Client told me my orange was offensive, now I tone it down

Last Tuesday I sent a draft logo to a bakery client with bright orange and hot pink together. They called it aggressive and said it hurt to look at. I argued for a bit, then tried a muted terracotta with dusty rose instead. Same vibe, way less shouting. Turns out the saturation was the problem, not the colors themselves. I still love loud combos on posters, but for packaging I pull back now. Has anyone else had a client kill a bold pairing and you ended up liking the softer version more?

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fiona_murray2d ago

It's funny how that pattern shows up everywhere, not just in design... I notice it with music too, the songs that punch you in the face at first end up getting skipped, but the ones that sneak up on you become the ones you play on repeat. Same with how people decorate their homes, that first wild rug looks amazing in the store, but after a week it's just... a lot. Saturation and volume are like that, they grab attention but they don't hold it. The softer version usually has more staying power because it gives your eyes somewhere to rest.