🖼️—10*: Things you don’t know about Color and...an Inspiration✨
Looking closely
Welcome to Typogram’s FontDiscovery newsletter, written by your resident font and design nerd, Hua. Each issue is full of visual examples, and the best view is on the browser here. You can also read it on our blog.
This is issue 10*, an asterisk issue. In asterisk issues, we do quick summaries of recently featured fonts and dive-in on a specific topic about design and trends. If you have anything you have questions about or want me to cover, I am always all ears.
Hey there 👋
How was your weekend?
It was sunny for me this weekend, so I decided to spend time away from the computer and take a walk. It turned out to be an excellent decision because now I have a little story I would like to share with you. Below are what I jotted down.
March 6, 2021 at 7:43 pm
Today I went out to get some sun. I am glad I did because I get to tell you an inspiring story.
There is a little mom-and-pop soup dumpling place about 20 minutes away from my apartment. It's a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place, tucked at the back of an alley between two buildings. It only has two dine-in tables. However, their soup dumpling is fantastic, and they always had pretty good business. I try to come here on my walk whenever I can.
Today when I went there, things were different. Their outdoor space was less tidy than usual. The lights were dimmed. I hurried my pace and opened the door. The chairs were up. No one was in there.
My heart sunk.
Disappointed, I closed the door behind me. I walked back to the main street intersection with my head down, ready to head back home. And then, right there, at the corner of my eye. I saw a little red sign with the restaurant's name. It turned out that the owners had moved to a bigger, brighter spot right by the busy intersection. Despite the pandemic's hardship, they stayed in business and even seize the chance to expand. Now, they have several large booth seatings with warm lighting. Another old customer was talking to the owner from a distance, congratulating the owners on the move. It was indeed a fantastic moment. Since the pandemic, many restaurants in my neighborhood have shut their doors permanently. I was beyond ecstatic to see their triumph.
A Quick Review of Last Four Issues
Now, let's get back to our regular programming. In the last few issues, we discovered these fonts:
How to.. Color?
Today, I thought it might be fun to talk about color.
Color is one of the essential elements in art and design. It has defined many moments in art history. Painter Paul Cezanne1 kicked off the Post-Impressionist art movement by reinventing how color is used in landscape paintings. Picasso2 had rose period and blue period, where he only used specific pigments. Artist Yves Klein3 invented his own shade of blue called IK Blue4, and it definitely had a fashion moment in 20135.
If it hasn't crossed your mind, different colors have different meanings. Look at Picasso. His rose period paintings utilized warm colors to produce warmth, whereas his blue period paintings used blue hues to evoke feelings of sadness and loss. Whether it's landing page, or product, or branding, or even social posts, choosing a color can be incredibly important for your brand.
How do you choose the right color?
Some things you can do:
Look at what similar brands in your niche are doing.
Research about what values colors are associated with. I made a simple chart below.
You can create mood boards of things or values that either inspire or are associated with your brand. You can then sample colors from images in your mood boards.
Ta-da, You are done.
Just kidding!
Once you found a color that resonates. It is important to test this color in various environments so there are no surprises. You want to see how this color performs on black and white backgrounds. If it is too bright or vibrant (saturated).
Don't ignore this step, ever.
I have seen too many landing pages use colors that hurt the eyes, or use a color that simply doesn't work with text, or a logo that is barely visible. Checking colors is simple, and it saves you time. Trust me on this.
Some additional suggestions:
For branding, don't use a bunch of colors at once with the same importance.
Have one primary color that people always associate your brand with is a good idea. (Twitch = purple. Home Depot = orange.)
If you have multiple colors, pick a primary color and no more than three secondary colors.
Make up a system for your colors and how to use them, and stick to it.
Phew, you made it to the end
I hope this was helpful! If you wish to know more, you can also learn about color systems on our blog.
Our time today is a little longer than usual. Hopefully, I didn't ramble too much. 😀Before we say goodbye, I want to know what you think of this post. Was there anything confusing? Is there something specific you want me to cover? Reply directly to this email to let me know your thoughts or dm me on Twitter, @HuaTweets. I want to create content you enjoy!
If you like our newsletter, please share it with someone who finds it useful. Have a lovely week and see you in the next issue! 👋