The colors you choose for your print materials will send your audience subtle messages that you should be aware of when you are designing. So, before you even begin designing materials like for brochure printing and color posters, you should know what kind of image you want to project.

General Uses for Color
You can use colors to organize your design; for instance, in a brochure you would want to have all headings and subheadings in the same color. You can use color to draw attention to something; an example would be to have almost everything on your color poster in neutral tones and then put the name of the band in a bright red. Color is also good for illustrating what you say in text, which makes your message clearer. Color generates feelings and associations to the viewer, so it’s important to know some of those general associations.

Colors that Energize
In general, reds, oranges, and yellows are energizing. Use these colors when you want to get people excited about your message. Keep in mind that for some types of messages, excitement is not a good thing. For example, any kind of print materials to do with insurance or finance should not have a lot of reds because you want to project an image of safety and reliability, not excitement.

Colors that Soothe
When you want to calm and soothe, people stick to blues, greens, and purples. People associate these colors with images like water, clear skies, and nature. These are good colors to use when you want to give an impression of reliability.

Colors that are Positive in the Business World
In the business world, green is a positive color that symbolizes profit. Yellow gives an impression of strength and importance, and blue again connotes reliability. If you are designing something like a color poster for a major report, be sure to include these colors to send a positive message.

Colors that are Negative in the Business World
Red sends a negative message as it is generally used to mean loss. You’ve probably heard the expression “in the red.” A color that could go either way is cyan or aqua, which is interpreted as subdued. If you wanted to generate excitement about a proposal, both of these blue/green colors would be a bad choice. On the other hand, if you wanted to reassure people, it might be a good color to use. Orange and yellow would be better than red to get clients excited about your message.

Take the time to choose colors that send the right message and use them appropriately in your design. This will give your message the right tone as well as take your design to a new level of quality.