by Design Practical Exercise – Protecting Variable Design Choices and Color
In the world of design, making choices is essential. From selecting the perfect typography to deciding on the layout of a website, designers are constantly making decisions that impact the overall look and feel of their work. One crucial aspect of design is color, as it can convey emotions, create contrast, and influence the overall tone of a design.
However, with so many variables involved in the design process, protecting variable design choices and colors can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll explore some practical exercises that designers can use to safeguard their design choices and colors.
Understand the importance of color in design
Color plays a significant role in design, as it can evoke different emotions and feelings in viewers. For example, warm colors like red and orange can create a sense of warmth and energy, while cool colors like blue and green can create a calming and relaxing atmosphere. Understanding the psychology of color and how it influences perception is crucial for designers looking to protect their design choices.
Create a color palette
One way to protect variable design choices and colors is to create a color palette for your project. A color palette is a set of colors that work well together and can be used consistently throughout your design. By establishing a color palette early on in the design process, you can ensure that your design remains cohesive and visually appealing.
When creating a color palette, consider factors like the brand’s identity, target audience, and design goals. Choose colors that reflect the brand’s personality and resonate with your target audience. Use tools like Adobe Color or Coolors to generate color palettes and experiment with different color combinations.
Limit the number of colors used
While it can be tempting to use a variety of colors in your design, limiting the number of colors can help to protect your design choices and create a more cohesive look. Try to stick to a few key colors from your color palette and use them consistently throughout your design. This will help to create a sense of unity and harmony in your design.
Consider color contrast and readability
When selecting colors for your design, it’s essential to consider factors like color contrast and readability. Ensure that there is enough contrast between text and background colors to make the text easily readable. Use tools like the WCAG Color Contrast Checker to test the contrast ratio between colors and ensure that your design is accessible to all users.
Protecting design choices with style guides
Another practical exercise for protecting design choices and colors is creating a style guide for your project. A style guide is a document that outlines the design principles, typography, color palette, and other visual elements used in your project. By creating a style guide, you can establish clear guidelines for future design decisions and ensure consistency across all design assets.
Include detailed descriptions of color choices, typography, and layout in your style guide. Provide examples of how colors should be used, such as primary and secondary colors, accent colors, and background colors. Include guidelines for typography, such as font sizes, styles, and weights. By creating a thorough style guide, you can protect your design choices and ensure that your design remains cohesive and on-brand.
Testing design choices with user feedback
Finally, testing your design choices with user feedback is essential for protecting your design choices and colors. Conduct user testing to gather feedback on your design from real users and identify areas for improvement. Ask users to provide feedback on the visual elements of your design, such as color choices, typography, and layout.
Use tools like UsabilityHub or UserTesting to conduct remote user testing and gather feedback from a diverse group of users. Analyze the feedback you receive and make adjustments to your design based on user insights. By testing your design choices with user feedback, you can ensure that your design is visually appealing, accessible, and effective.
In conclusion, protecting variable design choices and colors is essential for creating visually appealing and cohesive designs. By understanding the importance of color in design, creating a color palette, limiting the number of colors used, considering color contrast and readability, creating a style guide, and testing design choices with user feedback, designers can safeguard their design choices and ensure that their designs are effective and on-brand. By following these practical exercises, designers can create designs that resonate with their audience and achieve their design goals.
