How do you use color to unify your design?

1 Understand color theory

Color theory is the study of how colors interact and influence each other and the viewer. It helps you to create color schemes that are balanced, harmonious, and expressive. The most common tool for color theory is the color wheel, which shows the relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, as well as complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic combinations. By understanding how these color schemes work, you can select colors that match your design purpose and message.

2 Consider color psychology

Color psychology is the study of how colors affect human perception, mood, and behavior. It helps you to choose colors that evoke the desired emotions and associations in your audience. For example, red can signify passion, urgency, or danger, while blue can suggest calmness, trust, or professionalism. However, color psychology is not universal and can vary depending on the context, culture, and personal preferences of the viewer. Therefore, you should always research your target audience and test your color choices before finalizing your design.

3 Use a color palette

A color palette is a set of colors that you use consistently throughout your design. It helps you to create a unified and coherent look and feel for your design. To create a color palette, you can use online tools like Adobe Color or Coolors, or you can draw inspiration from nature, art, or other sources. A good color palette should have a dominant color that represents your main theme or brand identity, and a few accent colors that contrast or complement the dominant color and add variety and interest to your design.

4 Apply the 60-30-10 rule

The 60-30-10 rule is a simple guideline for using your color palette effectively. It suggests that you use 60% of your dominant color, 30% of your secondary color, and 10% of your accent color in your design. This way, you can create a balanced and harmonious color distribution that avoids visual clutter and confusion. You can also adjust the proportions depending on your design objectives and preferences, but always try to maintain a clear hierarchy and focus for your colors.

5 Use contrast and harmony

Contrast and harmony are two essential principles for using color to unify your design. Contrast is the difference between colors that makes them stand out from each other. It helps you to create emphasis, hierarchy, and readability for your design elements. You can create contrast by using colors that are opposite or different in hue, saturation, or brightness. Harmony is the similarity between colors that makes them blend well together. It helps you to create a pleasing and consistent mood and tone for your design. You can create harmony by using colors that are adjacent or similar in hue, saturation, or brightness.

6 Test your color choices

The final step for using color to unify your design is to test your color choices and see how they look and work in different situations and devices. You should check your design for color accessibility, meaning that it is easy to see and understand for people with color vision deficiencies or other impairments. You can use online tools like WebAIM or Color Safe to check your color contrast and compliance with web standards. You should also check your design for color consistency, meaning that it looks the same and maintains its quality and impact across different screens and platforms. You can use online tools like ColorHexa or Color Picker to check your color values and formats.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?