Want to see what inspiration we found a little closer to home? Check out these moodboards from around Greensboro! 

Late last year we did a series of moodboards featuring vignettes and color inspiration from around Greensboro. It wasn’t hard to find inspiration in our surroundings then, but this time we looked a little further from home for our latest color series… and we think you’ll quickly see why. This set of swatches was inspired by photos we took on a week long-trip to Los Angeles in late June. 

While in LA, we visited art museums, parks, lakes, and lots of great restaurants. These color schemes are just a glimpse of the diverse scenery we experienced, and we know we’ll be reflecting back on this trip for inspiration for months to come.

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Getty Greys

A work of art in itself, the cool greys and whites of The Getty contrast a saturated and cloudless sky.

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PCT Palette

This glimpse of the Pacific Crest Trail is rich with subdued greens and yellow. This palette fuses the hues of the desert sky with those from scrubby foliage.

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Mismatched and Multicolored

A study in contradiction, we take inspiration from marrying the colors of this Barbie dream house with the more subdued tones that surround it.

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Santa Monica Sunset

As the sun set over Santa Monica, the sky was cast with vivid yellows and light oranges.

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Plant life panorama

The greenery of The Getty’s cactus garden intermixes with the warm greys of downtown LA and the soothing tone of the travertine tile.

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Curated Color

Spotted at LACMA, this work by Do Ho Suh is a 1:1 scale apartment sculpture is made of polyester fabric and stainless steel tubes. Soft colors create a ghostly and ethereal work of art.

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Hollyhock Hues

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House is adorned by stylized hollyhocks on roof finials, furniture, art glass windows, and the ornamental bands of cast-concrete on the structure’s exterior. The real life flower lends a pop of bright pink to this otherwise tranquil scene from Barnsdall Art Park.

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HUE & TONE CREATIVE: Let’s find what inspires you

Whether you’re based in Greensboro or beyond, we’ll help breathe new inspiration into your brand. Let us help you refresh your visual branding, website, and print collateral today. Schedule a meeting to get your next project started.

Picking the right color palette is important — whether you’re looking to refresh your logo or just design a social media graphic, selecting the right hues can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of your graphic. Certain colors evoke feelings of action, while others are often identified with calm and serenity.

In a past post, we covered what color theory is and why it’s important to consider it during the design process. Today, we’re putting the rules of color theory into practice with a handful of sample color schemes.

These 8 color schemes are suitable for a wide range of businesses and can serve as a frame of reference for what colors connect with what customers. Copy these colors directly or use them as a jumping off point for designing your own scheme!

For interior design businesses

Light, neutral colors provide a versatile canvas for any room you want to showcase.

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For businesses who deal with women’s health

Make your female clientele feel cared for with soothing hues of purple. A dusty mauve grounds this scheme, keeping it from feeling too girly.

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For businesses who want to give off a corporate feel

If you’re in a corporate or service business, you can never go wrong with basic blues. A pop of orange adds contrast and elevates this scheme to feel more modern.

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For businesses whose clients are tweens

When appealing to a younger clientele, keep things fun and vibrant with lilac, an aqua blue, and a pear green.

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For businesses who deal with art

If you deal with an elevated clientele, these unexpected shades are neutral yet a bit adventurous. Earthy and understated.

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For businesses who deal with tech

If you’re looking for something bold and clean, yellow and a deep grey speaks to an action oriented and bold brand.

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For businesses whose clients are young kids

If you work with young kids, keep it fun and bright with azure blue, a grassy green and a vivid red.

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For businesses whose clients go outside

If you sell outdoor equipment or experiences, branch out from earthy browns and greens and dig into some more unexpected colors. Burgundy, a muted Prussian blue, and a papaya orange are an unexpected but organic combination.

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your branding partner

Looking to develop just the right color scheme for your brand? Don’t leave the process of selecting the perfect colors up to chance. Bring in our expert team and we’ll ensure you create a brand that connects with your customers. From naming your business to creating a polished website, Hue & Tone is here to help. Book an initial consultation now to get started.

October is one of the eeriest times of year: Halloween, colder temperatures, the time change, end of year tax prep… it’s all pretty frightening. While most people associate this time of year with black and orange, there’s a much wider color palette we think you should consider for this spooky season.

If you’re looking for a color scheme to spruce up your latest seasonal advertisement or your creepy social media graphics, consider pulling swatches from one of these boards. In addition to the traditional orange and black we’re pulling in earth tones and shades of purple, green, red, white, and yellow. We’re even playing around with a few pops of pink! 

Sinister Skies

Nothing evokes a Spooktacular feeling quite like a cloudy night sky. In this color scheme, a classic pumpkin orange pairs with goldenrod, a deep red, and an inky blue. 

