Color is one of the key things to design. Choose the right color, it evokes certain emotions, as does the wrong. There are way too many colors in nature to truly see them all. For designers, it becomes a matter of palettes or collections of colors. Some designers will simply look up colors with no real set collection, going with what colors seem to fit or the customer wants. Others may chose more set schemes based on their own design philosophy.
I recent picked up a book called color index from a used bookstore. Adding a color guide to my bookshelf is something I’ve needed to do for awhile. Many of my designs tend to be a very earth tone, largely due to the ‘tactical’ or military aesthetic to them.
I’ve also taken to noting car paint colors, both for my own interest for future purchases and as a reference for colors I like and want to add to my palette. To be honest, I hadn’t actually created a palette either. I just picked colors as I needed, maybe not always sticking with the same similar color across designs.
So… I decided, while looking up car paint colors, to start collecting colors. Using the Encycolorpedia (trying saying that one fast…), I start shopping colors for my palette. As you can see, still very earth tone, but will hopefully give me a more consistent collection.
Data Monkey Designs 