Color Isn’t Always Better
Do designers dream in Pantone with visions of rainbows in their heads? Color is a vital part of any graphic designer’s life – after all, they’re the ones paid to come up with pleasing color combinations that will sell a product. That’s why you often see a bold use of color for logos (think Pepsi’s use of primary-color red and blue) as well as websites (such as Graphic Design Blog’s paint-spattered header). While color definitely garners attention, there are times that black and white or a sepia tone will generate a different feeling. Think of how The Wall Street Journal, with its use of black and white, commands a serious, all-business sense, or how photos from the 1800s and early 1900s have an old-timey look with their sepia tone. Here are some more examples.
David Airey's blog
Graphic designer David Airey maintains a simple website with clean lines and black text on a white background. That lets the color photos on his blog – which are often of his work – shine through. The lesson here? Use black and white when you want other elements, such as your portfolio pieces, stand out.
i live here:SF blog
Nothing says “classic” like a tone down from bright colors. Color photos can be beautiful, of course, but sometimes they can be garish. A sepia tone works well when you want to use a photograph on, for example, invitations, memorial service cards and business cards, because it conveys a sense of respect. A two-tone color scheme also works for the website example above because it creates a sense of contentment and relief; a full-color photo would have signaled more joy, but the essay – about recovering from cancer – is more about a happiness well earned after a lot of heartache.
Graphic design is not always about flashy and new. There is a time and a place to go back to basics and choose black and white instead of color. Just be sure to identify what feeling you want to bring out with your project as well as how you want yourself or your client to be represented.
Jennifer Moline is a writer for PsPrint and the PsPrint Design Blog. PsPrint is an online commercial printing company.
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Black and white can be just as beautiful as a bright colour. I actually adore clean, black and white sites like those listed above, and have been tempted to only submit black logos to clients! :D
M
PS. Hadn’t seen David’s new site design, so thanks!
Hi Jennifer, thanks a lot for the feature. I use black and white for just the reason you state — it allows the imagery to stand out, which is ideal when you want to showcase portfolio pieces. Plus, there’s something very clean about black and white that appeals to my design tastes. I hope you’re well.
Hey Jennifer…thanks for mentioning the Graphic Design Blog’s paint-spattered header and I totally agree with the beauty of “Black and White” but still I think colors can’t be so easily omitted or ignored from graphic design world. B&W has its own beauty and charm but as it is said:
“The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color.”
Anyhow…it was a good read :)
Thanks for the article. I like to use black and white tones to portray businessness (if that’s such a word) much like you mentioned above about the Wall Street Journal.
I agree with this philosophy. Right now, I’m engaged in a project at the opposite end of the spectrum. The client wants a site presence that conveys energy and passion but the designs (provided by a graphic designer) are all black/white with a limited color palette of two heavily desaturated/dark colors. All photos are black/white too. So the site design screams dull and lifeless. So, this article will be helpful in explaining when its appropriate to use black/white and when to effectively use color.
I use black and white designs quite a bit but use it in a approach similar to David Airey’s site in allowing the design to exist quietly in the background while the imagery stands out in the foreground through color. It does lend itself to a clean, minimalist and sophisticated design.
Well this is definitely an interesting read! I’m in the process of re-designing my web site, and (so far, anyway) it’s entirely in black and white (more like various shades of grey). Possibly because of a few very bright colors on the current design, I’ve steered away from color entirely on this new version (also thinking of the portfolio, because what better way to be sure the work samples stand out well).
Of course, I keep second guessing myself and wondering if I should add a pop of color here and there. Time will tell, LOL, but so far I’m happy with the minimalistic approach that I’m working with.
I just did a blog post about color blindness and website usability that I believe applies to this conversation.
http://www.chucklasker.com/are-you-alienating-the-color-blind/762/
I really like black and white sites… especially for portfolio or showcase sites as they really make the imagery and content stand out..
Also most colors go with a black and white color scheme do its easy to use accent colors..
Thanks..
Black and white designs can be very effective when used for sites with plently of text such as blogs and as mentioned photography sites. Wedding photographs in-particular look great within a black and white design. Pitty you didn’t find any good examples on a black background showing contrasting designs.
I really love black and white layouts. A great round up tip for your layouts: a combination between black/white and one color tone (for example: red or blue tone) looks awsome.
I definitely love your own posting style, very informative Don’t give up and also keep posting as it just simply that is worth to read it,excited to looked over far more of your articles, have a good one.
For my part, I think that black and white like other colors should be used appropriately. I mean we all associate certain attributes to colors, so if you like people to think about no-nonsense and serious, you go for black and white. If you want whimsy or diversified, you go for a google logo knock off.
But David, you make an interesting point of using black and white to highlight other elements of the page, particularly those that are in color. I guess it’s all a matter of what exactly it is you’re creating at the moment, whether it’s logos, web pages, portfolios, business cards and other stuff.
loved this post!