How Bright Is Too Bright? Picking the Right Colors for Your School Brand

There’s bright – eye-catching, sensational, memorable – and then there’s bright, as in “Oh, goodness, my eyes!”

While you certainly want your school branding ideas to be of the former category, it’s a fine line to ride, and it’s all too easy to get crazy with colors and end up with an oversaturated or mucky mess.

Luckily, SportsGraphics, the school branding pros, are here with some advice on how to pick the best colors for your brand and all its facets!

Check Out the Color Wheel!

If you’ve ever visited your own art department, you’ve probably seen diagrams of this up on the wall. It isn’t just for show – looking at it clues artists in on the relationship between individual colors and how they’re likely to be perceived by the viewer in a piece of art, a logo, or the like.

There’s a lot to it, but for school branding purposes, the relationship that’s frequently most important is that of complimentary colors. They are located diagonally from one another on the color wheel:

●        Purple and yellow

●        Red and green

●        Blue and orange

So what do these colors and their various shades do when placed next to one another? Well, they’re especially good at creating visual interest – they’re naturally eye-catching, in other words. Often used to some degree by pro sports teams, they’re solid color combos to use for your school branding needs as well, though you’re by no means limited to them.

Let’s Talk Brightness

Yes, bright colors are eye-catching, and yes, to some degree, they should be used in your school brand. However, neon yellow wall mats or eye-burning stair graphics can irritate students more than create a positive ambiance.

On the flip side, dull colors can serve as a soothing contrast to their brighter counterparts, but if they’re too dominant you risk your school branding putting students to sleep.

So how can you create that perfect light-dark combo? Well, that’s a great question to ask during consultations with us, but a good rule of thumb: color should enhance content, not overtake it.

If all you can see when looking at a logo design is the overbearing screaming green, or your eye can’t find its focal point amidst all the dull browns, some tweaking may be in order.

Contact SportsGraphics for All-in-One School Branding Success

We help you in rebranding a school from brainstorming to providing you with the products you need to execute. To see what an image overhaul can do for district pride, give our Clarion office a call at 1-800-257-6405.