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Saturated Skeletons

These bright colors aren’t something you would usually associate with Halloween – but the dayglo orange and pink speak to the vibrant lights of a late night party. 

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Haunted Hues

Warm glowing lights illuminate the windows of this haunted mansion — the charred stone and cloudy sky inspire a more muted palette of deep orange and dark blue. With it’s toned down colors, this palette will work well for all of fall.

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Macabre Mask

Pops of rich pink and teal stipple this haunting Day of the Dead face paint. The strong contrast between the deep black and accent colors creates an evocative calavera design.

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Pale Pumpkins

You don’t have to use orange and black for halloween — and pumpkins don’t even have to be orange! These washed out hues show a different take on a classic halloween symbol.

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Frightening Forest

At first this image just looks shades of blue - but peer a little closer and you’ll see deep magenta and rich greens. Who knows what else might be lurking behind these colorful trees…

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Eldritch Eyes

Black cats are synonymous with bad luck, making them the perfect emblem for All Hallows Eve. Different shades of grey pepper his fur and his haunting green eyes will stay with you for days to come.

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Hue & Tone Creative: Design work for every season

Not up for the work of creating your own holiday campaign? Whether you’re scrambling for last minute Halloween graphics or working on your winter campaign, we’re here to create the perfect imagery for you. Contact us to get started!

Be honest, how many times have you sat and stared at your screen experimenting with endless color pairings only to realize three hours later you’re no further down the line? 

Frustrating, isn’t it?

Well, designers don’t hit the jackpot just by luck, they use what’s called color theory. Color theory is a term used to describe the collection of rules and guidelines regarding the use of color in art and design – and it is defined as a theory because it cannot be proven.  

Color theory is a science and art in it’s own right – but even non-artists can gain a basic understanding of color theory to better understand how to make a pleasing design. Knowing which colors play well together and the effects specific colors have on a majority of people is a valuable expertise no matter what your field.

What’s color theory?

Image via dulux.co.nz

The color wheel is a tried and tested blend of art and science that show you which hues go well together. The color wheel we use today is based off Isaac Newton’s 1666 color wheel which shows the relationship between colors. Sir Isaac Newton created the color wheel based on his experiments with prisms that led to the theory that red, yellow and blue were the primary colors from which all other colors are derived.

Now we’ll dive into a breakdown of how to use the color wheel for your own branding and design projects. By following these simple rules, you can shave hours off your next color-picking expedition and end up with a better-looking final product!

Complementary

Image via Canva.

Any two colors that sit on opposite sides of the color wheel -- like blue and yellow or pink and green, for example. Complementary colors are high in contrast and impact and work together to create bright results.

Monochromatic

Image via Canva.

Want a headstart? We’ve got lots of great color themes to choose from here.

These are shades of the same color and result in subtle and harmonious finishes. While monochromatic combinations are great for creating a consistent feel another color will need to be brought into the mix to add another layer to your work -- otherwise, everything will start blending into one another.

Analogous

Image via Canva.

Tip: to prevent that from happening pick one of the three for your dominant color and then use the other two as accents.

Any three colors that sit side-by-side on the color wheel -- like orange, yellow and green. On the plus side, these can be really versatile combinations, but on the downside, if you don’t manage them right they can soon become a bit tooin your face.

 Triadic

Image via Canva.

Make sure you get your proportions right for this one! Triadic colors sit at three evenly spaced intervals on the wheel and hit that right balance between contrast and versatility.

Tetradic

Image via Canva.

Similar to the above but this time across fourevenspaces. If you’re going with this option just remember the more colors you use the harder it’ll be to balance what’s on your palette -- and less can certainly be more sometimes. 

To avoid overwhelming people, as with analogous combinations, pick one color as your dominant and use the rest as accents. 

4 good-to-know color wheel facts

1. It’s made up of 12 colors: red, orange, yellow, chartreuse green, green, spring green, cyan, azure, blue, violet, magenta and rose.

2. It can be split into three color types:

• Primary: colors that create pure white light when blended together (red, green and blue)

• Secondary: the result of mixing two primary colors, i.e. green and blue make cyan

• Tertiary: there are six in total and they’re the byproduct of combining a primary and secondary color

3. The two halves of the wheel make up warm (purple through to yellow) and cool (blue through to green) colors. 

4. If you add black, grey or white to any base hue you can create shades, tints and tones of any color:

•  Shades darken the color and are made by adding black

• Tints lighten and are conceived by adding white

• Tones create a subtle version of the original color when white and black (or grey) are added

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your partners in color

If this blog post left you feeling more confused than clear, why not hand the hard part over? We’re design experts through and through so you can trust us to find the perfect pairings for you. Interested? Get in touch on hannah@hueandtonecreative.com or (336) 365-8559.

