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How Color Impacts Emotions and Behaviors

September 8 , 2011

Posted by Allison Stuart

Color plays an important role in brand identity it draws consumers to products, stirs emotions and has a huge impact on brand recognition. For

xample, Starbucks has such a strong logo and the color green is so closely tied to the brand that the company removed their name entirely when they

evamped their logo back in March.

Color can make us feel happy or sad it can make us feel hungry or relaxed.

Having a firm understanding of the psychological effects colors have on people will make you a better designer and help you build brands with

powerful logos and marks.

The first step is to understand how basic colors might make an average person, or a companys target audience, feel. Lets take a closer look at the color

wheel:

Red, orange, and yellow are next to each other on the wheel and are all warm colors. Warm colors often evoke feelings of happiness, optimism and

nergy. However, yellow and orange can also slightly irritate the eyes and red can increase a persons appetite. Think about fast food restaurants like

McDonalds or KFC most of these places incorporate the color yellow and red. Why? Because they want people to get hungry and then eat quickly.


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Red is the warmest and most dynamic of the colors it triggers opposing emotions. It is often associated with passion and love as well as anger and

danger. It can increase a persons heart rate and make them excited. If you want to draw attention to a design element, use red. But use it as an accent

olor in moderation as it can be overwhelming.

Orange enhances a feeling of vitality and happiness. Like red, it draws attention and shows movement but is not as overpowering. It is aggressive, but

alanced it portrays energy yet can be inviting and friendly. Orange is great for a call to action to buy or subscribe to a product.

Yellow is perhaps the most energetic of the warm colors. It is associated with laughter, hope, and sunshine. Accents of yellow help give your design

nergyand will make the viewer feel optimistic and cheerful. However, yellow tends to reflect more light and can irritate a persons eyes. Too muchellow can be overwhelming and should be used sparingly. In design, it is often used to grab attention in an energetic and comforting way.

Cool colors include green, blue, and purple. Cool colors are usuallycalming and soothing but can also express sadness. Purple is often used to help

park creativityas its a mixture of blue (calm) and red (intense). If a company wants to display health, beauty, or security, incorporate these colors.

Green symbolizes health, new beginnings, and wealth. Green is the easiest on the eyes and should be used to relax and create balance in a design. It is a

reat color to use if a company wants to depict growth, security, or inspire possibility.

Blue evokes feelings of calmness and spirituality as well as security and trust. Seeing the color blue causes the body to create chemicals that are

alming. It is no surprise that its the most favored of the colors. Dark blues are great for corporate designs because it helps give a professional feel, but

using too much can create a cold, disengaged feeling. Light blues give a more relaxing, friendly feel. Great examples are social sites like Facebook and

Twitter who use lighter blues.

Purple is associated with creativity, royalty, and wealth. Purple is often used to soothe or calm a viewer, hence why it is used in beauty products.

ncorporate purple to make a design look more luxurious and wealthy or a lighter purple to show romance and mystery.

Neutral colors include black, gray, white, tan, and brown. In design, these colors are great as background colors. Use black, gray, and white when

using brighter colors. If you are using textures, then incorporate tan and brown as your backdrop.

t is important to note that colors can be subjective what might make one person feel cheerful can make another person feel irritated depending on the

iewers past experiences or cultural differences.

Color is not completely agreed on universally and can appeal differently to individual countries. A designer MUST study their target audience and

hoose their colors accordingly.

Tags: color theory, color wheel , Designer Tips

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Design Tips in Tweets August 26th September 7th

September 7 , 2011


on design by sssilent

Here are some awesome designer tips and resources that 99designs.com recently shared via twitter@99designs.

Gorgeous Packaging Designs and Concepts http://bit.ly/n281ca

Minimalist Artworks Based on Typography http://bit.ly/qGUFfX

Logo Design Inspiration From August 50 Logos http://cot.ag/nGW0Oo

Showcase of Sketches and Doodles in Web Design http://bit.ly/rnuioG

The Basics of Typography http://bit.ly/qpXw9p

Ultimate Guide to Business Cards: Infographics and Other Resources http://bit.ly/ojF8Xf

5 Wallpaper* covers by 15 image makers http://bit.ly/oKSlfL

How to Handle Less-Than-Positive Feedback http://bit.ly/oMPndt

00 Posters Project by Nuno Castro http://bit.ly/qYsv9Y

Typography: Anatomy of a Letterform http://bit.ly/pzDjht

Want to read more cool stuff? Follow 99designs on facebookand twitter!

