I Put A HEX on YOU

Okay, so this post is NOT about voodoo or witchcraft, just a clever (loosely defined) play on words.  This post is about hexadecimal (hex) color codes.

What are hex color codes you ask?  Simply put they are the color specifications used when designing websites and graphic design materials. Why are they important?  I mean red is red, right?  WRONG!  They are important because they give your logo or brand a distinct and consistent identity.  If you have a logo created and your only criteria are a blue circle and a red triangle, you can end up seeing several versions of those colors if you don't specify the exact reds and exact blues.  I guess for some people the logo is more important than the colors but when your logo is based on color then there could be an issue:

See what I mean?  In the first box, the blue circle has a hex code of #0700F6, the second box is #1B0098 and the third box is #12AEF7. This can make a HUGE difference in how your design turns out. There are several online tools for picking the perfect color shade for your project complete with the hex color code.  Here are a few of my favorite:

ColorPicker- Very simple and easy to use!  You just click around on the colors and it gives you the hex code.

Color Hex- Also very simple, gives you some great samples up front but allows you to also pick your own colors from the color wheel.

Color Scheme Designer- This site is really cool for helping to determine a color scheme for website design. It not only gives you complimentary colors but lets you see a sample of how they would look together on a web page. Just remember to make a note of the hex color codes!