Fast Company’s use of colors is something that I have been fascinated with since the beginning of the semester. In my opinion, the color scheme of Fast Company is dependent on the color schemes of the portraits they use. The portraits used in this publication are often lit with florescent colors and feature camera flares or motion blurs.
Fluorescent lighted images
Florescent color portrait
Each issue uses variations of orange/pinks and blue/greens. Photos are curated to fit the publication’s color scheme. Color blocking is often used. In the example below, the color the subjects are wearing are complementary to the background they are shot on. Complementary colors are directly opposite of each other on the color spectrum.
Color blocking with complementary colors
Specific colors are used to designate different parts of the publication. This color is used to fill the gutter space, used as a border around the outside of each spread, or runs through a section of the page to break up the monotony of black text on a white page. In the March/April 2018 issue, “The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” section is marked by the color orange, as is evidenced in the example above. Each department front (From the Editor, The Recommender, The List, etc) is designated with a turquoise color.
From the Editor designated with turquoise
Text (body copy, headlines and other display text) is typically black or white (reversed) depending on the background it is placed on. Fast Company’s designers do not stray far when it comes to text color. I think this was a calculated decision on the part of Fast Company Designers. Adding more color would make the publication seem garish and that is not the vibe that Fast Company is trying to express. Fast Company is refined and the color choices give it a futuristic feel. This expresses to the reader that Fast Company is always looking to the horizon to report on what is up and coming.
