24 Sep How to Use Flat Color in Print Advertising
When you’re designing for print, it’s important to understand how color psychology and flat design influence your advertising. The colors of an ad or logo have a considerable influence over how people perceive your brand. One of the most effective strategies when designing for print is to stick with a simple, high-contrast, flat color scheme. Let’s take a look at some of the psychology behind color theory and how to use flat color in your designs.
Color Psychology in Advertising
Psychologically, flat color designs convey modernity and simplicity. They make your message come across as clear and innovative, and emphasize the function or feeling of the design.
Flat color works well in manuals, infographics, flyers, banners, logo designs, or any print advertising where you want a minimalist look and effective, simple messaging.
A flat design is created using high contrast, few shapes, solid colors, and sometimes simple gradients. There are no 3-D attributes used in flat color designs, like bevels or drop shadows. Generally, no shading, textures, or highlights are used.
Flat color designs can also convey a sense of timeless luxury. For example, we’ve seen brands like BMW, Warner Bros, and Apple all use flat color design in their logos or advertising.
Color Psychology in Advertising
Color influences our emotional responses and tells our brains to perceive a message in a certain way. That’s why choosing the right colors for your design is so critical. For example, a “CAUTION: WET FLOOR” sign is bright yellow because that color will get your attention. Caution signs simply wouldn’t be as effective if they were pale blue or spring green.
Here are some examples of color psychology and how it works in advertising:
Blue = Trust and Reliability
Because it’s such a calm, serene color, when our brains see blue we get a subconscious message to relax. However, blue is also associated with feeling down or being sad and can unconsciously signal loss of appetite, so use it carefully and purposefully in your branding or advertising. Pair it with complementary colors that fit your messaging.
Orange = Youth, Confidence, and Excitement
Often associated with enthusiasm and creativity, orange makes us feel energized. It can stimulate mental activity and encourage social interaction. It’s effective for grabbing attention and fostering a sense of friendliness. However, when it’s overused, orange may come across as overwhelming or aggressive—you may need to tone it down a bit to maintain its positive impact.
How to Use Flat Color in Graphic Design
First, choose a couple of solid colors that align with your company’s brand identity. Flat color design works best when only a few, harmonious colors are chosen. Tools like Adobe Color can help you generate cohesive color schemes.
For instance, a tech startup that wants to convey excitement and innovation, yet still be seen as focused and reliable might use a combination of deep blue and vibrant orange.
How to Use Flat Color in Branding
Example Scenario: A beauty company is opening a new med spa location and needs to create printed promotional materials, including flyers, banners, and brochures for their launch.
Application: They decide on a flat color design with soft green and a rich purple for their advertising because they want to convey a luxurious yet holistic approach to beauty and body care. Flat color design will emphasize key information in a clean and focused way.
Example Scenario: A healthcare corporation is designing a brochure to inform patients of their new birth center and certified nurse midwives. They want their design to be calming, familiar, and give off a sense of capability and expertise.
Application: They opt for a flat color design and select a color scheme of a bold blue with a lot of white space and red contrasting elements. This color scheme is familiar because of its implied patriotism, as well as being calming and confident from the blue tone chosen.
Flat Color Printing Specialists in Tempe, Arizona
At Mousegraphics, we aim to print products that accurately reflect your color scheme and graphic designs. Our ICC color-managed workflow uses custom output profiles to match your colors perfectly, whether they’re printed on paper, card stock, fabric, or vinyl.
The digital print specialists at Mousegraphics have helped Tempe customers print high-quality products for over 30 years. If you have a design ready to go and would like to chat with us about printing, give us a call at 480-470-7438 to see how we can help!
Photo by Kristin Hardwick in Art & Design from Negative Space on 8.20.24 | used under CC license