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Text and photo: Lasse Andreassen
We perceive colours intuitively, based on associations, learning and emotions. A colour is perceived very fast and communicates
with you long before you have time to turn on the intellectual filter. Colours appeal in a greater extent to feelings than
sound, text messages and photos, which requires some analysis and interpretation before the brain responds to the impression.
Therefore, the colour scheme is very important in graphic design, says graphic designers Sissel Tangen and Heidi Horn Mossing.
The two colleagues express themselves with convincing force. Together with more than 20 others colleagues they both work daily
with colours, typography, illustration, layout and strategic advisory services in the communication house Signatur. Signatur
is divided into three focus areas: Signatur Corporate assists with the development and dissemination of financial communications.
Signatur Identity works with identity and brand management and Signatur Advice assists customers with the development, strengthening
and clarification of corporate cultures.
The controlled anarchy reigns
- Are there rules for using colour, composition and colour scheme? - Not in my book" says Tangen. - Many operate with the
"truths" such as the red and pink do not go together. Why? We do not have rules like that. Obsolete compounds can provide
surprising and interesting nuances that should not be depreciated until they are tested. Red and pink may go well together
in a special form, or if one colour is given more weight than the other. I would like to try things out before I come to firm
conclusions" says Tangen.
Do not violate rules for any cost
- But when it is said, says Mossing, - if there are no rules, then there is knowledge and experience that gives certain colour
combinations chances of survival. To launch a red refrigerator and believe in volume sales, will be to believe in Santa. The
colour red signals heat, while a refrigerator should be cold. Red = hot is such a universal association that it will be smarter
to experiment elsewhere in the colour map. It is no coincidence that most of freezers and refrigerators are white, black or
silver, says Mossing.
What kind of colour is this company?
- What is the first phase of the colour scheme when you are going to create a profile for a client? - It is to acquaint themselves
with the activities, what they are working with, who the employees are, what groups they are working against, etc. Is this
an old business in a conservative industry? Is the most important target youth? Is there a company with feminine and masculine
values, and products? Is there a company with a primary focus on the environment? There are thousands relevant issues, all
of which can give good pointers on where in the colour scheme they are. Conservative industries as banking, insurance and
finance often associated with blue, silver and other cool, masculine colours. But then comes the next question: "Will we highlight
that we are different, or we will highlight belonging in this tradition?. Colours can also be used to highlight the distance
to competitors; "We are different." The danger is that people perceive the company as less serious.
Colours directs much more
- How early in the process is colour a theme? - Early!, says Tangen. - Colour choices mean a lot for several future choices.
Not least is the graphical element's planned use important. On print almost everything works, including bright, light colours.
On a PC screen it is not quite so simple. There the light colours have a tendency to disappear and it’s important to use colours
with power, or at least have such options in the company's colour palette. As a rule, it is wise to start with a main colour
and complement it with 1, 2 or 3 complementary colours. It is important to give yourself the opportunity to solve future tasks
in accordance with the graphic profile and think carefully about the usage in advance. There are examples of older, extremely
long logos that were designed before the television and computer screens were thought of. They appear rather modest on-screen,
says Tangen, who emphasizes that a graphic profile should ensure unity and identity without giving hopeless limitations.
Emulate or stand out?
- Is it possible to find colour combinations that have not been used before, Mossing? - Yes, that I believe, at least if we
think hairline nuances. But it's never stupid to do a little research beforehand. In Norway the combination blue and yellow
says "Sweden" and "IKEA", while the dark blue and orange easily is associated with Statoil. In North America your new logo
in black and orange will be associated with Halloween. It is legitimate to select well-known colour combinations, but you
have to make a proper assessment of how useful it is. Usually it is often better to create your own expression, says Mossing.
A tool for the entire business
Tangen and Mossing confirms that the graphic profile and colour palette should be introduced as a management tool at all levels
of the company. Should colour and design do an important job, the items must be used consistently. The colours, the graphical
elements and typography should go back down to the smallest detail. Therefore, they always make a user manual to their customers.
- It is necessary with a manual in printed or web-based form, says Tangen. - The company's employees and suppliers will not
have to guess at anything. The manual may well be easy, but it should be able to answer most questions. How should you place
a logo on a T-shirt? Can I use the logo on a green background?
Save for the effects
- Can I use the new fine colours of the text of the brochure I make? - Nope, not if we can decide! Our premise is that the
text should be black or dark gray. Colours can be used, but with caution and only in vignettes, large headlines etc. It is
a good principle. Use colours in fact boxes, panels, frames etc. If you need other colours than in the profile for a printed
document, it is a good idea to retrieve colour shades from photographs that are in use on the same page. Then your printed
document will appear more whole and complete, says Tangen.
Layer cake charts
- Would you like another tip? asks Mossing. - To put together a colour palette with 2, 3, 4, 5 colours, it's a good idea to
create a "graphic layer cake" of the nuances. Then you will quickly discover if the composition match each other, or if you
need to adjust some of the nuances. As I leave Signatur, I hear high shout behind me in the corridor. - Do not forget to take
pictures? the designers giggle. Then I turn red. As a refrigerator.
