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In today's digital age, we often rely on screens to present our work,

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but it's important to remember that what we see on screen

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may not always accurately represent reality.

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A glossy screen with bright light can seduce us into thinking that what we see is pretty amazing,

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but in reality, printing and monitor calibration

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drastically affect the colors

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and overall appearance of our work.

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For example,

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when designing for print,

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the type of paper and printing process affects the color.

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The colors will appear different when printed on glossy paper versus matte paper,

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and the saturation and vibrancy of the colors may be affected by the type of ink and printing technique used.

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In three-dimensional design,

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I consider the environment where the solution will live.

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The

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lighting, background, and other elements in the space can greatly affect how the colors appear.

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Even the slightest difference in color can make a huge difference in the reception of our work.

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Like everyone, I've had times when a project went sideways at the first presentation.

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I designed an annual report for a client that took advantage of the color palette I created with the identity system.

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The corporate palette was a crucial element of the brand identity.

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The colors represented the brand to position their

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values, mission, and strategy.

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The palette was carefully considered with association and emotions,

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cultural meanings, and the ability to stand out in a crowded market.

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My client asked to meet online for the presentation.

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Once everyone was on screen,

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I walked the group through the research,

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explorations, and final version.

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At

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the end, the creative director quietly said, thank

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you.

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They

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were obviously disappointed in

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the work, but were still trying to be polite and professional.

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I

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closed the meeting confused.

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The

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next day, I asked her about the negative reception.

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She explained that the solution made sense,

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was smart, and solved the problem,

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but they were disappointed and a little upset that I ignored the corporate color palette that they loved and switched to something,

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as she said, could of course be very hip to designers,

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but to us looked kind of sick.

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I

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had the right colors,

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but the monitor on their end had odd RGB settings.

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After a tech adjusted their screen,

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everything was swell again.

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Lesson learned.

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Now

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I send a physical printed version of the project to go through while I present online.

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This may seem like an unnecessary step,

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but it will save you the embarrassment of someone thinking you know absolutely nothing about color.

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When

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it comes to working on any design project,

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it's important to consider

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the context in which it will be seen.

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This

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means placing the design in its intended environment to see how it looks and works within the space.

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For example, if you're designing a billboard,

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it's helpful to see a mock-up of the billboard in the exact neighborhood.

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We typically don't have the luxury of testing something at true scale.

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Use

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Photoshop to place it in the real world situation.

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This

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gives one a sense of how the colors,

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typography, and other design elements interact with the surrounding environment,

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and we can make adjustments as needed.

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By

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testing a solution in context,

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we can identify potential issues or challenges that may arise when the project is actually implemented.

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For example, I might discover that certain colors or design elements are difficult to see or read,

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or that the colors change in certain lighting conditions like fluorescent lights.

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To create mock-up covers,

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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.

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Here,

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the red cover worked well against the predominant blue tones.

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Chances are good that a book will primarily be sold online,

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so I created a mock-up of the cover on a website to see what colors will work best at a tiny thumbnail size.

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This

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can also help to identify any issues

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with the design, such as legibility,

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that may not be apparent when viewing the cover at full size.

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Placing the design in its intended environment is a powerful way to communicate the effectiveness of the design solution to clients.

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It helps them see why you made certain choices to help it stand out, communicate,

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or interact with the environment.

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In

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this example, I wanted to prove that black and white work better than a rainbow of colors.

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Putting the cards in the actual bakery case made the reasoning pretty clear.

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Now,

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we take for granted that everyone can envision how design looks in three dimensions.

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A flat two-dimensional representation of a design can be limiting and may not

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accurately convey the full impact.

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A 3D mock-up helps clients see the reality.

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By

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creating this 3D mock-up,

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they're able to better understand how the design will look in real-world situations.

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For

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example, in packaging design,

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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.

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When

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designing for large format applications,

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such as billboards, consider how the design will appear when viewed from a distance.

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Creating

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mock-ups of the design in prominent locations,

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such as a billboard on the street,

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can help to identify any issues.

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By

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placing the design in as many locations as possible,

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I can also get a better sense of how the solution will interact with its surroundings and be perceived by the audience.

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For example, if the design is intended to promote a play,

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placing the design on a different street billboard helps to understand its effectiveness.

