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A successful “store” has a simple formula. Initially, it must be accessible to everyone. It must be attractive and inviting. Once inside, the customer must be able to move comfortably through the store and find what they need. They must be able to examine the merchandise (or service) and get information about it. Finally, they must be able to successfully complete a purchase or procure a service.

Since the 1990s and for the first time in history, a flat surface electronically simulates a physical “bricks and mortar” store. In spite of the limitations of this digital medium of images and text, the same formulas for success apply — and even more so.

Colour must function successfully on several levels simultaneously. First, on a technical level, the colours must be as accurate as the existing technology will allow, while, at the same time, heeding the rules of optics. Second, once a set of colours has caught and held the visitor’s attention they must succeed in conveying appropriate information. Third, colours must function competently as the primary structural element in the store’s design — the web page layout. In this capacity, colour must create appropriate spatial and navigational effects on the page and the site as a whole. Fourth, as the primary aesthetic tool, colours must create a sense of visual harmony, thus sustaining and enhancing the customers interest in the shopping experience.

Here are four formulas for success:

1. Convert images to the correct file format.
This not only delivers the best colours and the best images possible but it also lowers file sizes and shortens the download time.

2. Select the most appropriate colours by analyzing the store’s products or services and the target market. It is essential that colours bear some relationship — either symbolic or literal — to the product or service. Don’t try to reinvent the colour wheel by using unusual colours.

3. Use colour to create the most functional user-interface design. For example, use colour to direct the eye to the most important areas on the page. The web designer must identify what ideal and normal sequences might entail: what the viewer should see first, where the eye should move next, and how much time the viewer’s attention should be held by each area. Keep colours to minimum. “Signal detection” theory means that the brain is able to understand and organize information when a minimum of colours and shapes exists within the visual field. Too many colours and shapes make it impossible to focus and find anything.

4. Use colour harmony principles to create a pleasant visual experience. In other words, all the colours of the components — the navigation system, banners, buttons, and text — as well as the images of the merchandise (if they exist), must all work well together. Some common attribute must unify them.

In conclusion, consider this: Just as a store is constructed of solid matter, colour is the basic building material of two-dimensional images and visual experiences. In the final analysis, colour plays a pivotal role in the customer’s critical decision — to buy or not buy.

Sir Isaac Newton demonstrated that light travels in waves, when he shone white light through a triangular prism and the different wavelengths refracted at different angles, enabling him to see the colours of the rainbow (the spectrum).

This article looks at the psychological effects of the 11 basic colours in the English language and how they can make your company appear to its audiences.

When light strikes any coloured object, the object will absorb only the wavelengths that exactly match its own atomic structure and reflect the rest – which is what we see. Turn this around and it is easy to understand how the colour of anything is a clear indication of its atomic structure or, in simple terms, what it is made of.

When light strikes the human eye, the wavelengths do so in different ways, influencing our perceptions. In the retina, they are converted into electrical impulses that pass to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain governing our hormones and our endocrine system. Although we are unaware of it, our eyes and our bodies are constantly adapting to these wavelengths of light.

Colour is energy and the fact that it has a physical effect on us has been proved time and again in experiments – most notably when blind people were asked to identify colours with their fingertips and were all able to do so easily.

There are only eleven basic colour words in the English language, and yet there are literally millions of colours. Computers will give us sixteen million and the human eye can distinguish more than any machine. After the basic eleven, we borrow words, such as avocado (is that the flesh, or the skin?) and grape (is that deep purple or green?) to describe the myriad of shades, tones and tints. This inevitably creates confusion in colour communication.

People often ask, “Do we all see colours the same?” Who knows? The point is that in colour psychology it does not seem to matter what we think we are looking at; the effect of colours on us is caused by their energy entering our bodies. Colour-blind people are also sensitive to colour psychology.

The eleven basic colours have fundamental psychological properties that are universal, regardless of which particular shade, tone or tint of it you are using. Each of them has potentially positive or negative psychological effects and which of these effects is created depends on the relationships within colour combinations.

There are four psychological primary colours – red, blue, yellow and green. They relate respectively to the body, the mind, the emotions and the essential balance between these three. The psychological properties of the eleven basic colours are as follows:

RED. Physical
Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, ‘fight or flight’, stimulation, masculinity, excitement.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over. Its effect is physical; it stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is. It relates to the masculine principle and can activate the “fight or flight” instinct. Red is strong, and very basic. Pure red is the simplest colour, with no subtlety. It is stimulating and lively, very friendly. At the same time, it can be perceived as demanding and aggressive.

