotions and perceptions.
How learning the art of color combination helps designers
Mastering the art of color combination is a fundamental skill for designers, and here's how it can significantly benefit your work:
Enhanced aesthetics. Well-combined colors create harmonious compositions that boost the overall visual appeal of a design, making it more pleasing and captivating to the viewer.
Emotional and cultural associations. Colors carry psychological and cultural connotations, evoking specific emotions, messages, or moods among the target audience. A well-chosen color palette can effectively convey the desired idea or atmosphere.
Brand identity. Skillful use of colors helps establish and reinforce brand identity. Incorporating consistent color schemes makes brands more memorable and recognizable, facilitating brand loyalty and trust.
Improved readability. Proper color combinations and high contrast enhance design readability, ensuring that information is conveyed clearly and effectively to the audience.
Cultural sensitivity. Different cultures associate specific colors with various, sometimes even controversial notions, e.g., in certain Asian countries, white is a mourning color, while in the Western states, it is a classic color for a wedding dress. Thoughtful color combinations can prevent cultural misunderstandings and ensure that designs are culturally appropriate and respectful.
Creative expression. Colors are a powerful tool that designers can use to evoke specific emotions, challenge conventional beliefs, or tell unique stories.
What colors work well together?
Usually, these are complementary or harmoniously contrasting colors. To select such colors, designers use the color wheel—a circular chart featuring different shades. You can use it to understand color relationships and create harmonious combinations.
Complementary colors are the pairs located opposite each other on the color wheel. They create strong contrasts and are effective in grabbing attention and evoking powerful emotions. For instance, gold's complementary colors are blue and purple.
Harmoniously contrasting colors are ones that blend well and are either located next to each other (analogous) or evenly spaced (triadic) on the color wheel. They provide a balanced, visually pleasing look and can aid in creating unity and cohesion in design.
What colors don't work well together?
Usually, these are tones that lack contrast or, on the contrary, are too contrasting. When colors lack contrast, they can make a design appear dull and uninteresting. A lack of contrast also makes it difficult to differentiate between elements and understand visual hierarchy. As a result, viewers can struggle with distinguishing one part of the design from another. For example, using light gray text on a white background can result in poor readability because of the insufficient contrast between the two colors.
On the other hand, colors that are overly contrasting without a neutral shade to balance them can create visual discomfort. These combinations can be tiring to the eyes, making it difficult for viewers to focus on the content. For instance, if you like the meaning a vivid gold color contributes to your project and decide to combine it with bright green, it could create an overwhelming combination.
The best color combinations with black
Black is a versatile color that can be paired with various other hues to achieve different aesthetics. The best color combinations for black are:
Black and gold
One of the most common meanings of the color gold is luxury. When paired with black, it can create a sense of glamour and elegance. This combination is often used in expensive designs and formal settings, including high-end fashion, luxurious interior decor, and prestigious events.
Black and red
The black and red color combination is bold and passionate. The contrast between these two hues creates a striking effect that grabs attention. It's often used to convey strong emotions and make a statement. For example, when designing impactful logos or creating eye-catching advertisements.
Black and white
This classic, timeless combination represents simplicity, clarity, and sophistication. Black and white designs look clean and elegant. They are suitable for a wide range of projects, including fashion, graphic design, interior design, photography, web design, and packaging.
Black and silver
This combination exudes elegance and sophistication. It is often used in contemporary designs, particularly in high-end technology products, modern interior decor, and sleek automotive aesthetics.
Black and soft pastel colors
Combining black with soft pastel colors creates a sense of contrast and harmony. The softness of pastels balances the intensity of black, which helps create a delicate and pleasing aesthetic. This combination can be used for branding, fashion designs, interior decor, and digital graphics.
Black and neon colors
Pairing black with neon colors creates a modern and bold look. The stark contrast between black and neon makes designs eye-catching and contemporary. This dynamic combination can be used in street fashion, graphic design, energetic sports apparel, and trendy interior accents.
3 color combinations for an aesthetic color palette
If you are relatively new to combining colors, consider using one of these three color combinations for your designs.
Rose, green, and ivory for a vintage and romantic mood
The rose, ivory, and green color combination creates an atmosphere of nostalgia and romance, making it perfect for vintage-themed designs and romantic occasions. E.g., wedding invitations, retro-inspired fashion, and timeless floral arrangements.
2. Blue, beige, and pink for a relaxing vacation atmosphere
This color combination of blue, beige, and pink captures a vacation's serene and relaxed ambiance. It looks soothing and inviting, and is suitable for travel-related content or creating a tranquil atmosphere in spa retreats, coastal interior decor, and leisurely lifestyle branding.
3. Gray, pink, and mint for a minimalist and modern look
The combination of gray, pink, and mint creates a clean, minimalist, and modern aesthetic. Its fresh and contemporary look works well for minimalist design and interiors, including sleek urban apartments and chic office spaces.
To sum up
Figuring out what colors make gold or other shades of your choice pop helps with evoking a certain mood and having a specific impact. To master the art of balancing and matching colors, all you need to do is study the color wheel, pick the proper color contrast, and understand what associations each color conveys.
