design palette in colorful sunset Take a walk, and you will be wrapped by nature’s perfect designs everywhere. This perfect harmony is above you, below you, around you, and throughout you. It is beauty all around you. The sky above is permeated with a vast wash of colors that change throughout the day, providing a calm sense of space and openness. This balance of atmosphere and color is very subtle, and minimal on purpose. It provides the necessary soft contrast to a backdrop of other natural elements that are more dynamic, with darker colors, rougher textures, and greater details. Nature’s landscape is in perfectly balance. Learn to appreciate the harmony of these natural palettes and embrace that “less is more” is the best tip for design. As a designer, do not try to force too many colors, too many textures, too much variation of stylistic elements, or fonts. Subtlety is best.

It is also particularly important to maintain empty white space in your design- that solid, or often white space, will be soothing to the eye and provides necessary structure, separating important copy, or details from other visuals. Too much clutter on the page only creates tension and disharmony. Learn to look. Notice the colors around you, and notice how they change throughout the day, throughout the seasons, throughout time, and weathering. The changes, no matter how drastic, still remain in perfect beautiful balance.

A fun experiment is to take a photo outside in nature, then choose your palette for your project directly from the colors of your photo. You will be surprised how simple it is to let nature guide your expertise for balance and developing a perfect aesthetic to the eye. Try it, and see if it works for your next design!