Re: Color Schemes

Generally, I start my designs with the images I plan to use for them, and either pull the color scheme directly from them, use variations of those hues with more/less saturation, or use colors that complement/contrast what's in the images based on layout decisions. If I'm working in Illustrator on an original image, I find a base color that I've had in my head, or that I've found through research, and then I use the little color wheel icon under the color palette (not swatches, but the other one), and scroll through color schemes using different color rules. You can try Kuler for this, too, but it only gives you rgb/hexadecimal values, which is less helpful for print designs. When a project is web-based, I like this site: Color by HailPixel. I like having such large portions of the screen to see how the colors interact. Be careful, though--it can be a time-suck because it's a bit mesmerizing. Ultimately, I usually try to make color decisions that create references for the viewer that connect to whatever thematic concept I have in mind for the project: for an imagined scholarship program sponsored by the LEGO brand, I took their primaries to crimson, gold, and navy, so the new brand referenced their colors but read as more collegiate. For a project with an imagined subject obsessed with being on the vanguard of fashion, dance, and art, I pulled the color scheme from the pantone colors for the seasons ahead. For a campaign supporting a program for reading to kids, I used bright Suessian colors.