Why I stopped copying the exact color schemes from design blogs

I used to pull color palettes straight from those popular design blogs and try to force them into my client projects. It always looked off somehow, like the colors belonged to someone else's brand. About six months ago, I took a job designing a menu for a local taco spot in Portland. The owner wanted earthy greens and warm yellows, so I grabbed a trendy palette I saw on Pinterest. After showing it to her, she said "these colors don't taste like my food" and that really hit me. Now I start with the actual product or space - like taking photos of the ingredients or the wall tiles - and build my own palette from those real colors. Has anyone else had better results with handmade palettes over borrowed ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarwilliams4d ago

These colors don't taste like my food" is one of those quotes I'd frame on my wall. It's wild how obvious that point is once you hear it, but most of us never thought of it that way. Building palettes from real stuff just makes more sense than guessing from a screen.

the_harper4d ago

Exactly. I had to sit with that quote for a second because it cuts right through all the tech BS. Picking colors by grabbing a coffee cup or a ripped leaf off a plant just feels more honest than sliding some digital sliders around. My whole last project got its palette from a moldy orange I left on my counter too long, and it looked way better than anything I could have guessed at on screen.