Traditionally, retro colors are all about less saturated hues that have a flat feel. This week we’re taking a little inspiration from the objects of yesteryear and reinterpreting them as modern, fresh color schemes that would work in today’s branding. 

In our eyes, retro and vintage are always in style – whether it’s a throwback to the 70s, 80s, or 90s, the past always serves as a great source of inspiration. We love a nostalgic look when it comes to product packaging, app design, or campaigns graphics. 

Mix these colors with some sleek sans serif fonts and minimal graphic elements, and you’ll have a brand that works perfectly today… even if it was inspired by yesterday. 

Carside Colors

Classic teal pairs well with these packaging inspired reds and oranges. It’s early day fast food meets a classic ride. 

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Muted Motel

Forget blue and pink only working for a baby shower – these pale pinks and blues will want to make you stay the night at this vintage motel. The mix of so many soft hues lends itself perfectly to an upscale feel. 

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Colorful Camera

A fun take on the Polaroid’s rainbow color scheme, these toned down swatches harken back to an age of roller rinks, disco, and, well…polaroids. 

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Resplendent Radio

Bathed in blue light, this shot inspired a monotone musical scheme fit for any brand – past, present, and future. 

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Primary Patches

Primary colors can be reinterpreted to fit any decade – and this patch inspired flat lay is no different. Soft grey and a pop of deep emerald help elevate the look.

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Monotone Memories   

Browns and taupes may seem dull at first, but when applied fastidiously they can create an elevated look. This scheme is perfect for men’s brands or retro products that truly want to connect with the look of the past. 

What can we say? We love fall! We know it’s still hotter than heck, but we can’t help but get excited about the impending pumpkin spice, fall leaves, and chunky sweaters. 

In fact, we also got really excited about fall last year on the blog ... and the year before … and the year before that. Basically, creating fall inspired mood boards is becoming a regular thing for us. However, this year we’re pushing ourselves to go beyond red, orange, and yellow to come up with a more out of the box set of fall palettes.  

We’ll admit, a few traditional fall colors worked their way into our mood boards – but overall we stuck to less traditional hues to keep things fresh. 

Take a look at what we came up with here – and, let us know which is your favorite in the comments!

Luscious Lake

The lake in this photo looks peaceful, but these deep colors evoke a feeling of something a little darker. Deep, rich jewel tones gives off a luscious feel. 

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Crisp and Clean

Fall is all about baking and enjoying the outdoors. That’s why this tasty close up was a perfect fit for us. Cool greens and a muted ice blue speak to winter being right around the corner. 

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Culinary Creativity

Family recipes abound in autumn, making it the best time to draw inspiration from your culinary supplies. Warm honey, flour, and a few kitchen tools informed this color scheme. 

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Bold Bounty

This plenitude of heirloom tomatoes was perfect for a more primary color scheme. These brighter hues are a fun alternative to the soft side of fall. 

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Dusty Detritus

Downed leaves make for some beautiful colors. We loved pulling inspiration from this fallen foliage. Muted lavender, subdued peach, and an understated charcoal have a soothing effect. 

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Foggy Fowl

Soft lighting sets the mood here with creamy taupe, a soft sage, and a rusty brown.  

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Design + Branding for Greensboro, NC and Beyond

Color scheme need an update? Brand feeling stale? Logo looking outdated? We can fix all of that -- and more! Based out of the Triad, our team can help you refresh and revitalize your flagging brand. More than just an outside team, we'll become your partner in all things visual and marketing related. Sound like what you're looking for? Give us a call.

It only takes one visit to a city to figure out if you’re someone who belongs in the city or the country. The commotion either overwhelms or inspires you -- and the beauty of the city is truly in the eye of the beholder. 

In the past, we’ve explored color schemes found in nature, but what about those of us who are inspired by a more urban space? 

To further explore the aesthetic and inspiration found in an urban environment, we’ve snagged Unsplash photos from cities all over the world. Cities are so much more than grey and concrete – and the colors we’ve pulled from these images prove that. 

French and Fancy

The facades in France evoke a feminine and understated feel. The landscaping and waterways provide a rich pop of color that reminds you nature isn’t far away. 

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Tonal in Taiwan 

Rich hues of purple, red, and orange light up a dreary day in Taipei City. Dusty lilac is an unexpected alternative to the grey and black of street top.

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Hazy in Hong Kong

These muted colors complement a monochromatic backdrop filled with metal, glass, and concrete. We think they would be perfect for a stylized flat lay photo shoot.

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The lights of Shanghai 

Soothing and subdued, these blue and purple hues reflect a city full of light. A pop of light pink provides some much needed contrast and depth to this color story. 

