3 Ways In Which Color Can Help Your Advertising Posters More Eye-Catching (Without Using Chartreuse Or Neon)
If you're trying to design a poster that you are going to use for advertising a sale at your business, you know you need to make it noticeable. But you also know that you don't want to make it noticeable for the wrong reasons, such as it being illegible or just plain ugly. The colors you use will play a large role in the impression people get of the poster, so here are three ways in which you can put color to work for you.
Color Combinations
Unless you're using black and white or only one color plus white, you'll have to ensure all the colors on the poster go together and that none of them clash with the background. Sitepoint lists 10 difficult color combinations, such as bright purple on a green background, that are simply tough to look at without blinking furiously. Light colors on a dark background can leave viewers with visual after-impressions that can be annoying.
Try to choose colors that go with each other; you may want to consult color wheels and match colors using those. Use shades that don't make each other look washed out or muddy.
Color Psychology
The colors you use are going to affect people's moods. Color psychology has been around for a while and is in constant use in advertising. Art Therapy notes some basic examples: blue can be calm, orange can induce appetites, red can be warmth-inducing, and purple can be creative.
Depending on what you're advertising, you may want to use colors like blue and green to denote calmness and friendliness, or you could use red to convey urgency, such as for a clearance sale.
Color Contrast
You also have to be sure people can read your poster, and that means ensuring the text contrasts enough with the surrounding color so that the text isn't swallowed up. If you look back at the previously mentioned list from Sitepoint, some of those examples show combinations like yellow text on a yellow/red/green/blue mottled background. It's nearly impossible to tell what the text says unless the reader slows down. While that might seem like a great tactic to make people read your poster instead of glancing at it, it usually has the opposite effect of making people look away.
If you want more help planning out your poster's colors, talk to a copy shop that makes posters, such as Edmonton Jensen Blueprint Repro Ltd. Many times the staff are trained to help with basic design principles that could give you a great guideline to follow.
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