Design Post Update

Before reading this section it is recommended that you first read the section on colour theory as a basic understanding of colour related terminology is expected.

With so many colour variations to choose from settling on a colour scheme can be difficult

A colour scheme is a combination of colours that, when put together, compliment or contrast one another in an aesthetically pleasing way. Colour schemes are used by artists, graphic designers and interior designers to create visually appealing imagery. Colour schemes can be put together at random, but most professionals choose colours based on their relationship to each other in the colour wheel. The colour scheme types explained here are monochromatic, primary, secondary, complimentary, analogous, triadic, warm and cool.

Monochromatic colour scheme:

Poster with a monochromatic colour scheme

A monochromatic colour scheme is made up of just one main colour, but features a number of shades of that one colour. A simple example of this would be a colour scheme of blue, dark blue and light blue, as seen below. Monochromatic colour schemes could also feature the base colour, shades of that colour, and white and black.

Sample Monochromatic colour swatch

Primary Colour Scheme:

Poster using primary colours

This is another basic type of colour scheme where the basic primary colours of red, yellow and blue are used. A primary colour scheme can be made up of any shade of each primary colour but works best when the shades match evenly. In other words don't mix a bright red with a muted blue and yellow.

Sample Primary colour scheme

Secondary Colour Scheme:

Image with a secondary colour scheme

This is a type of colour scheme where the secondary colours of purple, green and orange are used. A secondary colour scheme can be made up of any shade of each secondary colour but works best when the shades match evenly. In other words don't mix a bright purple with a muted green and orange.

Sample Secondary colour scheme

Complimentary Colour Scheme:

This images uses the complimentary colours of blue and orange

This colour scheme involves matching a primary colour with the secondary colour opposite to it on the colour wheel. For example, a colour scheme based on shades of yellow and purple would comprise a complimentary colour scheme, as seen below. Other complimentary colour pairs are blue with orange and red with green.

Sample Complimentary colour scheme

Analogous Colour Scheme:

Poster using an analogous colour scheme

An analogous colour scheme is created by pairing colours that appear side by side on the colour wheel. For example, an analogous colour scheme may include purple, blue and green. More subtle combinations may also be created by matching mixed colour tone combinations such as blue-purple, blue and blue-green, as seen below.

Analogous colour scheme

Triadic Colour Scheme:

This graphic design images uses a triadic colour scheme

A triadic colour scheme is made up of three colours spaced evenly apart from each other on the colour wheel. The primary colour scheme made up of the primary colours--red, yellow and blue is an example of this. These colours are all an equal distance from each other on the colour wheel, and form a triangle on the colour wheel when connected to each other. To produce a different triadic colour scheme, move the triangle until it points to different colours on the colour wheel such as yellow, red-purple and blue-green.

Triadic colour scheme

Warm Colour Scheme:

This movie poster uses a warm colour scheme

The colour wheel is divided into two halves, warm colours and cool colours. The warm colours include reds, oranges and yellows, including all variations of these colours. The warm colours are associated with action, passion, love, rage, danger and heat.

Cool Colour Scheme:

This movie poster uses a cool colour scheme

The cool colours are found on the opposite side of the colour wheel, and these colours include all blues, greens and purples. Cool colours are associated with coolness, peace, calm, depression,
sadness, sky and water.

Logos of the Summer Olympics - Click to enlarge

The graphic above charts the logos of summer Olympic games from Paris 1924 to Rio 2016 and reads like a graphic design history timeline with historical design trends obvious in many of the logos. Recurring symbols in Olympic logos include the Olympic rings, the laurel leaf, Olympic flame and torch.

Most of the logos adhere to the 5 principles of logo design but some, have been very controversial and highly critiqued, such as the London 2012 logo. Below, each of the logos are described and explained in more detail, with some very interesting facts revealed along the way.

Paris, France, 1924 Olympic Logo

Paris 1924 Olympic Logo

The Games of the VIII Olympiad returned to the city of Paris for a second time after the first in 1908. In contrast to the poster and signboard paintings used to represent the previous Olympics, the 1924 Olympics was the first to create an official logo.

London, England, 1948 Olympic Logo

London 1948 Olympic Logo

After a 12-year break because of World War II, London was given the opportunity to host the event for the second time, the first being in 1908.

Helsinki, Finland, 1952 Olympic Logo

Helsinki 1952 Olympic Logo

The Olympic Games of 1952 were held in Helsinki, Finland, the northernmost city at which a summer Olympic Games has ever been held.

The 1952 Olympic logo design saw a return to the use of colour, albeit just a single one. It depicts the tower and stand of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in front of the Olympic rings. The design is clean and minimal and is the fist Olympic logo to use negative space.

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Rome, Italy, 1960 Olympic Logo

Rome 1960 Olympic Logo

After missing its first chance to host in 1908, the Olympic games finally arrived in the historic city of Rome in 1960.

Mexico 1968 Olympic Logo

The 1968 Summer Olympic Games was the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America and the first in a Spanish-speaking country. It was also the first Games to be held in a developing country.

Munich, Germany, 1972 Olympic Logo

Munich 1972 Olympic Logo

The 1972 Summer Olympics Games in Munich, Germany mindful of its connection to the Nazi regime, was eager to use the games to present a new, democratic and optimistic Germany to the world, as shown by the Games’ official motto, “Die Heiteren Spiele”, or “The Cheerful Games”.

The logo was designed by Otl Aicher, and depicts a blue solar logo which re referred to as the “Bright Sun”. This design recalls previous Olympic logo designs. Blue reappears as the main colour as it did in the 1928 Amsterdam and Helsinki 1952 Olympics, while there is also is a very similar approach in layout to the 1964 Tokyo design.