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At

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times, I print out and hang copies of a solution from my studio printer.

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Here,

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I printed out the environmental graphics in pieces and taped them up just to see how the light affected it.

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I'm glad I did.

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The light yellow looked like sickly,

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exorcist pea green in the fluorescent light.

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This wasn't apparent in my office.

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I

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changed the graphics to black and white.

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Keep

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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.

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So don't freak out about an image being a little wonky.

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It's

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important to remember that these mock-ups don't have to be perfect.

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The goal is to inform your choices and refine the design,

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not to create perfect, photorealistic images.

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Remember, you don't need magnificent high-resolution cinema CGI images.

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Now

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back to Sundance.

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In this example,

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I used photographs from previous festivals to mock up the work in Park City in the winter.

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I was giving a sense of how the design would look and function in those settings,

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which helped to refine the solution and make better decisions about the colors.

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Some

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colors blended in and were difficult to distinguish from other elements in the environment.

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Bright,

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bold colors clashed with the surroundings.

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This was overwhelming and detracted from the overall aesthetic of the event.

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In

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these settings, there's a lot of visual noise,

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so choosing colors that popped with contrast

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and the right volume helped the design stand out and catch people's attention and still work with the environment.

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Since

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viewers access much of the information in Festival Graphics Online,

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I explored the RGB color options that allowed me to use colors that were extremely vibrant and bright on screen.

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It

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became clear that the more subtle colors in the palette were not standing out.

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The brown color was too close to the backgrounds, resulting in a

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lackluster appearance.

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I needed to refine the color choices to ensure that the design had more punch.

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As I've said before,

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the worst thing we can do as designers is bore the viewer.

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I

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increased the saturation of the brown to red, added yellow,

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and made the blue more intense.

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The

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design became more vibrant and dynamic.

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The red stood out more prominently against the other colors and didn't blend in with the background.

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The blue became a

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stronger accent color that helped to balance the palette.

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This

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adjustment made the solution improve

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its functionality to communicate the energy of the festival.

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I

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also made adjustments to the palette based on lighting conditions outside.

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It might be fine at noon,

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but dull at 3 p.m.

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Again,

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turning up the volume on the red,

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adding yellow, and making the blue more intense helped the colors to stand out regardless of the light.

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The

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William Tell poster worked well in larger scale,

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but disappeared as a smaller street banner when seen from a distance.

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The design element and colors that looked vibrant and clear close up,

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or in a large format,

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weren't as visible or distinguishable when reduced in size.

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In

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this case, adjusting the color wasn't enough,

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so I switched to a simpler solution,

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the Adam and Eve story.

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With increased contrast between the

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design elements and the background.

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Using

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pure white, black, and dense red for the Adam and Eve poster worked in many different environments.

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By

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simplifying the color palette,

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the poster maintained its impact and legibility at a larger scale and from a distance.

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After

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living with the bright pink and green on-screen color,

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I found that the super bright RGB colors looked too much like a rave and were starting to annoy me.

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The richer blue, light brown, and hot red worked fine as RGB values and felt more appropriate.

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I

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explored the color palette on many other items for the festival,

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such as the stationery, press guide,

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and catalog covers and postcards.

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In the end,

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the palette would be on many items in all types of settings.

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I wanted to refine it to work cohesively,

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while giving the designer the freedom to create different messages.

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As

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I refined the colors,

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working with them in context,

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I adjusted the palette,

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changing the CMYK RGB and Pantone colors.

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I also deleted colors that I found I never used or just didn't work.

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After all, it's my palette and I can do whatever I want with it.

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This part of the process is a back and forth approach.

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Don't fall in love with a color and refuse to change or lose it.

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You can always use it on another project.

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So

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often, we as designers and our clients look at design on a screen,

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pristine and flawless, or in a presentation treated like a piece of art in a gallery.

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However, it's important to remember that design does not exist in a vacuum.

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It is meant to be seen and interacted with in the real world.

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By

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placing our explorations in an environment,

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we can better understand how the design will function and how it will be perceived.

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This helps us refine color,

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typography, and layout to ensure that the design is effective and impactful.

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It's a critical part of the design process that should not be overlooked or undervalued.

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Design

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doesn't live in a void.

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It's always somewhere.