Are these good combination colors?

[chelvis]

I am trying to choose to different colors. One should be darker with contrast which will be the tabs and the other one should be nice and light where I will have the text. The problem is I already did 3 different website for my company with different blues. So this time I am thinking of getting out of blue and go to a different colors. Here are the two colors: #CBCC97, #FF9A00. If this is not a good combination, can you suggest me a combination of 2 colors?

[Vladdy]

this should help
http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html

[chelvis]

I didnt understand that website. I clicked on a color palette and different colors came in different boxes on the right. So are they suggesting matching colors for a specific color I chose?

[Vladdy]

Here is the link to their color tutorial: http://www.colorschemer.com/tutorial.html

[bradyj]

Here's a site that shows combinations of colors that designers use:

http://graphicdesign.about.com/library/color/blweb.htm

It's helpful in viewing the color combinations.

The color combination you picked is ok -- I like the #CBCC97, but I would pick something that is stronger for the second to bring it out more (a brown, a black, a red). Blue is the optimal setting to match that color because they compliment each other well, but you want to get away from that, eh?

You may also go to xerox.com and search for their color section. Every year they email out a pdf of the new colors that are 'in style' by color org.

[F.N.G.]

That may not be the best color scheme to use... people with "Typical" or "Atypical" color-vision disorders probably won't see any text.

This site simulates different color vision, and is a good place to start for basic color-functionality: Color Vision - by Cal Henderson (http://www.iamcal.com/toys/colors/)

[ronaldb66]

Bradyj,

that's a useful link you supplied, however although full of valuable info that site has a great example of bad navigation; I usually bookmark the home page and try to find the actual page through the normal navigation, but I haven't managed to find back that color scheme page... :(

[bradyj]

About.com is notorious for horrible design and I've had the exact same problem... I'm so accustomed to it now that all I do is go to about.com, and search for 'Graphic Design'. The section is maintained by a designer named Judy Litt (not to be picky here, but take a look at her website under her link on the graphic design section... scary). Then I just select the color combo page.

Some of the issues I've noticed with bookmarking their pages seems to be with their usage of frames (and only on certain pages do they actually USE frames, which is odd). But alot of other junk is mixed in there.

There's a lot of designers that put good info on about.com... although the moderator for the page is not considered 'expert' level in any of the industry standard programs, doesn't know much about the print and web industry, and is the first to admit it... which is all around odd; so I tend to trust all the users who just pop up info on there.

... just like getting your haircut from someone with a bad hairstyle > or having a mechanic with a car that never runs:
don't take design tips from pages that are designed like @#%#.

But, it can have some diamonds in the rough.

[bradyj]

... oh, I forget and got off subject fully. On the Graphic Design page, all I can do is go to the 'search' and choose 'under this topic' to find that color combo page as well. They used to have it up, but now it's hidden under some poor sub menu that I cannot find. Bad navigation indeed... the only reason I remembered that was because of an old bookmark I had.

[chelvis]

Thanks bradjy for the url. I went to the website (website for colros designers use) and they have different color combinations. Also they have combinations for "Process colors" and "Spot colors". What are process colors and spot colors?

[bradyj]

color lesson:

There are a few different kind of color 'modes' that are used by designers, and they have different effects.

RGB (also known as Red, Green, Blue) is a combination of colors used to catch light... it's the type of colors used by computer monitors, and tv screens -- they grab light to show it, and your eyes interpret it as such.

Process Colors (also known as CMYK [also known as cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is the color combination used most often by screen printers, and digital printers. Essentially, it uses those four colors to reflect light off of clothing, and printed images, so that your eyes interpret it as such.

[bradyj]

Spot colors (most famous of all is a company known as pantone that has their own color schemes) are a specialized mix of colors that the print industry uses to display unique colors. Company logos all use 'spot colors'. These types of colors come out the exact same everytime, regardless of what you are printing... CMYK (or process printing) can sometimes look different depending on what printer you use, and what machine. This variation is why you tend to print posters that look different than the t-shirts you printed last week, etc.

So process and spot are for printing, RGB is for visual media.

You may also notice that 'Web Safe Colors' are used for Websites. These are the 256 colors in the RGB spectrum that all monitors use, so that it doesn't look different in someone elses monitor if they have some different setting.

a little tidbit of knowledge:

It is said that RGB colors catch only 77% (that may have changed) of the light that your eyes can see. CMYK can only catch 13% of what your eyes can see. So there are colors that we have yet to duplicate.

[chelvis]

Thanks so much for your answer. I got it now.

[dynagirl]

Originally posted by chelvis
...Here are the two colors: #CBCC97, #FF9A00. If this is not a good combination, can you suggest me a combination of 2 colors?

I don't particularly like those 2 colors together, but if you added a 3rd color into the mix, like #CC3300 or something, it could work.

Or, you could ditch the orange for a green (example: #336633) as the contrast to the beige.