Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts

174 Best Practices for Graphic Designers: Grids and Page Layouts

Knowing the ways in which color can unify content and

create areas that are linked in the mind of the viewer, it

is a short step to understanding that color can be used

to organize the material itself. Perhaps even on a more

basic level, color coding has been used extensively for

years in everything from exit signs to office file folders,

and is an organizational principle that people are very

comfortable with. In a similar way to how people are

used to using color to bring order to their lives, order

can be brought to your layout by creating modules

out of color to contain like information. Another way

that order can be achieved is by deciding hierarchically

that all “green” content is on one level, while all “tan”

information would be subordinate. Color can be used in

layouts to separate headlines or differentiate one section

from another, or in a periodical to separate one issue

from another.

The properties of the colors that are being used can also

aid in organizing the content. Superficially, colors from

the same family will group together to connect disparate

areas of information and can be used to add structure

to the layout. On a deeper level, warm colors—those

like reds and yellows—tend to come to the foreground,

while cool colors—like blues and greens—recede. With

this in mind, combinations of warm and cool colors can

be used to support the communication objectives.

COLOR

COLOR AS AN

ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL

If the format is divided by an equal

three-column grid, and two columns

hold primary content, leaving only

one of the columns to house section

introductions, these introductions

can be made to pop to the fore-

ground by making them a rust color

while the remaining content is a

cool gray or a black with some blue

in it. Without adjusting anything

else—type size, style, etc.—a system

where warm and cool colors are used

to codify and separate content can be

a very effective method of providing

structure to a layout.

Color: Color as an Organizational Tool 175

It is important to note, however, that consistent use

is key. Like the grid system itself, when color—or

anything, for that matter—is used to organize the

content, the viewer will come to expect certain things.

When designing, think of rules for the way that color

will be used. When it is appropriate, these rules

can be bent or broken, but if there is no consistency,

the information will appear chaotic and the orderly

regularity that is required to build a solid foundation

for your communication will not emerge to the viewer.

The signage developed for

Sportschule Hennef was color-

coded to help define the sections of

information and ensure clarity for

the viewer. The hierarchical grid

used is visible through the divisions

of color, providing unified areas to

house directions, place names, and

translations, as well as icons describ-

ing visually what can be found by

going in each direction.

FIRM 804

CLIENT Sportshule Hennef