I‘ve recently been in the market for a new computer and I’ve read numerous reviews and comments about different products and their displays. And two problems interested me: color fidelity and glossy versus matte. These problems are dissected throughly by people in our industry.
For print designers the quality of the image matters a lot as the display may mimic the final product. Now, I know I don’t have the richest experience in print jobs but I can tell you, no matter how good the display is, one can never get the same feeling from a monitor as the real thing: the paper and the ink. A good display is needed still.
The print designers have this problems because they know they must replicate a fixed medium. Those who design for the screen shouldn’t have the same issues. Our medium is not fixed. Users consume our product on their own displays, sometimes small, sometimes of poor quality, all with small differences.
I always smile when clients tell me that they would like a tone “just a little bit lighter” or similar requests. I also smile when the client’s wife has an opinion about the colors. I smile because I know I have to explain the medium and defend “the theory”.
An estimated nine to twelve percent of the male population suffers from some form of color vision deficiency.
People don’t see colors the same. Women see more shades than men do(so it is said) and we have our own cultural prejudices about different colors. Also some colors give us psychological satisfaction and influence us in differently. That is why we all have different favorite colors.
How do I pick the colors then, smarty pants? Use the theory. The color theory. Find out more about harmonies, about color context, about saturation, about contrast. If you follow the rules you cannot fail. The color theory will help you more than a good monitor.
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