09 Apr Choosing Colors for Your Printed Projects
Printing in color provides a greater opportunity to capture the attention of your audience as well as set the mood for your message. With bright, vibrant colors, you can drum up excitement for an upcoming neighborhood event. Alternatively, muted, earthy tones may be appropriate for flyers educating locals about their current recycling options. No matter what your project is, there are a few ways you can make sure you choose the right colors for printing.
Think About the Mood for the Project
Before you design any printed materials, it’s important to think about intention. Who will be looking at your flyers, posters, brochures, or other printed documents? More importantly, what message do you want that audience to leave with? Different colors can help you catch attention and make the right impression. For example, red and orange tones can create a sense of urgency. If you want your printed project to stand out—perhaps you’re putting it up on a local bulletin board or around a college campus—you may benefit from even bolder color choices, like fuchsia or chartreuse.
Consult the Color Wheel
When you’re printing in color, it’s not often that a monochromatic color scheme is appropriate. So, you’ll want to choose 3-5 colors for your project. To make sure you are achieving a pleasing color combo, look at a color wheel for colors adjacent to your primary selection. Colors on opposite sides of the color wheel also complement each other well. For example, orange and blue create a pleasing combo.
Run Test Prints with Your Favorite Color Combos
If you’re having difficulty landing on the right color choices, run a few test prints first. If your final project is a larger print, such as a poster or sign, you can create some mockups on paper to better visualize your color combos without investing a lot in the test prints.
At Reproductions, Inc., we’re ready to help you produce the best-looking prints for any project, whether it involves posters, sign printing, trade show graphics, or a school assignment. Call (520) 622-7747 to discuss the details of your project with our printing team.