Tags: Designer Tips, Tweets


Simple Rules For Logo Design Success

September 1 , 2011


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Posted y Allison Stuart

11 comments

Creating a companys logo is not easy. But by gaining a solid understanding of the best practices, the process can become less of a strain.

To succeed at designing logos, follow these simple and effective logo rules:

Sketching Concepts

Repeat after me, Sketching is the most important stage of design. Sketching important.

t can compromise the quality of your final design if you go straight to the computer after reading a brief. Usually, the final design ends up looking

eneric or feels computerized.

ts a good habit to research the clients company after reading a brief, and absolutely crucial to let your ideas flow by sketching a variety of

humbnails on paper. To be an effective designer, you should spend more time on this step than any other step of the design process.

Keeping it Simple

t is important that your logo is recognizable when its scaled up or down. Your logo needs to be clear and demand attention even if its the size of a

10 x 80 pixels Facebook ad.

You should test your design in all sizes. Print it on a business card or blow it up to a billboard size. Check to make sure the font is still legible

specially if it is a thin script font.

f you can hardly recognize your logo at a smaller scale, try working your graphic down to its essentials. For example, if your graphic is a detailed

anda, take out unnecessary elements such as its eyes. Then, use a few shapes to construct the pandas body.

Choosing the Correct Colors


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The topic of color can get pretty complex, but here are some basic rules to consider:

Dont use more than THREE colors. Keep it simplistic.

Avoid bright neon as well as light colors. These colors tend to disappear at smaller sizes.

Design your logo in black and white then decide on the colors. If it doesnt look good in black and white, it will not look any better in color.

Keep in mind that colors evoke different emotions and moods. Use colors that capture the companys personality.

Tip: Kuler.com is a useful site to check out if you need help finding cool color schemes.

EFRAN FILMS by weppadesigns

Great Typography is Key

Typography is so significant that it can make or break a logo design. A designer should test a few dozen fonts before choosing the one. Take time on

our font choice and avoid common fonts this will help distinguish your designs from amateur designs.

Dont use more than two fonts and make sure they are legible when scaled down. If you really want to make the company stand out, be unique and

ustomize a font.

n case you missed it, here are 5 basic rules on typography.

Icon Ultra Lounge by athenabelle

Say No to Effects

Effects can be a nice addition to a logo, but dont get carried away. Your logo should look great without a drop shadow or gradient effect. Both of

hese effects will make your logo look dull and blurry.


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t is okay to play around with filters and effects in programs like Photoshop, but there is a time and place for them. The effect should be an ADDITION

o your already awesome logo!

Aviso by ironmaiden

Balance Elements

Our minds naturally enjoy balance so it s important that the elements in your logo balance with each other. Here are a few key rules to remember:

Play around with the size and line weight of each text and graphic. For example, if your text has bold to thin lines , then your graphic should

have a similar bold to thin feel.

Flip your design upside down. This will help you notice if any areas are thicker or thinner than the rest of the logo.

Strive for a square layout. You want to compose the logo so it can be easily added to different mediums, like banners and letterheads, without

making the space around it awkward.

Create Original Work

This rule is quite simple: DONT COPY OTHER DESIGNERS!

Your work needs to be 100% original and not a combination of elements from others. Being original also means NEVER using stock or clip art in your

designs.

As a designer, you need to distinguish your OWN style this is what makes successful designers stand out from the rest.

Now that youve gotten brushed up on these basic logo rules, dive in further and click through The Best Logo Design Resources.

Tags: Designer Tips, Good Logos, logo design



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Design Tips in Tweets August 6th 25th

August 26, 2011


on design by arsenix

Here are some awesome designer tips and resources that 99designs.com recently shared via twitter@99designs .

