How To Design A Sign: What Are The Best Color Combinations To Use?

The use of color is vital to the effectiveness of a sign.

So how exactly do you use color effectively? The key is contrast. But what exactly is contrast? Contrast is the difference in brightness between the light and dark areas present in a single design.

A bright yellow background, for example, will contrast well with dark letters such as black, a dark shade of blue and even purple. The greater the contrast or difference between the light and the dark colors, the more legible text is from a distance.

Colors that are closer together like a medium gray letter against a black background won't contrast as well and therefore will be more difficult to read.

Contrast-

Take a look at the above illustration. Which of the two looks larger? The white one? They are both exactly the same size.

The use of a light colored letter against a dark background makes it seem larger. Light letters tend to come at you, whereas dark colors tend to recede.

Generally speaking, white as a background color is by far the most versatile because more colors naturally contrast better against a neutral white background than any other single color.

When you choose a background color for a custom sign other than white, you limit your choices for colors that will both stand out and "go with" that background color. That's not a good thing or a bad thing – it's just something to keep in mind when making color selections.

Comparing Visibility of Different Color Combinations:

These 14 color combinations for lettering were tested for readability at a distance. The tests were carried out on different groups under the sponsorship of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

The results ranked in the sequence shown, with #1 the most legible and #14 as the least legible.