Colour is one of the most fun parts of designing but it can also make or break a design. Sara, Head of Design & Strategy, explains how she uses colour to create impact.
In the studio, we love to experiment with colour and see what works and doesn’t work during our design process.
Every designer has a colour palette they’re automatically drawn to and it’s important to try and push yourself to use new combinations. Here at Longina Phillips Designs, we send weekly colour reports to our in-house designers to inspire them them with new, fashion-forward colour concepts.
Colour can be a powerful tool when you use it correctly.
Sara’s colour check list
1. USE A RANGE OF TONES
Try to cover off lights, mediums and darks with enough tonal separation between each that they ‘read’ differently when printed.
2. BALANCE BRIGHTS WITH A MID
Got a vibrant design? Add a mid-toned hue for pockets of quiet amongst the visual noise.
3. USE ALL MIDS
At the moment mid-tones are the most highly sort after in commercial high street apparel. It’s a reaction to our increased screen-time (muted tones are such a welcome reprieve from all the glaring bright lights).
4. BREAK THE RULES
Designing for high summer? Off-set bright warm tones with pastels, dusty or grey tones. It’s not really expected and feels very now.
5. FOCUS ON FLOW
Your colour distribution is just as important as the colours you pick so experiment with the flow of the colour on the page and see how it can transform your design.
6. GO OUTSIDE
Look at the different colours within leaves and flowers. Nature-inspired palettes are relatable and always go together.
7. MAKE LIKE PICASSO
Blue is the key to creating a nice transeasonal print. Use it as a background or in flowers and foliage.
8. DO IT BY HAND
Print your favourite colours, cut them into squares, then arrange and rearrange them in different combinations to create new palettes. We find this process more fun when it’s manual. Plus, it’s always good to get off the computer!
9. PLAY AROUND
Create new trends and don’t be scared. Have a vision of how you want your design to turn out but always be open to adding new hues and highlight colours.
Have fun!
Want a colour combo cheat sheet? We know which colour palettes will be popular in future and we’ve packed our Freelancer’s Kit with them! Read about it here.