BranD Magazine – Issue 53: Limited Color Combinations, Unlimited Expression

BranD is an international bi-monthly magazine, focusing on multidisciplinary communication design from Hong Kong.

Preorder now: restock ships in February!

BranD defines a new way to look into Communication Design by presenting, researching and manifesting excellent works amongst Visual Art, Advertising, Product, Graphic, Interior, Architecture, etc. Every issue not only expends around numbers of high-quality visual features to seek the real content and values behind different forms of communications, but also includes in-depth observation articles andcolumns from the industry’s leading organizations and individuals. The Community section brings the designers, artists, art directors, marketing specialists, and business strategists together to seek the multidisciplinary creative methodology behind communication design for businesses.

BranD 53 – Limited Color Combinations, Unlimited Expression

A Piece of White Paper

John Ruskin, a well-known British writer and art critic, in his book Modern Painters mentions “…color is the most sacred element of all visible things.” Every morning as we wake up, we could see how the sun lights up the world and how colors run into our vision. There is the clear blue sky, green tree, beautiful flowers, neon lights on busy streets, various commodities on the supermarket shelves, and so on. We are placed in this wonderful and colorful world and always grateful for such gift for our eyes, so as to lead a joyful and relaxed life.

Therefore, it’s fairly important for designers to know how to choose the right colors. The chosen colors that move audience cannot part with designers’ in-depth exploration. For me, pink is a definite choice for all visual space for how it comforts me. Yet, in fact, I can’t live without the yellow color. Also, I believe blue has the largest color system and hope that when blue was used in the designs of hospitals as well as technology companies, the users could expand the application the color system and extend the symbolic meanings of blue. Moreover, I wish that the reason for designers to choose white and black in their work is no longer just because they are the never-out-of-date colors.

Some like to use the term “a piece of white paper” as an analogy of purity, and white paper is also the basic tool for creation as well as color combination. My sincere hope is that designers get to master diverse color combinations and meanwhile keep a pure and simple heart.