color – The Graphic Mac

Grab color from anywhere without leaving Photoshop

James — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:00:35 +0000

Love the color you see in a video playing in a browser window and want to use it in your current Photoshop document? It’s easy to grab that color without leaving Photoshop or using any third-part tools.

To select a color located anywhere on your screen(s) while remaining in Photoshop, simply select the Eyedropper tool, hold down the mouse key while you move around the screen until you’re over the color you want to grab – then just let go of the mouse button.

As you can see in the screenshot above, I’ve grabbed a shade of red from my desktop wallpaper without leaving Photoshop. Quite handy!

Pantone’s 2018 color of the Year

James — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:30:22 +0000

Enigmatic purples have long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance.

The Science of color: Why is Facebook blue

James — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:00:59 +0000

Companies use color to trigger an emotion from us. Here’s a great little article about why designers choose the colors they do.

Let’s talk color

James — Fri, 20 May 2016 15:00:46 +0000

Brands are built over time. In the beginning it’s important to simply target a color that will do three things:
• Resonate with your target audience
• Capture the emotion and tone of your brand
• Separate yourself from your competition

Red, green, blue: the colors of app icons

James — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 13:00:25 +0000

Stuart Hall offers an interesting look at the colors of app icons on iOS and the Mac in this article. Blue, by far, is the most popular color; but if you want to stand out from the crowd, purple is probably the coolest color to go with! I’m actually surprised at how few apps use the pink/purple hues.

The psychology behind color

James — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:00:21 +0000

Color has an incredible ability to tell stories and infer emotions, which is why so many film auteurs—not to mention designers and marketers—have spent time trying to understand its hidden power. But are there any universal rules when it comes to using color?

10 color tips for graphic designers

James — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 15:30:42 +0000

Some great advice about choosing and using color in your design work.

Pantone 2015 Color of the Year: Marsala

James — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:45:01 +0000

Pantone 2015 Color of the Year: Marsala. A warm blend that goes well with cool colors.

What’s the difference between CMYK and RGB?

James — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 16:00:05 +0000

Since the dawn of desktop publishing, it’s been unquestioned that Thou Shalt Convert to CMYK. Those who submitted RGB files were considered uninformed, even uncivilized.

So what’s the difference between CMYK and RGB? CMYK vs. RGB at CreativePro has the quick answer.

For what it’s worth, I haven’t converted a file to CMYK in a long time. Since virtually everything I design ends up leaving my computer as a PDF/X-1a, I have InDesign convert to CMYK in the PDF-making process. You should note that this only works if you have a fully color managed workflow.

Color defines a logo

James — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:00:28 +0000

When you get to own a color as much as Coca-Cola does, you don’t need much more around it.

The wrong color can make a great logo look like something a friend left on your bathroom floor the morning after a party.

Take a look at this brief article at FastCoDesign, then ask yourself: How much does color define a logo? Truth-be-told, you should probably spend nearly as much time thinking about your color use as you do designing the logo.