I keep seeing designers pick colors that look bad on real screens

I was working on a mobile app for a cafe in Portland and picked a nice orange from my calibrated monitor. When I checked it on my phone, it looked totally washed out and weak. I found out my monitor was set way too bright, making colors seem more solid than they are. Now I always check my palettes on at least two real devices before I show a client. How do you make sure your colors work everywhere?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaeladams2mo ago

That's a classic problem with monitors being too bright. I always keep a cheap, older tablet and a basic phone on my desk just for color checks. The screen on those budget devices never lies, they show colors exactly how most people will see them. It's saved me from picking pale yellows that disappear or light grays that turn into white. You really can't trust just one screen, even if it's a good one.

felix_nelson892mo ago

My old Kindle shows true colors every time.

joseph_lewis921mo ago

Yeah, I learned that the hard way with a client's website. My perfect navy blue turned into a weird purple on my coworker's laptop screen. Now I keep my old, busted iPad around just for checking. That thing shows colors how they really look, not how I want them to look.