BLUE. Intellectual.
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear communication. Blue objects do not appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research, blue is the world’s favourite colour. However, it can be perceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly.

YELLOW. Emotional
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating. In this case the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the strongest colour, psychologically. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism. Too much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety. Our “yellow streak” can surface.

GREEN. Balance
Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of balance – a more important concept than many people realise. When the world about us contains plenty of green, this indicates the presence of water, and little danger of famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level. Negatively, it can indicate stagnation and, incorrectly used, will be perceived as being too bland.

VIOLET. Spiritual
Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It has associations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality. Being the last visible wavelength before the ultra-violet ray, it has associations with time and space and the cosmos. Excessive use of purple can bring about too much introspection and the wrong tone of it communicates something cheap and nasty, faster than any other colour.

ORANGE.
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort – food, warmth, shelter etc. – and sensuality. It is a ‘fun’ colour. Negatively, it might focus on the exact opposite – deprivation. This is particularly likely when warm orange is used with black. Equally, too much orange suggests frivolity and a lack of serious intellectual values.

PINK.
Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it soothes, rather than stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only colour that has an entirely separate name for its tints. Tints of blue, green, yellow, etc. are simply called light blue, light green…etc.) Pink is a powerful colour, psychologically. It represents the feminine principle, and survival of the species; it is nurturing and physically soothing. Too much pink is physically draining and can be somewhat emasculating.

GREY.
Positive: Psychological neutrality.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. A virtual absence of colour is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation. Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure.

BLACK.
Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances. It works particularly well with white. It communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence. It creates a perception of weight and seriousness (it is a myth that black clothes are slimming). Black is essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the dark.

WHITE.
Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Just as black is total absorption, so white is total reflection. In effect, it reflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also creates barriers, but differently from black, and it is often a strain to look at. It communicates, “Touch me not!” White is purity and, like black, uncompromising; it is clean, hygienic, and sterile. The concept of sterility can also be negative. Visually, white gives a heightened perception of space. The negative effect of white on warm colours is to make them look and feel garish.

BROWN.
Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.

Brown usually consists of red and yellow, with a large percentage of black. Consequently, it has much of the same seriousness as black, but is warmer and softer. It has elements of the red and yellow properties. Brown has associations with the earth and the natural world. It is a solid, reliable colour and most people find it quietly supportive – more positively than the ever-popular black, which is suppressive, rather than supportive.

Who are you? How do you look on paper? Despite the surge in email use, professionally designed printed stationery packages are crucial to making a good first impression. The purpose of a letterhead and related items is to express an identity, beyond the actual words used in the message.

A basic corporate identity system or stationery package consists of a letterhead, compliment slip, envelope and business card. In some cases, labels are also a basic component. If no logo exists and one is needed, logo design may also comprise part of the complete design package.

Whether designing for a client or for yourself, the first steps to developing a successful identity package is getting to know the business for which the package is intended.

About the business and its clients:

• What kind of business is it?
• What type of products or services does it produce?
• How long have they been in business?
• Who are their major competitors?
• Who needs the product or service the business produces?
• How do current or potential customers preceive the business or the industry in general?
• Does the business want to attract or focus on a specific segment of its overall customer base?

About the stationery package:

• If the business already has a stationery package in use, what do they like / dislike about the current package?
• How will the letterhead by used? (That is, will it be run through laser printers, inkjet printers, be handwritten, frequently photocopied or faxed?)
• What kind of budget does the business have and what type of volume is required?
• Will colour be used? (And how much colour will the budget allow?)
• Does the client have a preference for or against single, bi-fold, or tri-fold business cards, or other definite likes / dislikes?

The next steps in the design process involve determining exactly what information is needed on the letterhead and business cards and developing specific design ideas.

Once you’ve asked the basic questions you’re ready to start putting pen to paper and mouse to monitor. Because you’ll want to maintain consistency in colour, type, and basic layout between all components in the stationery package, start with the smallest – the business card. Layouts and font choices that look great on A4 size paper, can become illegible in the small space of the business card.

Determine what information is needed on the card and letterhead such as company name, logo, name of individual, title of individual, street address, mailing address (if different), phone number(s), fax numbers, voice mail or pager numbers, email address, and web address.

