Colors aren’t arbitrary
Beyond everyone’s favorite game of “what’s your favorite color?” there’s an actual science behind color selection. For some, color selection really is arbitrary (what’s your favorite color), while for designers it’s a thoughtful process. Whichever way colors are chosen, they will mean different things, and elicit different reactions in people.
Loud Dog’s primary colors are dark red, charcoal gray and a creamy tan color. Red is the most prominent. I chose it because it is powerful, technical, dynamic and forward-looking. The charcoal gray tempers the red, and elicits “professional, classic, expensive, solid, enduring and mature.” I like these contrasting emotions – sort of restrained dynamism. The creamy tan softens the whole thing.
While I use a wide palette in our designs, including greens, purples, yellows, etc., my specific color choices aren’t arbitrary. When we present color palettes, the goal isn’t to see which palette our client actually likes more (a “what’s your favorite color” exercise), but to see which colors reflect their organization’s brand.