Graphic Design: Communicating Through Color

1318 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How colors affect mood essay

Graphic design affects many aspects of one’s life, whether a person recognizes it’s there or not. Graphic design can be found in multiple ways, practically everywhere. From something as simple as a gum wrapper, to a person’s favorite shirt- graphic design can be found in many parts of one’s life. A main key of graphic design lies in the placement and colors used in a certain item. Graphic design allows a way to send a message- a way of communication. Aiga.org explains how graphic design portrays a way of communication. “Suppose you want to announce or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process. In other words, you have a message you want to communicate. How do you “send” it? You could tell people one by one, or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. That’s verbal communication. But if you use any visual medium at all - if you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo; a magazine ad or an album cover; even make a computer printout - you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design.” Graphic design shows up in many aspects of life, though people don’t usually realize it. Though it goes unnoticed, color affects the choices we make. Color can be referred to as “a powerful tool in graphic design” (“Color Theory in Graphic Design”). Color plays the role of gaining attention, choosing between options given, organizing information, and helping your item to “aesthetically pleasing” (“Color Theory in Graphic Design”). The term “aesthetically pleasing” refers to how things look and how one envisions an object. Color evokes many feelings such as anger, happiness, and hunger. Each color plays a different part of evoking specific feelings and emotions. Youthede... ... middle of paper ... ...lor Theory in Graphic Design." Webblog post. Troy Templeman Design. N.p., 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. “Graphic Design Terms.” Graphic Design Terms. N.p., 1998. Web. 12 Oct 2013. Lim, Hongkiat. “Hongkiat.com.” Hongkiatcom RSS. N.p., 2012 Web. 12 Oct. 2013. Praschan, Mark. “Smashing Magazine.” 10 Simple and Impressive Design Techniques. N.p., 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. "Psychological Properties Of Colours - Colour Affects." Psychological Properties Of Colours - Colour Affects. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. "The Graphic Design School Blog." Graphic Design School Blog. N.p., May 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. "What Designers Need To Know." AIGA. N.p., 2013 Web. 12 Oct. 2013. "What is Graphic Design?" AIGA. N.p., 1993. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. Wu, Cadence. "Graphic Design Terms." You The Designer Graphic Design Terms Comments. N.p., 22 Sept. 2007 Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin

    1606 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kaya, Naz. Epps, Helen H. "Relationship Between Color And Emotion: A Study Of college Students." College Student Journal 38.3 (2004): 396-405. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Ineffective Design

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Design is crucial to any webpage you create. Without effective design, it doesn’t matter how good your logic is or how many different things you can do with it. The user does not care whether or not you put your life into that webpage. If it doesn’t do what they want and make it easy to do, the user will find another that meets their needs or desires. As superficial as it may seem, a user cares most about what’s on the surface of your webpage. Maybe your webpage is faster or does things smarter than somebody else’s, but if their design is better, people are going to prefer theirs over yours. A good design is comprised of many different elements. A key aspect of which is color choice. However, even more important than color when making a successful webpage is the user’s patience.

    Read More

  • How Does Color Signify Happiness?

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    We are visual creatures. Colors are a ubiquitous part of our lives and every visual stimulus contains color information. Our moods, thoughts, and behaviors are subliminally influenced by what we see and the array of colors that make up what surround us. We are able to detect 16.7 million different colors (Barker, E., 2004). We use color to know when to stop and go, which fruits and vegetables to buy, and what clothes to wear when going to a sports game. These daily practices create preconceived associations with colors. For example, yellow is sunny and happy, blue is sad, red is angry, etc. Yet, in what context do these correlations change, and how does color affect us on a subliminal level? Does yellow signify happiness because one grew up to believe it does, or does it, in fact, make one feel happier? It is certain that color, one way or another, affects us.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Color On Memory And Memory

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    By comparing the way that color is better at getting us to encode and retain data that is given in this manner compared to that of plain black and white which the standard individual has learned to skim over. Depending on the time that an event, unique situation or important occurrence happens, a series of strong emotions can cause a specific impact upon the memory that is to be recalled, for some this is called a flashbulb memory. (Bower, 1981) Although there have been several other studies that have tried to explain the way that color has an affective reaction and there has been a limited amount of investigation into the idea. A very few have related that either saturation of color or brightness have had any type of positive response with in the study of color psychology. So it may be that within the specific area of hue that we find that we may find a pattern of how the context of given data is processed will cause a production of patterns of behavior not yet seen within the former studies done. We may be able to use the encoding qualities of color and the affective reaction to further influence memory, for we know that the way that different persons see an event at the same time is each seen within a different way and maybe the way to get them on the right track is to give them a

    Read More

  • A Drawing is a Line Going to a Walk

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Drawings can be used as a means for communication by conveying information, ideas or thoughts so it helps develop a project. Designers, filmmakers and advertisers use these drawings to plan the early stages of the creative development.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Graphic Design

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many do not consider where images they see daily come from. A person can see thousands of different designs in their daily lives; these designs vary on where they are placed. A design on a shirt, an image on a billboard, or even the cover of a magazine all share something in common with one another. These items all had once been on the computer screen or on a piece of paper, designed by an artist known as a graphic designer. Graphic design is a steadily growing occupation in this day as the media has a need for original and creative designs on things like packaging or the covers of magazines. This occupation has grown over the years but still shares the basic components it once started with. Despite these tremendous amounts of growth,

    Read More

  • How Does Color Affect Us?

