A client's simple comment made me rethink my whole approach to accent colors

I was working on a website for a local bakery and kept adding bright teal accents everywhere for 'pop'. The owner finally said, 'It feels like a tech store, not a place that sells warm cinnamon rolls.' That hit me hard. I swapped the teal for a burnt orange and a soft cream, pulling them straight from photos of their actual pastries. The whole mood changed instantly. Now I always start my accent palette from something physical the client makes or sells. Has anyone else had a client point out a color that just felt totally wrong for their vibe?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyt901mo ago

That "pulling them straight from photos of their actual pastries" is such a good idea. Do you ever find that the physical colors need adjusting to look right on screen?

max6311mo ago

Ever try to match a paint chip to a photo? Never looks right.

schmidt.blake17d ago

The "pulling them straight from photos of their actual pastries" thing is clever but you're right, it never translates. I tried matching a picture of a green velvet couch once to a paint swatch and it looked like a totally different shade (like, baby puke instead of forest green). Phones just can't capture real colors, especially with lighting tricks. Even pro cameras mess it up, so that "photo match" hack is kinda doomed from the start.