Technical article about Design Theory

Design is everywhere, it's around us 24/7. If we look closer then we see that things around us aren't just made with a specific purpose in mind.

Lets take a couch for an example; why sit on a couch when we could as well just sit on a rock? They both serve the same purpose, right? Well yes, but we would be sore in just about twenty minutes. A couch is designed to have some soft or firm filling and a backrest so we can sit comfortably for a longer period of time. Maybe the couch has some extra things attached like a pocket on the side for remotes or maybe even a fancy cup holder. The couch is designed with the user experience in mind. The user can sit there for a couple of hours and relax after a long day without a sore butt. This example is not the greatest but I hope I get my point across. Design is so much more then just how something looks or its purpose, its also how something works. In this article I will talk about some design fundamentals.

Understanding Color
Color plays a vital role in design. Using color is some of the biggest hurdles new designers face; knowing how to use color effectively and picking colors that work well together. When colors are used properly they can evoke certain emotion and/or guide the viewers eye to what is important. Example:

But how do you choose color? The best way is to learn some basics about color theory, it helps you see color in a whole new light. Color theory states that we have 3 primary colors; red, yellow and blue. Then we have secondary colors witch are a mix of the primary colors; orange, purple and green. Together they form the color wheel.

There are certain formulas you can use to find colors that work the well together, all you need is the color wheel. The most popular formula is complimentary, there you choose colors that are the oppisite of each other; for example blue and orange, green and red. To avoid the colors being to simple, you can play around with the saturation and value to get different tones.

Here I found a good video that goes more in depth in color theory: