1 In today's digital age, we often rely on screens to present our work,
but it's important to remember that what we see on screen
may not always accurately represent reality.
A glossy screen with bright light can seduce us into thinking that what we see is pretty amazing,
but in reality, printing and monitor calibration
drastically affect the colors
and overall appearance of our work.
For example,
when designing for print,
the type of paper and printing process affects the color.
The colors will appear different when printed on glossy paper versus matte paper,
and the saturation and vibrancy of the colors may be affected by the type of ink and printing technique used.
In three-dimensional design,
I consider the environment where the solution will live.
The
lighting, background, and other elements in the space can greatly affect how the colors appear.
Even the slightest difference in color can make a huge difference in the reception of our work.
Like everyone, I've had times when a project went sideways at the first presentation.
I designed an annual report for a client that took advantage of the color palette I created with the identity system.
The corporate palette was a crucial element of the brand identity.
The colors represented the brand to position their
values, mission, and strategy.
The palette was carefully considered with association and emotions,
cultural meanings, and the ability to stand out in a crowded market.
My client asked to meet online for the presentation.
Once everyone was on screen,
I walked the group through the research,
explorations, and final version.
At
the end, the creative director quietly said, thank
you.
They
were obviously disappointed in
the work, but were still trying to be polite and professional.
I
closed the meeting confused.
The
next day, I asked her about the negative reception.
She explained that the solution made sense,
was smart, and solved the problem,
but they were disappointed and a little upset that I ignored the corporate color palette that they loved and switched to something,
as she said, could of course be very hip to designers,
but to us looked kind of sick.
I
had the right colors,
but the monitor on their end had odd RGB settings.
After a tech adjusted their screen,
everything was swell again.
Lesson learned.
Now
I send a physical printed version of the project to go through while I present online.
This may seem like an unnecessary step,
but it will save you the embarrassment of someone thinking you know absolutely nothing about color.
When
it comes to working on any design project,
it's important to consider
the context in which it will be seen.
This
means placing the design in its intended environment to see how it looks and works within the space.
For example, if you're designing a billboard,
it's helpful to see a mock-up of the billboard in the exact neighborhood.
We typically don't have the luxury of testing something at true scale.
Use
Photoshop to place it in the real world situation.
This
gives one a sense of how the colors,
typography, and other design elements interact with the surrounding environment,
and we can make adjustments as needed.
By
testing a solution in context,
we can identify potential issues or challenges that may arise when the project is actually implemented.
For example, I might discover that certain colors or design elements are difficult to see or read,
or that the colors change in certain lighting conditions like fluorescent lights.
To create mock-up covers,
I mock up the cover on a bookshelf or in a display to see how it will look in a bookstore and how it will compete with the other books.
Here,
the red cover worked well against the predominant blue tones.
Chances are good that a book will primarily be sold online,
so I created a mock-up of the cover on a website to see what colors will work best at a tiny thumbnail size.
This
can also help to identify any issues
with the design, such as legibility,
that may not be apparent when viewing the cover at full size.
Placing the design in its intended environment is a powerful way to communicate the effectiveness of the design solution to clients.
It helps them see why you made certain choices to help it stand out, communicate,
or interact with the environment.
In
this example, I wanted to prove that black and white work better than a rainbow of colors.
Putting the cards in the actual bakery case made the reasoning pretty clear.
Now,
we take for granted that everyone can envision how design looks in three dimensions.
A flat two-dimensional representation of a design can be limiting and may not
accurately convey the full impact.
A 3D mock-up helps clients see the reality.
By
creating this 3D mock-up,
they're able to better understand how the design will look in real-world situations.
For
example, in packaging design,
a three-dimensional mock-up allows the client to see how the colors and forms work together on a cylindrical shape next to each other.
When
designing for large format applications,
such as billboards, consider how the design will appear when viewed from a distance.
Creating
mock-ups of the design in prominent locations,
such as a billboard on the street,
can help to identify any issues.
By
placing the design in as many locations as possible,
I can also get a better sense of how the solution will interact with its surroundings and be perceived by the audience.
For example, if the design is intended to promote a play,
placing the design on a different street billboard helps to understand its effectiveness.
At
times, I print out and hang copies of a solution from my studio printer.
Here,
I printed out the environmental graphics in pieces and taped them up just to see how the light affected it.
I'm glad I did.
The light yellow looked like sickly,
exorcist pea green in the fluorescent light.
This wasn't apparent in my office.
I
changed the graphics to black and white.
Keep
in mind that these mock-ups are only tools to help you evaluate the design in different contexts and identify any potential issues or areas for improvement.
So don't freak out about an image being a little wonky.
It's
important to remember that these mock-ups don't have to be perfect.
The goal is to inform your choices and refine the design,
not to create perfect, photorealistic images.
Remember, you don't need magnificent high-resolution cinema CGI images.
Now
back to Sundance.
In this example,
I used photographs from previous festivals to mock up the work in Park City in the winter.
I was giving a sense of how the design would look and function in those settings,
which helped to refine the solution and make better decisions about the colors.
Some
colors blended in and were difficult to distinguish from other elements in the environment.
Bright,
bold colors clashed with the surroundings.
This was overwhelming and detracted from the overall aesthetic of the event.
In
these settings, there's a lot of visual noise,
so choosing colors that popped with contrast
and the right volume helped the design stand out and catch people's attention and still work with the environment.
Since
viewers access much of the information in Festival Graphics Online,
I explored the RGB color options that allowed me to use colors that were extremely vibrant and bright on screen.
It
became clear that the more subtle colors in the palette were not standing out.
The brown color was too close to the backgrounds, resulting in a
lackluster appearance.
I needed to refine the color choices to ensure that the design had more punch.
As I've said before,
the worst thing we can do as designers is bore the viewer.
I
increased the saturation of the brown to red, added yellow,
and made the blue more intense.
The
design became more vibrant and dynamic.
The red stood out more prominently against the other colors and didn't blend in with the background.
The blue became a
stronger accent color that helped to balance the palette.
This
adjustment made the solution improve
its functionality to communicate the energy of the festival.
I
also made adjustments to the palette based on lighting conditions outside.
It might be fine at noon,
but dull at 3 p.m.
Again,
turning up the volume on the red,
adding yellow, and making the blue more intense helped the colors to stand out regardless of the light.
The
William Tell poster worked well in larger scale,
but disappeared as a smaller street banner when seen from a distance.
The design element and colors that looked vibrant and clear close up,
or in a large format,
weren't as visible or distinguishable when reduced in size.
In
this case, adjusting the color wasn't enough,
so I switched to a simpler solution,
the Adam and Eve story.
With increased contrast between the
design elements and the background.
Using
pure white, black, and dense red for the Adam and Eve poster worked in many different environments.
By
simplifying the color palette,
the poster maintained its impact and legibility at a larger scale and from a distance.
After
living with the bright pink and green on-screen color,
I found that the super bright RGB colors looked too much like a rave and were starting to annoy me.
The richer blue, light brown, and hot red worked fine as RGB values and felt more appropriate.
I
explored the color palette on many other items for the festival,
such as the stationery, press guide,
and catalog covers and postcards.
In the end,
the palette would be on many items in all types of settings.
I wanted to refine it to work cohesively,
while giving the designer the freedom to create different messages.
As
I refined the colors,
working with them in context,
I adjusted the palette,
changing the CMYK RGB and Pantone colors.
I also deleted colors that I found I never used or just didn't work.
After all, it's my palette and I can do whatever I want with it.
This part of the process is a back and forth approach.
Don't fall in love with a color and refuse to change or lose it.
You can always use it on another project.
So
often, we as designers and our clients look at design on a screen,
pristine and flawless, or in a presentation treated like a piece of art in a gallery.
However, it's important to remember that design does not exist in a vacuum.
It is meant to be seen and interacted with in the real world.
By
placing our explorations in an environment,
we can better understand how the design will function and how it will be perceived.
This helps us refine color,
typography, and layout to ensure that the design is effective and impactful.
It's a critical part of the design process that should not be overlooked or undervalued.
Design
doesn't live in a void.
It's always somewhere.