Pretty in Pink Part 5
5th edition — by Patrick McNeil — Nov. 9, 2007
The Design Element
Some colors appeal to certain demographics; some have universal appeal; some are trendy; others are boring; but pink is the one color that when used well just makes me a jealous designer. Somehow this color can just ooze with style and elevate a site to an aesthetic other wise not possible. I love how this presumably feminine color can cut across the sex barrier and appeal to men and women alike.
One example of such a terrific site is SheUnlimited.com. This pink and black site is just beautiful. Looking at this site I can't help but wish I had come up with it. It is so refined, elegant, and just plane tasty. One great lesson to learn from this site is how much a wrapper for content can influence your expected response to the content. Without so much as reading a sentence I presume the content to be inelegant and well thought out; I don't expect flippant sloppy articles. The ability to shape expectations is tremendous and can ultimately lend to the success of a site.
For a completely different type of experience we turn to Toman-design.com. This pink site represents a design agency, serves a totally different purpose, and puts off a completely different message from the SheUnlimited site. In this case pink serves to connect with their extensive creativity, as opposed to a feminine side. This creativity is supported in the very unique experience the site presents in terms of navigation. In fact, the exploration of the site becomes an experience and one feels as though they are pulled into the creative minds of the agency. Man, what a powerful message this becomes in terms of what the agency strives to achieve.
Connotations of pink: Passion, romance, love, innocence,
soothing, relaxing, fresh, sensuous, restful, tranquilizing, marriage, healthy,
happy, sweet, nice, playful, good health, life, sexuality, purity, gratitude,
appreciation, feminine, fun, free.
Sample Usage
Links
Genopal (Color pallet creation software)
COLOURlovers (Excellent color pallet collections)
Kuler - pallet builder from Adobe /
ColorBlender.com (The
best tool I have found for easily creating beautiful color pallets)
Great color browsing resource (Named colors, by hue, etc)
Color
Scheme Generator
Color
Blender (On MeyerWeb)
Color In Motion
Color Schemer Online v2
Color Schemer Gallery
Color Symbolism
