Design Tips Archives - Lee Suzanne Jordan Studio

Posted on November 20, 2016February 15, 2017 by leesjordan

Color Secrets: Brightness

There has been a trend lately in app design where white or very light backgrounds are paired with minimal use of color and flat, simplified shapes. Why this shift when sites had been trending darker and darker? Is it the Star Wars reboot? A renewed interest in futurism? Or are we just all tired of looking at gray or black displays? As more and more sites provide lighter sites or options to choose what backgrounds we want, designers and user experience professionals will need to take another look at how people are using devices as part of their daily lives. People don’t use devices in well lit, climate controlled areas. Being able to observe and take into account the key environments where users are will then have an impact on choices about color including brightness, contrast and saturation. My personal ideas about why…

Posted on September 24, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Five Tips for Creating Better Color Palettes for the Web

Color palettes using simple and complex colors

I’ve put together five tips for creating better color palettes based on a recent talk I gave to computer science students. Faced with working on their first mobile apps or sites, they had never really been given advice on choosing color palettes. I realized this is one of those gaps in knowledge; part of the missing manual of design experience you build over time as a developer or designer. I hope you find them useful too. (more…)

Posted on September 17, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

What Does That Color Mean?

eight common colors with different meanings

It can be hard sometimes to choose the right color or set of colors for a project. Learning what different colors may mean to your audience and matching the right ones to the goals of your project takes research and careful thought. Different shades, tones and tints of the same color can have a very different impact. Today we will explore the Western meanings of eight common colors. (more…)

Posted on September 10, 2015January 6, 2016 by leesjordan

Sketch to Finished Graphics in a Day

I had a problem a lot of designers face. I spend so much time designing other people’s web sites and assorted miscellany that things like the design of my own site tend to fall to the wayside. I had a long weekend ahead of me and a fire in my belly after seeing some of the amazing designs of other people. It was time to take action. It began with a clean up of the overall layout and template of the site, but I was still lacking an awesome hero header for my home page. After some time spent thinking about what I do and what it means, I was ready to start concepting and sketching. The full case study is available in the new case study section of this site. You can see the end result on the home…

Posted on August 17, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Finding Color Inspiration in Games

Commodore 64 color palette by Ricardo Cancho Niemietz

Sometimes we need a quick jolt of inspiration to get out of a color rut. I often hear from other designers that they use the same colors over and over again. There are perfectly good reasons why – we may be known for a certain color palette (Nubby and her black, white and reds), or be restricted by brand guidelines or we just gravitate to some colors. While constraints are great, pushing ourselves progressively as creatives means going outside our comfort zones and also challenging standards. Color is a great way to alter mood, focus, and revitalize. Today I’m taking a quick look at three sources of color inspiration with a gaming theme. (more…)

Posted on August 7, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan — 1 Comment

Secrets to Color Matching Monitors and Printers

I was recently asked how a designer can make sure the colors on the screen and the colors on the printer are the same. The hard and short answer is a glowing screen and a printed piece of paper will never look quite the same. They are two different mediums. If you look around you on a typical day, you will also notice lit up signage, billboards, vehicles, packaging, and clothing. Many of those are also produced using a color match system. If you take one color, even a color system matched color, it will not look exactly the same to the naked eye across difference materials. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Testing Color Theme Tools and Getting Out of a Color Rut

I asked other designers what they were struggling with when it came time to pick a color theme. They gave me a wide range of answers, some about how easy it is to fall into a color rut, while others tend to browse colors and hope for the best. Others mentioned struggling with issues of contrast. These are all challenges we face as creative people. Asking ourselves the right questions and honing our eye for color can help us overcome them and be more effective with our designs. (more…)

Posted on May 30, 2015February 23, 2016 by leesjordan

Ten Tips to Choosing Charts, Graphs and Graphics for Big Impact

Taking the time to carefully consider what charts, graphs, or graphics will best represent your data will help you get the biggest impact for the story you are trying to tell. Here are ten tips based on my own experiences wrangling data. (more…)

Posted on May 24, 2015February 23, 2016 by leesjordan — 1 Comment

Planning a Successful Infographic

Infographics that look great are the norm. To really stand out, it takes more than cool graphics and an interesting layout. It all starts with the story. Here are five questions to ask yourself when planning an infographic. Who is the audience? What is the key thing you want people to know? The narrower the focus the better. When does the story take place? Is it about a future problem or something happening right now? Will putting a time/date on it create a sense of urgency? Does that contribute to the key message? How does existing data support your message? Where is the story set? (more…)