Colour Tools and Resources for Graphic Designers

It’s important to take as much into consideration as possible when working on a design or branding project, and the use of colour is certainly one.

Colour can say a lot about a business and it is important to recognize the impact it has on a clients brand if you are working with them on a new identity. Whether you realise it or not, colour has a big part to play in our day-to-day lives and maybe the most important factor to consider when taking on any branding project.

So, just how do you determine which colour and tone is right for a corporate brand?

A good place to start is taking a look at your client’s competitors or other businesses within the same industry, gather enough material together and you should see a common theme in the colours and tones of these brands. This information should give you a good point of reference to start from, but from there, you may want to dig a little deeper and research colour theory, as there are few other factors to take into consideration too, like the use of complementary and contrasting colours, both of which can add an extra dimension to any brand.

To help, I have listed a few online colour tools and resources I have used in the past. These have proven to be invaluable when working on many branding projects and at times have been just the resources needed to ‘get the creative juices flowing’.

Here is our list of useful online colour tools

Kuler
An online colour resource site produced by Adobe that integrates with Creative Suite.
http://kuler.adobe.com/

Colour Lovers
COLOURlovers is a creative community where people from around the world create and share colours, palettes and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colourful articles.
http://www.colourlovers.com

Colrd
A useful colour palette visualiser to help build the perfect colour palette for your project or campaign.
http://www.colrd.com

Color Blender
A free online colour matching toolbox.
http://www.colorblender.com

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