Roy G. Biv : Using Abstract Colors in Design

The visual spectrum of light has made a huge impact in all forms of design this year.  We’re seeing it in the  top companies have their logos created with multiple colors in an abstract way, as well as websites using the rainbow effect in their backgrounds – We’re seeing it just about everywhere else too!

Why is it that this trend has been taking the web by storm?  Well lets take a deeper look at some places that are using this new trends and doing it right.  We’ll also explain some reasoning behind why this trend is so appealing to users.

What are we talking about?

Now we’re not talking about It’s a ‘Double Rainbow all the way!’ YouTube video that has become popular this year scoring over 18+ million views.  We’re talking about logo design, web design, and all forms of digital art.

If you haven’t noticed this trend recently, you have not been keeping up with the latest and greatest styles that top designers are using.

Mini Case Study

Let’s take great inspirational and resource blog Abduzeedo.  Fabio Sasso, the brilliant designer and great blogger behind this website, and his crew are using the rainbow effect in their logo.

This effect is extremely clean, and it is memorable. The logo itself on its own distinguishes them from all of the other sites out there.

abduzeedo-new_logo

 

 

Abduzeedo has made an impression on the industry as one of the most trusted sites to go to on a daily basis and get your daily dose of design inspiration.  While their doing that they also show off their skills in tutorials, which you may have guessed it, show the use of bright neons and flowing colors.

Here are a few examples we grabbed from their site. Click the images if you would like to get directed to the tutorial for the effect the image shows.

old-sign-photoshop-burlesque

water-text-pixelmator_1

Here are more links to some other great tutorials they have involving using abstract colors:

Hexagon Bokeh Effect in Photoshop

Crazy cool vectors in Illustrator and Photoshop

Cool new typeface in illustrator

MSNBC background style

How can this trend help?

Now that I have gave you pretty much a case study on a design blog that has built their brand off of a logo with multiple colors, lets go into detail on why this is trending.

When a client approaches you to do a logo design a lot of times you will hear them describe the logo using adjectives such as warm, inviting, cool, earthy, bold, welcoming, powerful, pure, clean, youthful, vibrant, etc.  I could go on forever.  How do you please a client that asks for their new identity to fit so many different requirements?

When each color has symbolism attached to it maybe it’s best to try to go for a fresh new feel and use multiple colors. Not just one or two, all of them.

Using all of the colors making them flow together (view a color wheel to see which colors go together)  can actually get the client to feel all of these emotions with their new identity.

These logos are popping up all over, and have been all over without us realizing what they are doing when we see them.

Humans relate to colors and engage with visuals without even realizing that a subliminal message has been passed into our brains.

Whether that feeling is uncomfortable or motivating, it’s there and we can’t escape it.

Here is a list of what colors mean to a business identity taken from an article on About.

  • White: Pure. Clean. Youthful. It’s a neutral color that can imply purity in fashion and sterilization in the medical profession.
  • Black: Power. Elegant. Secretive. The color black can target your high-end market or be used in youth marketing to add mystery to your image.
  • Red: Passion. Excitement. Danger. Red is the color of attention, causing the blood pressure and heart rate to rise. Use red to inject excitement into your brand.
  • Orange: Vibrant. Energy. Play. Add some fun to your company if you want to create a playful environment for your customers.
  • Yellow: Happy. Warm. Alert. Yellow can be an attractor for your business with a relaxed feeling.
  • Green: Natural. Healthy. Plentiful. To create a calming effect or growth image choose green. Go green go.
  • Purple: Royalty. Wise. Celebration. Maybe add some purple tones to your look for your premium service business.
  • Blue: Loyal. Peaceful. Trustworthy. Blue is the most popular and neutral color on a global scale. A safe choice for a business building customer loyalty.

What does this trend mean to others?

Now that we have that down, what do you think a company with many of these colors represent?

It means that their ready to take risks, they want you to take a chance, they are open and inviting, they are knowledgeable, and they are doing it right.

If you can pull off a nice design with many colors and make it visibly appealing, it is much easier than focusing on one color and setting the mood.

A website, a fortune 500 company, a freelance designer and anyone in between can impact their audience by using these colors in design.

So we have been telling you about all these companies that are doing it for years and all the new ones popping up we have to show you some examples.  Here is a small list of companies and designers using this new trend.

Bundlehunt.com

MSNBC.com

Vividways

Trending – Roy G. Biv : Using Abstract Colors in Design

Vividways Logo – There is a great tutorial on the creation of this logo from the designer Chris Spooner

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I hope you enjoyed the article on this current design trend.  Please feel free to add comments and let us know of any other big ones we might have missed.

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