0 Fresh and Beautiful Fonts From 2011 http://bit.ly/qDvP5B

The Best Of 2011: Trendy Web Designs From Deviantart http://bit.ly/oW6O50

Logo Design: Continuous Line http://bit.ly/mOHPMX

3 Creative Book Cover Designs and Their Story http://bit.ly/pLvWue

A Showcase of 50 Black & White Creative Package Designs http://bit.ly/oxkWe1

A Selection of Impressive Identity Designs http://bit.ly/nlnESt

4 Cool Flyer Designs For Inspiration http://bit.ly/raIXJ5

The Inside Secrets of Logo Development: Part 1 http://bit.ly/nLmmlZ

0 New Business Card Designs Released this Month of August http://bit.ly/qO7Ypx

The Importance Of Writing In Web Design http://bit.ly/nEadgE

Want to read more cool stuff? Follow 99designs on facebookand twitter!

Tags: Designer Tips, Tips and tweets


5 Important Typography RulesAugust 25, 2011


4 comments


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f graphic design had a very important persons section, typography would be one of the top VIPs. Your logo might have a great layout, but without

ood type it wont receive positive feedback.

Since typography can make or break a design, it is important to understand these 5 typography rules:

Leading

eading is the space between lines of text and is generally measured from baseline to baseline of each sentence. Leading is important when setting paragraphs because it influences

he legibility of the text. If there is no leading then lines will feel cramped. If there is too much leading then the space will create disconnected lines.

There are different ways to change leading depending on the program you use. The rule of thumb is to use a leading that is 2 pts above the fonts

eight. For example, if you are using a 10pt font then the leading should be 12pts. This can vary depending on the font different fonts need different

inespacing.

Tracking and Kerning

Tracking and Kerning are similar in that they both refer to the adjustment of space between type.

So, whats the difference? Tracking is the adjustment of space between a GROUP of letters. Kerning is the adjustment of space between individual

etters. Tracking should be adjusted so letters dont run into each other during the printing stage. It also helps by improving the readability and density

f text.

Kerning is effective and improves the overall readability for headlines, ALL CAPS, and logos. Kerning can be helpful, but dont get carried away. If a

ompanys name is meant to be one word, dont make it look like two.


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Serif vs. San-Serif Fonts

Serifs are those dash-structures added at the end of letters and symbols. When it comes to lengthy books or magazines, using a serif type is the best.

Serifs sit better on the baseline and help lead the readers eye to the next word. This makes reading more sustainable for longer periods of time.

San-serifs are typefaces without serifs. San-serifs look simpler and are easier to read at lower-resolutions. Web designs often use san-serif fonts such as

Verdana, Arial, etc.

Number of Typefaces

Pairing different type faces can make your layout dynamic, but using too many can be distracting. When too many fonts are used the viewer becomes

unclear of what elements are important.

The general rule is to use three or less fonts per project. For example, two fonts are used for the headline and body text. The fonts could then be

bolded, italicized, and sized for subheadings, CAPTIONS, and other design elements.

The longer the design document, the more fonts you can use. However, when it comes to brochures, ads, or any other short documents it is better to

use one or two fonts.

Length of Text Lines

When looking at a newspaper, you might notice the articles are divided into columns. Shorter lines of text help break up the articles so they are easier

o read. The human eye naturally tires when it reads long lines of text.

Although the exact character count is difficult to predict, the general rule is to have no more than 50-60 characters on each line. This is a standard

umber and should be altered depending on the design project.

The same rule can apply to headlines. Although headlines are generally less than 50 characters, shortening the one-line sentence can be beneficial. For

xample, if you are working with the heading, Hundreds of Design Opportunities at Your Fingertips, you can make it easier to read by breaking it

part:


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Make sure to cut the sentence so it keeps a flow in the viewers reading. Also, dont be scared to play with font size so the lines match up.

Although these 5 rules are important, there are a ton of other typography rules to learn heres a cool place to start : ilovetypography.com

Tags: Designer Tips, ilovetypography.com, typography


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