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Design Tip from a Pro: "When Working with Color, Stay Flexible!"
The pros don't make those big bucks for nothing. Professional graphic designers put a lot of forethought into their design and color decisions. And many of the deciding factors are not artistic, but technical. One of the technical tips we picked up from Eric Scott, a graphic designer in Santa Monica, California, is to keep a logo's colors flexible so you can use it in a variety of ways.
Logos cost a lot of money to have designed. By anticipating that you may use yours in a variety of ways, you can keep the color scheme flexible enough so one logo can always do the trick, thus saving money. Here's how Eric approaches a logo design:
"The first thing I think about when I consider color is reproducibility. If the logo's going to be used on the web or on TV, I have very different considerations than if it will be used solely in print."
Because a logo may be called upon to work in many different capacities -- in print, packaging, letterhead, television advertising, and the Internet -- Eric tries to design his logos to have flexibility, sometimes not even committing to a single color scheme.
For example, says Eric, "In working with the identity and brand for the record label Day For Night, a logo resembling a rubber-stamped and serial-numbered indicia, the idea for its use on packaging was that it should remain unobtrusive and fit in with the overall package design. I found it necessary to address issues of color every time the logo was to be used.
"Over the past 6 years, the Day For Night brand has been reversed white out of a black background; it has been shown as a slate gray logo on a red background; and it was used with a single deep brown ink to evoke the feeling of an old discolored ink pad. The goal has always been to convey a handmade, and therefore personalized, quality with both the business identity and the individual packaging."
So, if you know your logo will be used in a variety of applications, try to stay flexible in your color choices. Try designing first in black and white, or two other colors, rather than a rainbow of colors. Use a graphic image that doesn't dictate a specific color scheme. And try your logo out in different media, such as the Internet, perhaps even adding animation (animated GIFs are prevalent on the Web these days).
And, for more on color and graphic design, sample these tasty morsels from the Fridge:
What Color Are Your Customers?
Colorful Business Cards that Are Easy -- and Inexpensive
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