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Sunset in the City

Sunsets are beautiful anywhere, but this faint coral and rich turquoise scheme is one of the best mother nature has to offer… maybe the best color inspiration blends city and nature?  

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Stockholm Swatches

These earthy buildings evoke thoughts of rich spice. Paired with a soothing background of pale blue and seafoam, this color scheme is as dynamic as it is beautiful. 

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Radiant in Radio City 

These illuminated hues create a sharp contrast against dark grey and black. For a fun and youthful scheme, New York City is where it’s at. 

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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IN GREENSBORO AND WINSTON SALEM

Need a second opinion on your brand colors? We can help with that. We're experts in color, type, branding and design -- and we can help you refresh or retool your branding to make sure it's the best reflection of your business. Reach out if you're ready to get started: hannah@hueandtonecreative.com or 336-365-8559.

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If you work in the design or printing industry, you're probably familiar with the CMYK color mode. But for those who have never heard of it, the CMYK color model is a subtractive color model used in color printing. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).

This color blending mode is responsible for most of the printed materials you see and interact with every day... that's why we thought it deserved a little attention! Even though we're surrounded by beautiful colors every day, we rarely stop and think about what goes in to them. 

This funky, pop-art inspired mood board is our visual ode to the CMYK printing process. We know it's nerdy... but, hey, what can we say -- we love design and color! 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Color + design lovers

Does the idea of picking colors for your website stop you in your tracks? Or maybe you just can't tell the difference between two shades of blue? That's what we're here for. At Hue & Tone Creative, we can help with everything from logo design to web development to print collateral. Want to see what we've done for our other clients? Take a look at our portfolio.

Snow covered garland, carefully crafted wreaths, eye catching poinsettias... The right greenery can usher the holiday spirit into any space! 

To get in to the holiday spirit, we've sorted through some of our favorite photos of Festivus-inspired greenery. These color stories take a closer look at some of our favorite foliage, from a close-up of a pine bough to an entire hillside of snowcapped trees. 

Open Invitation

A pop of rich red awakens an earthy green for an inviting color scheme... it's so rich it practically beckons you right in! 

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Tranquil Terrain

Cool blues and purples paint the soothing and silent aftermath of a snow storm.

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Delicate details

If you look closely enough, even the smallest detail is alive with color! This ornament inspired palette pairs a dusty plum with graphite and sage for a one-of-a-kind winter scheme.

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Crisp Cranberry

This modern color pairing packs a bold punch with an accent of brilliant red. A nearly-black mahogany and cool greys accent this daring statement color.

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Festive Fern

Deep earth tones take us back to nature in this rich and rugged color scheme. A pale blue pops on a backdrop of muted mahogany and soft brown.  

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LOGO AND BRAND DESIGN IN GREENSBORO, NC

Need a custom holiday invite? A fresh brand to start 2018 off right? We've got you covered on all fronts. Hue & Tone specializes in logo design, branding, and collateral development. Reach out if you're ready to start the new year off right: hannah@hueandtonecreative.com or 336-365-8559.

If you loved iSpy as a kid, these eclectic flat lays are going to catch your eye...eye for detail that is! 

Flat lays not only make great Instagram posts, but they can also be great design inspiration. A stylized color scheme is part of what makes a good flat lay eye-catching social media gold... as opposed to just a pile of junk on a white background. 

We grabbed a few of our favorite flat lays from Twenty20 and let them inspire 6 unique color schemes! 

Sixties Citrus

This color story is looking to make a statement -- 60’s inspired citrus hues pair with a pop of electric strawberry for a modern look that will practically knock your go-go boots off!

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Fall Bazaar

An unexpected spin on fall, a muted rosewood hue pairs with a pink that packs a peppy punch. A pale olive and citron pull together this surprising style.

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Punchy Post-its

Earthy sage pairs with a bright salmon and a goldenrod yellow... these post-it notes inspired a color scheme almost good enough to eat! 

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Neon Stamp Collection

We pulled these punchy colors out of a dynamic stamp collection. If you’ve seen our logo you know we’re obsessed with citron – add a luscious grape color, a toned down teal, and a calming grey and you’ve got a girly, but fresh, color scheme.

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Colorful Cars

Whether you’re a racecar driver or an everyday commuter, we bet this color scheme really revs your engine!

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Beige Business

The most muted of the group, this flat lay takes business style to a new place. Soft lavender, navy, and pistachio green give these guys a serene look during a hectic day at their make-believe office.

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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IN GREENSBORO AND WINSTON-SALEM

Logo looking a little flat? Website lacking pop? We'll get your businesses branding on the right track -- we specialize in logo design, branding, and collateral development. Reach out if you're ready to make your brand stand out: hannah@hueandtonecreative.com or 336-365-8559.