Contrast Rule: Contrast Tints and Shades

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Color itself, as defined by individual hues, has a significant ability to create interest and draw attention, perhaps more so than most of the other contrast tecniques in this chapter. Review Color Rule #2 and Color Rule #3, which also provide good reference for contrasting hues on the color wheel to create different visual effects.

In addition to creating contrast by using different hues (as you might by using a complementary color scheme, for example) you can create contrast by using different shades and tints of the same hue. This is an effective contrasting choice for the following reasons:

• You need to keep printing costs low;
• Your organization has a limited color palate in its branding guide;
• You want to show progression, change, or subtle differentiation.

Look at the images below and see how using shades and tints of a color create effective contrast to highlight different types of messages.

Note that, visually, using shades and tints of a single color makes documents feel simpler, which can be a strong aesthetic for certain documents or expressions. While it’s important you follow Rule #s 21 (which says that things that are different should be SIGNIFICANTLY different), you can use subtle contrast to show progression and change with a single variable (like in data visualizations), which is harder to do visually when you multiple colors.