My sister said my color sets were 'safe' and it got me thinking

I was showing my sister a new brand guide I made for a client last week. She looked at the five colors I picked and said, 'It's nice, but it feels safe. Like you're scared to stand out.' She's not a designer, she works at a plant shop. She pointed to a bright pink flower in her shop and said, 'Why not a color like that?' I've always stuck to blues, grays, and soft greens because they feel professional. But her comment hit different because she saw it just as a person, not a client. It made me wonder if I'm playing it too safe to please everyone, and if that actually makes the work forgettable. Do you ever add one 'risky' color to a mostly safe palette to make it pop?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_roberts2mo ago

That pink flower comment is so real.

susanm224d ago

Oh totally! I had this whole thing with a neighbor once where we'd leave different colored flowers on each other's porch steps depending on what mood we were in that week. It's amazing how much you can say with just a simple flower or two without ever typing a word.

pipergonzalez2mo ago

Exactly, it's a whole little language people speak.