Begin sketching out ideas. Explore layout options quickly with rough thumbnail sketches.

Layout

Look at other business card layouts for ideas and inspiration.

For business cards, horizontal layouts may be more “traditional” but vertical layouts could provide more opportunity for creativity. Additionally, it may be easier to translate the vertical layout of the business card to the vertical layout of the letterhead. I’m not suggesting that you should only consider vertical layouts though. It depends on the shape and orientation of other elements of the design as well as the image you want to convey.

In some cases it may be easier to work simultaneously on both the business card and letterhead.

You could also make your business card a foldover card to allow it to do more than just list contact information. They go from being just identity items to mini-brochures and more powerful marketing weapons for a business.

Don’t skimp on the envelope design. Putting a beautifully-designed letterhead into plain, off-the-shelf envelopes dilutes the power of that first impression.

Beyond the layout, you’ll need to make decisions regarding fonts, colour, paper/card stock, and methods of printing.

Fonts

Readability is the most important aspect of font choice. But there are many readable fonts. A basically good design can be rendered useless with inappropriate fonts. Choose fonts that communicate your identity and message.

Colour

Are there established corporate colours which you must work with or are you free to explore a variety of colour combinations? In general, the more colours used, the more expensive it is to print the design. The colour of the paper itself is also a factor in the design.

Colour is often the most noticeable aspect of a design but bear in mind that its printing can be expensive for many small businesses. Before planning an elaborate design requiring multiple colour components, discuss budget with your client. Careful use of just one colour can be as effective as an entire rainbow.

Paper

Choose the right grade of paper for each piece of your stationery package. Business cards typically use cover stock and a letterhead uses bond paper. Many paper manufacturers produce complimentary colour and textured paper in different grades to allow you to coordinate your designs.

Printing / Distribution

One of the questions asked about the stationery package when beginning the design process was “How will the letterhead be used?” If the client indicates that the letterhead may frequently be photocopied or faxed, you’ll want to design with the limitations of those reproduction methods in mind.

Each situation demands something different of a card, which leads to another key lesson; if a card can make a strong and positive first impression on its intended audience, it has a better chance of surviving a range of harsh conditions. Consider the following scoring system for judging a business card on it’s technical merit:

• Does the card offer appropriate contact info? Pretty basic stuff here; leave out your telephone number or web address and you’re harder to reach.
• Does the card say what the company does? You can’t assume the cardholder knows what you offer, unless your company name makes it obvious (e.g., Bill’s Superior Plumbing Service). The more specific, the better. For instance, does your plumbing outfit do residential or commercial work?
• Does the card include a compelling marketing message? Why should anyone do business with you? If you don’t answer that question and your rivals do, you won’t get the call.
• Legibility: Readability is sadly lacking from many business cards I’ve seen.
• Is the card visually pleasing? An attractive card that obeys basic design principles connotes a caring business that pays attention to detail.
• Durability: You don’t want your card thrown out, but cheap paper tears and home-made cards spell amateur.
• Is the card especially memorable? Catchy slogans, interesting materials or die-cuts can imprint the customer’s mind with your brand.

Make sure the site is available.
This is where a good host company will benefit your website’s ‘up-time’. If you’re unsure of your web host it is important to monitor your site. Your website could be down for days before you realise something is wrong. You don’t have to pay through the nose for a reputable host company so be sure to shop around.

Don’t use visible counters.
Especially if it reads “you are visitor 17”. You lose credibility if your website is obviously unpatronised.

Make sure your site navigation is intuitive.
First time users must be able to easily navigate their way around your pages. If you expect users to spend more than a few seconds to find their way to the ‘home page’ or ‘contact us’ page, you have lost them.

Don’t use automated submission programs.
There are a limited number of search engines worth submitting to. The rest are of no benefit to you, on the contrary; they collect your email for spamming purposes. The real key to a good search engine ranking is fresh content. It will take time initially but if you keep your site up-to-date with useful information that keeps customers coming back then you’re already doing a better job than most web owners.

Don’t use a flash intro.
A lot of first time web owners want to ‘wow’ users with a fancy intro, but the fact is these intros get in the way of what people really want – information. Worse still, don’t show the intro more than once. If a user is expected to sit through an intro on every visit, they will quickly lose patience.

Don’t use smileys.
Or other unnecessary animated graphics – how do you spell amateur?

Avoid too many graphics and too much JavaScript.
JavaScript is sensitive to browser versions and even the best sites have broken code. Too many graphics slow down the site.

