How to Choose a Color Scheme for Custom Graphic Design

• Design Friday
• 14th, May, 2021

One of the main aspects and components of graphic design is the color scheme you choose to implement. Different colors have been scientifically proven to incite certain emotions in the people they are seen by. Understanding how colors can affect a person’s attention, emotions and psychology can greatly benefit your graphic design. 

Define Your Audience

Depending on who you are marketing your custom graphic design to, it may change which color scheme you choose to go with. The food industry tends to use a lot of red colors in their logos to stimulate hunger, while green represents freshness and nature. If you start combining color schemes without much thought, it may confuse your audience, or they may even ignore your design all together. 

Color Theory

The study of how colors affect people’s emotions, thinking and attention is called “color theory.” By studying and understanding color theory, your custom graphic design will gain more attention and engagement. Different color pallets are used to evoke different emotions or get an individual to focus on a specific part or section of a custom graphics. 

Primary Colors

The three primary colors are red, yellow and blue. These are the three colors that can be found in nature and are mixed to create every other color on the spectrum. Color schemes for your custom graphic design can range from just one color to incorporating multiple, contrasting colors. Primary colors are just a place to begin, as they can evoke strong emotions such as passion, sadness, or hunger. 

Monochromatic Color Schemes

Monochromatic color schemes can be easy to implement for your custom graphic design, as they really only use one color. While a monochromatic color scheme is based off of just one color, it uses variations of that color through different hues, shades and tints to create a full color scheme that you can implement anywhere you’d like. 

Analogous Color Schemes

Analogous color schemes involve using three colors that are placed next to each other on the color wheel. This differs from a monochromatic color scheme, in that it is restricted to these three colors. Think of a sunset. While the sun may be a bright red as it dips below the horizon, the sky and clouds might be a close orange-red and orange. Using an analogous color scheme is beneficial for cohesive custom graphic designs aiming to use similar colors.

Complementary Color Scheme

Complementary color schemes can also benefit your custom graphic design so that it catches even more attention. Complementary colors are colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Complementary colors highlight each other for emphasis and catch attention that often leads to engagement. Think of Christmas colors, red and green. Looking at the color wheel, red and green are directly across from each other and are basically “opposites.” However, these “opposites” can emphasize one another, rather than clashing if used correctly. 

Triadic Color Scheme

This color scheme plays off of the complementary color scheme idea by using colors opposite of each other on the color wheel. However, this color scheme involves 3 colors, instead of just 2. The 3 colors are why it is named the “triadic” color scheme, because looking at the chosen colors on the color wheel, they make a triangle. This color scheme has a similar effect as the complementary color scheme by using color opposites and gaining attention. 

Need a Color Scheme for Your Custom Graphic Design?

Design Friday offers a custom graphic design service that is professional and affordable. We can get you your graphic designs in less than 24 hours with free revisions! Visit our website or call (917) 231-3570 today!