Using colour when designing posters

By its very nature, a poster should be designed with an emotive purpose in mind. Whether fighting for attention amongst a crowd of other posters, or as a standalone feature with which you want to leave a mark on those who see it, posters need to be created in such a way that they resonate with their audience. One of the most effective ways to do this is with the use of colour.

But how do you use palettes and tones in a way that really hits home with an audience? In this guide we’re going to look at everything you need to know about the colour wheel and how to use it, as well as the different kinds of psychological triggers that some colours have on our brains. By understanding these factors in more detail, you’ll be able to successfully implement colour theory in your poster designs.

Understanding the colour wheel

As the name suggests, the colour wheel is a pinwheel of different colours, used as a tool to explain the relationship of colours with each other. The wheel helps us define colour more logically and shows which colours contrast or complement one and other in poster design.

There are 12 core colours on a standard wheel. These are broken down into three different categories:

• Primary colours – Red, blue and yellow. These colours are the basis for all other colours on the wheel.
• Secondary colours – Green, purple (violet) and orange. These three colours are made by combining two primary colours together.
• Tertiary colours – These colours go by a number of names, and are the mix of each primary or secondary colour with its direct neighbour on the wheel. For example, Red-Orange or Blue-Green.

Here’s what a full 12-colour wheel looks like:

Source

For those wanting to delve even deeper into colour theory for the most effective poster design, the wheel can also be broken down by the tint, tone, shade and hue. These are:

• Hue – The pure colour itself
• Tint – The hue mixed with white
• Tone – The hue mixed with grey
• Shade – The hue mixed with black

By blending hues with neutral colours like grey, white and black, three separate wheels can be added within an original. This in turn creates a wheel with 48 different shades of colour. That wheel might look more like this:

Source

By seeing where these colours sit on the wheel, it’s easier to know which colours do or don’t work together. Generally speaking, those which mirror each other (such as blue and orange, or yellow and purple) complement each other well.

If you’re looking to create a warmer or more friendly feel, colours on the right of the wheel tend to be the best, while cooler colours sit to the left. It’s also handy to use the wheel when choosing what colour to make your font. For example, if your poster is primarily white or light orange, a yellow font will be hard to read. The same applies to a purple font on a blue background.

Using too many colours is another way to turn people off a poster. Try to keep your dominant colours to a maximum of three. If you want to know what colours work together, turn to the wheel again and pick three which sit equidistant apart for a perfect balance.

Understanding the psychology of colour

Colour has an emotive impact on the way our brains think. While it might not be immediately obvious to us, colours can subconsciously lead us to perceive something in a certain way and even make decisions. This is a tactic you can use to have a specific desired effect when creating a poster. Here are some good examples of different types of colour and their impact on the way we think when we see them.

Blue

Blue is thought to have a calming and peaceful effect on the mind and it’s also related to productivity. Workplaces sometimes use it to promote trust and focus, while marketing campaigns might use shades of blue to reduce stress and promote serenity. All in all, blue is thought to make people feel safe.

Words people associate with blue: Wisdom, hope, reason, peace, safety, trust, loyalty

Yellow

Yellow is most commonly associated with happiness and creativity. It’s a warm colour that can be used to promote a sense of vigour and cheerfulness. It also is a signifier of a fresh or new beginning, born out of a desire to grow. While ultimately uplifting when used in moderation, excess amounts of yellow can also cause some to feel anxious.

Words people associate with yellow: Hope, joy, anxiety, optimism, creativity, fresh starts

Red

Red is a powerful colour that usually triggers an emotive response. Love, passion and anger are all strongly associated with it, as well as strength and even danger. Red can give confidence to those struggling to find any and it has been shown to stimulate people by raising their blood pressure.

Words people associate with red: Energy, vigour, power, passion, passion, danger, strength, love

Pink

Compassion and calmness are closely associated with the colour pink, alongside a soft and gentle nature. It’s good to use pink in environments where the aim is to soothe or nurture. These traits lead many to view it as a more feminine colour. The bolder shade of hot pink can spark boldness and a sense of vibrancy.

Words people associate with pink: Soft, reserved, soothing, calm, bold, feminine

Green

Nature, growth and all things harmonic are what we most closely associate with the colour green. It can also represent self-confidence, security and a reliance on one’s self. Darker shades of green can also promote financial prosperity as well as organic and environmentally friendly values. Green is also sometimes tied to feelings of envy or and jealousy.

Words people associate with green: Nature, harmony, security, self-confidence, financial prosperity, organic, envy

Purple

The colour of spirituality and imagination, purple is an introspective colour that allows us to feel compassion, empathy and tranquillity. Royalty and wealth are also closely associated with it, which in turn makes us think of a sense of high quality, glamour and even beauty. This makes it a good choice for those wanting to promote a premium service.

Words people associate with purple: Spirituality, imagination, wealth, quality, beauty

Black

Black is another powerful colour that many associate with elegance and sophistication, and there’s also an other-worldly quality to this colour, which inspires an element of mystery. A striking colour by nature, too much black can actually have an intimidating impact on the brain, which is why it’s often used to promote someone’s authority.

Words people associate with black: Sophistication, power, intimidation, mystery, authority

Most popular colours to choose

With the psychology of colour playing such a large role in decision-making, it’s no surprise that studies have been carried out to learn more about what colours are the most popular to choose for product design.

One of the most prominent was that of Academy of Marketing Science researchers Lauren Labrecque and George Milne. They found that, of the many companies who could be found on the Fortune 500 list, there was one hue that stood out from the crowd: blue.

This choice is no doubt in part related to the calm, trustworthy and security-focused feelings our brain associates with this colour. When it came to specific industries, it was those who needed to promote these ideals where blue was used the most in logo design – such as finance, technology, health, and insurance.

Red was the next most popular choice, followed by green, black, yellow, orange, and purple respectively. Food and retail industries, which want to promote a visceral response to trigger a purchase, relied heavily on the emotive power of red to secure a purchase.

A recent study by ColorWhistle delved into this further. They showed which colour, or colours, had the biggest impact across a number of different industries when it came to branding and marketing:

• Red – Retail, healthcare
• Blue – Finance, healthcare, technology, insurance
• Yellow – Fitness, digital services
• Green – Environmentally friendly services, healthcare, outdoor services
• Orange – Fitness, logistics, technology
• Purple – Luxury, technology, design
• Black – Fashion, finance, automotive
• White – Wellness, technology, medicine

Explore Perfect Colours’ printers to create powerful posters

The colours you choose when designing a poster need to make sense, but it’s also important not to overlook the emotional and psychological impact that they can have on your audience.

If you’re considering creating your own poster using these colour secrets, you’ll want to guarantee your finished product is of high quality. The best way to do that is by using one of our wide and large format printers to create it.

Each of these machines are capable of printing up to 100 inches wide (254 cm), and can be used to create a wide variety of posters, canvas prints, graphic designs and more. We stock Epson, HP and Canon models.

Make sure to check out our full range if you’re looking for a reliable and high-quality way to print out your posters.