Use an email signature file.
What does this have to do with good website practices? Nothing, but its important to mention. Every email you send should include the company name, phone numbers, and web address (possibly even postal address). Make it simple for people to find your website.

Sure, this scenario is unlikely. When you visit the dentist an appropriate rate of pay is expected for professional services. Yet, everyday graphic design professionals are asked to provide free services in the hopes of being paid if the result is acceptable. It is called speculative work, or free pitching; spec for short, and is considered unethical among leading graphic design associations around the world.

Why it doesn’t work

Contests and spec work frustrate designers who feel the value of their profession is not understood. Speculative methods of obtaining graphic communication highlight why spec is poor practice. The designer is chosen through the product produced, not the service offered, placing graphic design as a commodity and not a service. If graphic design becomes a commodity then the designers’ role in the spectrum of business services will be greatly reduced.

Visibility for the design professions has been climbing in the last two decades. The word “design” has become a fixture in pop culture and in the media. Now, more than ever, the way in which designers practice will shape the profession in the years to come.

If you’re a designer, and you receive a request for speculative work, write or call the issuer. They may not even realise this practice is unethical. The No!Spec website offers sample letters to get you started.

Leave a comment if you’d like any further information.

Product/service description

• History/present position/goals for future
• Competitor information

Communication background

• Previous communication activity
• Present communication activity – research, advertising, direct mail, graphic design, public relations, distributor promotions

Communication task – “the message”

• Context of specific message in relation to business plans
• Information to be included in the designed item (text, logos, images etc)
• Function or desired response
• Target market

Target market

• Demographics – age, gender, income, employment, geography, lifestyle
• Purchase motivations – needs, wants, corporate image, product/ service positioning
• Purchase decisions – decision initiators, makers/influencers, end users (if relevant)

Budget

• Available budget
• If unsure of budget you could provide:
  Estimates based on similar past projects and other information

Timetable

• Consultation (research, strategy, brief development)
• Creative (concept and design development)
• Production (artwork, printing and other production)

1. Briefing
2. Design
3. Artwork
4. Production

While the detail below explains the steps involved in the graphic design process, your graphic designer will tailor his / her processes to suit your requirements. For instance, you may choose to brief your designer in detail at a later stage, after you have provided the signed off text. The process that best meets your needs can be discussed with your designer.

1. Briefing

The briefing stage may consist of either or both of the following:

• Initial informal discussions between you, the client, and your designer – covering project objectives, timing and budget.
• Formal meetings to discuss your project in detail and clarify any technical issues including budget, timetable and corporate identity guidelines.

2. Design

Development

• The designer reviews the brief, background material and identity standards to ensure understanding of the project context and your corporate requirements.
• The designer develops the draft concepts and preliminary designs and selects the most appropriate options for further development.

Presentation

• The designer presents visual solutions and explains design decisions.
• Together you will evaluate the visual presentation against the brief.

Refinement

• Following your review and feedback, the designer amends the material as required and, if necessary, presents you with new design(s).

3. Artwork

• Your designer prepares the artwork files and provides a proof (email or hardcopy).
• You either approve the artwork by signing the proof, or mark-up changes you’d like to make.
• A further proof is provided if required.
• Any “author’s corrections” (client requested changes to content already provided which may include additional charges: these should be detailed in any quote conditions provided with your initial quote).

4. Production

The designer forwards the artwork to a commercial printer.

• The designer views the printer’s proof and passes the proof on to the client for approval.
• In some cases, the designer can conduct a “press check” of the printed sample while the job is running on the printing press.

1. The solution to a problem

2. A clear message

3. Useful and purposeful

4. Used to accomplish something

Art can be nice to look at, and might have a message, but it’s primary purpose is not to solve a problem in a useful way.

Ultimately, anything can be an image. How you made the image doesn’t matter, and doesn’t determine whether it is design or not. You might have drawn it, or made it in PhotoShop, or laid it out with letters in Quark/InDesign. It’s still just an image.

Whether it solves a problem in a useful way matters. A photograph could be design, if it was taken in a way that just the photograph by itself solved the problem and created something useful. An illustration could be design, a PhotoShop filter could be design, etc. etc.

We have to separate the tools from the activity. A hammer is not building a house, a wrench is not fixing a car. Images (photos, illustrations, text, and so forth) are just the tools. How they are used and what they are used for makes them design.