COLOR

8. Define Space with Color

Color is a way to make modules or sections stand out. Color defines space as well as helps to organize elements within a space. Color also enlivens a page and provides a psychological signal for the kind of message that’s being conveyed. When setting up colors, consider the audience. Saturated colors attract attention, while desaturated colors support the material in a more understated way. Too many colors can cause a piece to be busy and hard to naviagate.

A CRUCIAL PRODUCTION NOTE ABOUT COLOR

We live in an RGB world, in which both clients and designers view almost everything on screen. Colors on screen are luminous, saturated, beautiful, and RGB. However, there is a big difference between color on screen and on paper. Be aware that traditional four-color printing will require the careful choice of paper and a good amount of color correcting to approximate the luminosity of the color seen on screen.

Project
Color Design Workbook

Client
Rockport Publishers

Design
AdamsMorioka, Inc.

Designers
Sean Adams, Monica Schlaug

Spreads from this book demonstrate how color can serve a strong function as well as add a strong and bright presence to a piece.

Colors can act as containers for separate bits of information.

Color sets off blocks of information, whether it is used in modules, boxes, or blocks. Modules can be quasiornamental—setting off colored boxes against boxes containing text—or functional, helping to differentiate between various kinds of boxed text.