Colour+Combinations

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Design Skills > Communicating with Colour > Colour Combinations
Combinations of colours provide different meanings too.

Yellow and black together are used to alert people to potential danger. And it's not just man-made signs that use this combination of cautionary colours.

The effect of one colour can be completely changed by using it with another colour. So whilst yellow and black might be used for warning signs, yellow and blue together might bring to mind a completely different emotion and yellow and red something completely different again.

What's the Message?
Have ago at trying out different colour combinations and see what emotions, feelings or memorys they evoke, or think of a situation and put a colour combination to it; for example, a holiday in the sun or a visit to a Fast Food restaurant. Ask yourself why you chose the colours you did.

The careful use of colours and colour combinations can reinforce a message, change the way a product is percieved or put a design into a whole new context.

Read the descriptions of these web sites.
 * The Official Web Site of the British Monarchy** - Provides information on the work of The Queen in modern society, biographies of the Royal Family, a history of kings and queens through the ages, background on Royal residences and art collections, and coverage of recent Royal events.
 * Friends of the Earth** - Friends of the Earth International is the world's largest environmental network...we campaign on today's most urgent environmental and social issues. We challenge the current model of economic and corporate globalization, and promote solutions that will help to create environmentally sustainable and socially just societies.
 * British Association of Anger Management** - We are the only UK centre of expertise for all aspects of anger and conflict management. We offer support, programmes and training for the general public, children and teenagers, government bodies, corporations, educational sector, personnel / H.R management, trainers, counsellors and anyone dealing with their own or another's anger.
 * BP Global** - Our main activities are the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas; refining, marketing, supply and transportation; and the manufacture and marketing of petrochemicals. We also have a growing presence in gas and power and in solar power generation.

Write down two or three colour combinations that you might expect to see on these web sites? What are the reasons for your choice of colours?

Now look at the web sites and compare the colours you've thought of with the colours that have been used on the sites. [|British Monarchy] [|Friends of the Earth] [|British Association of Anger Management] [|BP Global]

Are the colours used on the web sites the colours you thought of?

Considering only the colours used on the web sites (take no notice of the text) :- What message do you think the organisations are trying to put across? How effectively, in your opinion, has that message been communicated? How do you think the world would perceive the British Monarchy if the Royal web site was designed in shades of brown? Should the British Association of Anger Management use red as the predominent colour on their web site? What colour combinations would you use if you were designing these web sites?

Communicating with Colour | Colour and Design