For most of us, a palette is an oval board with a hole in the middle that a painter squirts her paint onto while working on a picture. As the artist works on a canvas, she dabs a brush in one of the spots of color on the palette and applies it to the image. While the colors she uses are laid out on this tool called a palette, we would also say she used those hues for the painting’s color scheme, or color palette.
No matter which media a design is created in or what colors are involved, each one has its own unique color palette. That color palette might consist of a simple two-color combination or it might be like confetti, made up of a plethora of hues. The colors could have the contrast of complementary tones or be a monochromatic array containing ten different shades of green. A color palette is simply the set of colors used in a design.
As a scrapbook artist, you create layouts in a similar process to a painter.
You choose a group of colors for the design and then “dip” into them as you work, choosing one color for the background, one for the journaling, another for the photo mats and so on. Also like a painting, the colors in your layout can make a huge visual impact on the design. Since color plays such a significant role in the success of a page, how do you pick the best color palette for a layout?
The best choice of color palette is one that most successfully enforces the theme and mood of the design. More than any other element of design, color has the ability to convey emotions, elicit memories and incite visual associations. Tap into that power to work together with the layout’s foremost message. While there may be several appropriate color schemes that could be used for any one layout, different palettes can be chosen to highlight particular aspects of a design’s mood and theme.
To begin choosing a color palette, first look at your photographs. You might pick the whole color scheme directly from an aspect of the pictures, such as pumpkins in a background or the hues in your daughter’s dance costume. When using color photographs, pick colors that both complement the pictures and support the page theme. If both are not possible at the same time, consider converting the photos to black-and-white or sepia. This simple change can allow better control over the color palette while keeping the focus on the subject matter. For example, what if the photo’s subjects are wearing brightly colored clothing, while your intended layout theme is contemplative in nature? Desaturating the photos gives you the ability to pick a palette that coordinates with your message, thus resolving the conflict and allowing for a more unified design in every aspect of the page.
In addition to your photos, color palette inspiration may come from a variety of sources. Note color schemes in fashion, advertisements, home decorating magazines, art museums and any other place in which a color combination appeals to your eye. While simple observation of the world around you provides a starting point for fresh color palettes, you can then utilize basic color theory to fine tune your choices. Check out Designer’s Workbook in the December 2004 issue of Memory Makers for a complete color theory tutorial.
To illustrate how different color palettes can create entirely different moods, the scrapbook pages throughout this article are one design executed in four distinct color palettes. On each version the title, journaling and composition are alike. The photos are also the same, but have been printed in either black-and-white or sepia sets to better mesh with each color scheme. For dramatic variation, each version has been created in shades picked from one of the four most basic of color palette groups: jewel-tones, pastels, brights and earth tones.
Observe how the same design can feel different depending on its color palette. What aspects of the layout do particular palettes emphasize or minimize? Pick out the one that is your favorite amongst them, and then think about why you chose it. Is it personal preference, the way you interpret the layout theme and mood, or a bit of both?
While your photographs and layout design might work well with a variety of color schemes, make choices for a color palette that best reflect the message you want to convey. Color is a powerful design tool that reflects a design’s theme, individual color associations and an artist’s personality. Pick colors that echo the mood of each story you want to tell and you will successfully create an artist’s color palette that “paints” the feelings you wish to express in a layout.
