Color Theory, I’m Spring!

In all my years in Art and Architecture I have never taken a class on color theory. Well this month I am taking another Blogging Your Way class Blog Boss with Holly Becker of Decor8 and guest instructor Fiona Humberstone. If you ever get a chance to take one of these classes I highly recommend it. This is my third class and I have learned so much about blogging, branding, and networking that I could never have learned on my own.

This weeks lesson was given by Fiona who is a creative director who has styled brands and created websites for years, so when she gave a lesson on branding I was all ears, or eyes I guess since we are in cyberspace.

The focus of this branding is rooted in Color Theory.

I know the term sounds familiar, it did to me too, but I could not have given you a real definition before taking this class.

This is the way it works:

“Color works at an instinctive level: faster than words or images and has the power to make people feel something for a brand  By using the right tones, textures, shapes and hues you can communicate your key brand values and influence how people respond subconsciously.”

In a nutshell, pick the right colors and people will institutionally have a feeling about your brand before they even look at a pictures or read a single word. These feeling are then broken down into seasonal personalities and color palettes. Spring colors are bright and clear which feel warm and approachable, Summer colors are cool and muted which feels elegant and romantic, Autumn colors are warm and intense along with muted shades which feel earthy and organic, while Winter colors are intense and can also include black these exude luxury and success.

Pretty cool stuff, right!

So what did I learn? Well obviously I learned that my personality is Spring. If you have read my blog from the beginning you may remember my original color scheme was quite different and did not have the feeling I wanted to give off. Several months ago I re-branded my blog and without even knowing it I got the colors just right. The new Spring colors say exactly what I want my blog to represent, that it is an outgoing, fun, friendly environment that is creative and inspirational. Right out of the Springs key attributes. I also have a few Autumn tendencies which are brought out in the oranger shades of yellow. This reflects my strong sense of history and love of vintage and shows that I am ambitious and focused.

Kind of like your personal color Horoscope…

The fun part is while I want to portray my personality in my brand other brands might want to use colors that will show what their brands to represent. For luxury brands it’s Winter all the way. Romance, these brands might lean towards summer. Organics will most likely want to use a Autumn color palette.

Can you think of brands you know that exude a feeling right way? They are probably

For this weeks homework our assignment was to create a mood board showing our color season, this is what I came up with. I included my spring colors that I am currently using on my blog, lots of creative elements/art, and as always a nod to the vintage and retro I adore.

So what do you think. Is my color theory working? Do you feel the creativity and fun? I would love to hear you opinion!