Montreal, Canada, 1976 Olympic Logo

Montreal 1976 Olympic Logo

The official logo of the Montreal Games was designed by Yvon Laroche, Pierre-Yves Pelletier, Guy St-Arnaud and George Huel and much like its predecessor in Munich, is characterised by a minimalist look and feel. This Olympic logo features another strong design. The use of the letter “M” for Montreal on top of the 5 Olympic rings with everything appearing woven together.

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Los Angeles, USA, 1984 Olympic Logo

Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Logo

The 1984 Olympic Games was hosted in Los Angeles, a second time for the city after the previous games in 1932. In response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, 14 Eastern Bloc countries decided to boycott the games in Los Angeles.

The official logo is owned by International Olympic Committee. The logo of the games featured five blue, white and red stars arranged horizontally and struck through with alternating streaks placed above the Olympic rings. It was named “Stars in Motion.”
This logo again features a version of the american flag as was done in the logo from 1932. The placement of the United States flag in the logo is very patriotic but also a little obvious and simplistic.

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Seoul, South Korea, 1988 Olympic Logo

Seoul 1988 Olympic Logo

The 1988 Olympic Games took place in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea, and its allies, Albania, Cuba, Madagascar, and Seychelles boycotted the games but larger boycotts, as seen in the previous three Summer Olympics, were avoided.
In the logo the placement and size of the Olympic rings are similar to the ones utilised in the 1984 Los Angeles games but the abstract format of swirls is in contrast to the straight edges of the 1984 logo. There is a sense of movement incorporated into both logos however which embraces the athleticism and dynamism of the Olympics.

Barcelona, Spain, 1992 Olympic Logo

Barcelona 1992 Olympic Logo

The 1992 Olympic Games in Spain were the first to be unaffected by boycotts since 1972. South Africa was allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time since the 1960 Summer Olympics due to its apartheid policy. A reunified Germany sent a single unified team for the first time since 1964 to the games while a dissolved USSR and a separated Yugoslavia also sent their individual teams.
The 1992 Barcelona logo continues the template of the previous years: keeping the rings in the lower part and a graphic or motif above. The abstract forms are reminiscent in style of brush strokes, perhaps referencing Spain's history of producing world renowned painters.

Atlanta, USA, 1996 Olympic Logo

Atlanta 1996 Olympic Logo

In 1996, the Olympic Games was celebrating it's 100th anniversary back in the United States in the city of Atlanta.

The logo depicts the Olympic flame, which blows from a cauldron created by the Olympic rings on a column formed by the number 100. The transition of the flames into the stars, representing America, is smoothly done and is more subtle and aesthetic than the previous American symbols of the 1932 and 1984 logos. One of the very best Olympic logos in history.

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Sydney, Australia, 2000 Olympic Logo

Sydney 2000 Olympic Logo

The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games known as the Millennium Olympic Games was the second time the event was held in Australia, the first being in 1956 in Melbourne.

Overall, the logo depicts a runner holding a flag but included in this vivid logo design are references to the cultural heritage of the Aborigines through it's style and the incorporation of boomerangs (arms and legs). The Sydney Opera House, which is the symbol of Sydney, is incorporated clearly in both the outline of the flag and the white line inside the shape of the legs. A very clever logo indeed.

Athens, Greece, 2004 Olympic Logo

Athens 2000 Olympic Logo

Beijing, China, 2008 Olympic Logo

Beijing 2008 Olympic Logo

The 2008 Olympic Games was held in Beijing. The official motto for the 2008 Olympics was “One World, One Dream” (同一个世界 同一个梦想).

The official logo of the Games, titled “Dancing Beijing”, refers to the host city by featuring a stylised calligraphic character jīng (京, meaning capital) which resembles a sportsman, runner, gymnast or a Chinese dancer.

An infographic about infographics - click to enlarge

Don't know what an infographic is? Well we have even provided you an infographic on that too! See the example above. A well-designed infographic like the ones below can help you simplify a complicated subject, in case the subject is Design and we have carefully selected 5 must see infographics for any young designer or design student. We hope you find them useful.

The Principles of Design

It is recommended that you read the notes on Design Elements before reading these notes as some of the terms used here are explained in that section.

There are 6 basic concepts or theories in the area of design, collectively known as the principles of design; they are Balance (Alignment), Rhythm (Repetition), Proportion (Proximity), Dominance (Emphasis) Unity (Harmony) and Contrast. Theses principles are sometimes know by different names hence the brackets.They represent the basic rules of how to arrange a composition and create a successful design. In order words they guide us in the way we arrange the elements of design. Sometimes we look at an image or object and we find it aesthetically pleasing or easy on the eye but we may not quite understand why. The reason is that one or more of the principles of design are at work. These principles can be applied regardless of the style or genre of the design being created..

Balance:

Balance refers to the arrangements of design elements within a composition, how they relate to each other and the overall composition. Elements can have different visual weights dependent on their size, shape or colour and if positioned poorly they can unbalance a composition. There are two types of balance - symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetrical balance

Symmetrical balance is where the weight of a composition is evenly distributed either side of the centre point of the composition, usually horizontally or vertically (although radial symmetry is also possible).

Asymmetrical balance

Asymmetrical balance is where the weight of a composition is not equally distributed (but is still visually balanced). This is much harder to judge than symmetrical balance but can be more visually interesting.

Contrast:

Contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama. This can be done in a variety of ways such as through light vs. dark colours, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.

contrast