Using Color in Ad Design

Other businesses that might use purple include advertising, art studios, television and film companies, psychologist offices, gift stores or lighting stores. Florists also use purple.

Black

Black is associated with darkness and evil: with dark wizards and black magic. Black is often seen as a color of rebellion or non-conformity, and is the predominant color of Goth fashion and make-up. It is also the color of mourning.

But try telling that to a fashionista! In fashion, black is elegant and chic. It is also the most common color of formal dress.

Black signifies power and professionalism, so it is found in technology ads. It is also a great choice for music shops, accountants, lawyers, electronic stores and tire stores.

In addition, black denotes space. Black text is most often used in writing because black-on-white is easiest to read.

White

White signifies purity, peace and cleanliness. Try to find a detergent ad that doesn't have liberal use of white! It is also common in marketing for healthcare products and hospitals.

White is also the color of happiness and is therefore the usual color of the wedding dress. But the significance of color varies by culture: in India, for example, white is the color of mourning.

White is also used to mean "good" in popular culture, as an opposite to "evil" black.

In design, a liberal use of white space looks clean and makes the copy more readable.

However, the cultural significance of color is just that: its cultural significance. These aren't unbreakable rules, and using a color in an unconventional way can make your design stand out. Look at these Mother's Day ads, for example.  With most of the ads using plenty of pink and red, the ones that stand out are the first, with its unexpected black background and rich orange, red and purple, and the last, with rust-orange and white.