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another idea by Susan Minamyer (2014) is that color makes a big difference, even something so small like the color of your bracelet can either bring good or bad reactions from others. Scientists have studied the after effects of color on feelings and a way of thinking for many years. For example, An experiment resulted in good success as it was figured out that jail cells that are painted pink calms prisioners. It was said that pink is known as a tranquilizing color that saps your energy. The color is so effective that the color blind are tranquilized by pink rooms. It was also believed that skin could read color and the body, emotions and mind react as a Neuropsychologist discovered people who are blindfolded respond to different rays of color. Another study, students used Kaleidoscope Therapy in which serveral light colors are visable around a therapy room....

    Read More

  • Visual Analysis Essay On Discovery

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    To me colors portray numerous aspects of this world that can visually present topics and feelings that are hard to interpret into words. I feel are best represented in color a language well known all over the world, in cultures and civilizations. Whenever I need to express something I struggle to find the right words for others to truly comprehend how I feel, but art is a language that I can speak. A language, in fact, I am able to use in any way in my life especially in art. If I see the color blue mixed with a twinge of purple my interpretation of those colors is that the person feels sad, lonely, and a bit excited about something.

    Read More

  • Photos, Photography, and Images - The Superiority of Images Over Words

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    The battle for superiority and dominance between words and images is long and on-going. Both can be found everywhere, mostly in books, magazines, television, paintings, and movies. However, in more recent years, the dominance of images over words can be seen. In a world where better, faster, and easier communication is necessary, images are a far better option than words. Mitchell Stephens in “By Means of the Visible: A Picture’s Worth,” Ward Churchill in “Crimes Against Humanity,” and the director of Within These Walls, Mike Robe, concur that images such as gestures, symbols, and pictures have a widespread and profound influence. In truth, “painting is much more eloquent than speech, and often penetrates more deeply into one’s heart” (Stephens 473). Thus, images are more powerful than words because they communicate more clearly and concisely, cater for a wider and more diverse audience, and connect with people on a deeper level.

    Read More

  • Color Psychology Essay

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this interesting topic of the psychology of colors, the most crucial pattern is the meaning of each color and his impact on the individual as it is represented as the following:

    Read More

  • Color In Film: The Use Of Color In Film

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    Now that we have established color as a storytelling tool, we can begin to talk about color for aesthetic reasons. The following information on color palettes comes from the article How To Use Color In Film: 50+ Examples of Movie Color Palettes by Mary Risk. Color palettes are the major colors used in a film. There are five main color palettes; monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triadic, and discordant. Also, although these color palettes are used mainly for aesthetic purposes, that does not mean that there are no psychological elements.

    Read More

  • The Ultimate Polo

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cherry, Kendra, and Alex Guest. "Readers Respond: How Does the Color Black Make You Feel?" About.com Psychology. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014

    Read More

  • Propaganda In Graphic Design

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    Graphic design is a visual means of expressing ones view or opinion. It is used globally in many different aspects such as advertising, media and artistic freedom. It has taken a global turn as it is a method that is used almost everyday and appears in everyday life such as store merchandising and branding. A main area where graphic design is most overused is in politics where propaganda is used as a subject at its finest. There are many ways it is used to either pursue or detach itself from a political agenda. Many take more on an illustrative role when it comes to expressing how they feel about a certain topic, however it is very common for existing pieces to be used and manipulated to influencing the public to believe in the politicians

    Read More

  • Why I Want to Be a Graphic Designer

    1749 Words  | 4 Pages

    I was interested particularly in doing graphics design and the visual communication that I was inspired by combining images phrases and ideas to illustrate to the target and audience so that they would impact and react on those kind of illustrated for e.g. the billboards, poster, the product packaging and lots of more advertisement there. There are lots of elements on different types of media that I have already mentioned but there are also examples like Logos which really encourage people and make those people to think about logos. There are also lots of books designs and magazines advertisements thinking from these graphics design use of socially, morally ethical thinking mainly it happens when people do mostly think about positively and negatively so it would affect people’s mind and they would think more in detailed meaning which is called graphical visual communication, to demonstrate the recycle logo which would be advertise the recycling of ‘trees hunger and suffer do recycle paper’.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Design Thinking

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘You cannot hold a design in your hand. It is not a thing. It is a process. A system. A way of thinking.’
Bob Gill, Graphic Design as a Second Language.

    Read More

More about Graphic Design: Communicating Through Color

Open Document