People already know how powerful colors can be. Colors are everywhere and in everything, and various hues trend every year. You most likely kept these things in mind when you chose your company’s logo and interior furnishings. The notion is no different regarding the signs you show on the inside and outside of your business. Signage is an important marketing tool, so be sure you know how to choose the best colors for your business signs to produce the greatest UX on customers.
Color Theory 101
Remember in school when we had to learn the color wheel? The primary colors are ones that do not come from any colors but are created from all other colors. They are yellow, red, and blue. The secondary colors are ones that come from mixing primary colors. Yellow and red create orange, blue and yellow create green, and red and blue create purple.
Colors produced from mixing primary and secondary colors, like blue and purple to create blue/ violet, are called tertiary colors. Combining colors in the real world is more complicated, either with paint or ink from a printer, but having a primary idea of the association between colors is helpful with knowledge with the way to pair them.
Colors that suit each other are complementary. They are opposite of each other on the color wheel, like purple and yellow. Comparable colors are three neighboring hues, meaning they are comparable to each other.
Saturation, or “chroma”, is in reference to the purity and intensity of a color based on its lighting. Decreasing the saturation of a color makes it lighter, whereas increasing the saturation makes it darker. On a relevant note, shading is the addition of black making it darker, and tinting is the addition of white to a color making it lighter. These are just a couple of the techniques to change the appearance of a color.
Catching Customers’ Attention
The colors you decide on for your signs are going to establish how effective they are at catching customers’ attention. For instance, neutral colors easily blend in with its surroundings. The neutrals are white, black, and different tones of browns and grays. Occasionally darker colors can be used as neutrals, like navy blue.
The best colors for outdoor banners and comparable signs are brighter hues since they attract attention. A dazzling yellow, flaming red, or neon green is going to be more prominent than a neutral. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore neutrals and only use bright colors. The idea is to find a balance to create the ideal contrast.
How Contrast Makes a Difference
Have you ever seen how a color can look different based upon what colors are surrounding it? For instance, putting the same color of purple side by side on various backgrounds would change how you interpret each one. On a more blue background, red tones would stand out, so it would be seen as more of a red violet. On a more red background, the blue tones would stand out, so it would be seen as more of a blue violet.
Moreover, what neutral is in the background establishes the impression of contrast and size. A little red dot inside of a large black dot would stand out and look larger. With a white background, it would look more dull and more small. On a similar color, like orange, the red dot would go missing. With its corresponding color, green, it is going to be more noticeable.
The Best Color Contrast for Signs
With a better understanding of how colors work side by side, you can see why selection is vital when it comes to signage. The important thing to think about in this case is the text. You must make sure that the combination you decide on makes the wording easy to read, especially for people that are driving by or are far away. The highest readability comes with a brightness variation of seventy percent or more, which means that in a lot of cases, the combination is going to be a dark tone and a light tone.
Benefits of Signs
Signs are one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business. It has been proven that business signage can be less expensive than radio, TV or newspaper ads and more effective than all three according to the SBA (Small Business Association).
Whichever style of sign you choose, you can trust Arizona Commercial Signs for all the help you need along the way. We are your go-to signage and graphics resource and can help with Site assessment, Sign Design, sign permits and the installation of the sign itself.
Are you ready to talk signage with us? Schedule a free consultation with Arizona Commercial Signs by calling us directly at 480 921-9900 or fill out our contact form. We can’t wait to fabricate the signage your business requires!
