Choosing the Correct Color Scheme for Print Brochures

Selecting your color scheme for brochure printing is not just a matter of your taste. In fact, when you print brochures, the color scheme should usually be decided by a couple of factors. Knowing these different factors will determine if your color scheme for brochure printing will be acceptable or downright terrible. That is why it is important for you to know these things.

As a simple guide, here are the four major factors that should help you in choosing the correct color scheme for your print brochures.

•       Knowing the brochure’s mood – First, you should know your own brochure’s mood. That’s right! Your brochure has its own theme, mood or emotion depending on its layout and content. For example, your brochure can be a functional one, hence everything is simple and straightforward. You can have brochures that are “happy” such as advertising brochures, or you can have “formal” ones that are used for corporate public relation campaigns. Depending on the mood, the appropriate color might change.

So, for happy brochures for example, lighter and brighter colors are good. Functional brochures on the other hand will usually only have one or even no major colors since the color is not really the priority. Corporate brochures though might need a specific color scheme such as the color scheme of the company’s logo. That is why you must try to know your brochure’s mood if you want to know the best color scheme for it.

•       Knowing the preferences of your audience – The next factor in choosing your color scheme is your audience. Readers can be attracted to, or repelled by certain colors and color schemes. It is good to know this, especially if you are aiming for a specific kind of reader or demographic sample.

For example, if you are targeting a more female audience, softer brighter colors are usually better, since most women respond to these colors as they convey the most emotion. Younger people might also appreciate different and vibrant colors since most of them like to examine and experience colors. Older people however might prefer more subdued pastel, washed out or even just simple grayscale color schemes since the brighter ones usually bother them. So make sure you know the preferences of your readers so that you know what is the best color scheme for them as well.

•       Knowing the abilities of your printer – Finally, the most crucial determinant of your color scheme is your brochure printer. They must be able to print full color prints using the CMYK printing process. This should let you print any color you want in any intensity. So hire a brochure printing company that prints in CMYK. Otherwise, you will be stuck by boring black and white brochure printing that doesn’t really have any impact.

So, by taking into account the brochure’s mood, your audience’s preferences and the printer’s abilities, you can basically decide on the best color scheme for your color brochures. The more those factors coincide, the better your color brochures should be. So think about it very hard. Good Luck!