100 Days of Posters / Day 030 of 100
Day 30: Against Expectation
A palette that breaks the usual associations.
- Chapter
- 03 Colour
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- 30–60 minutes
- Canvas
- 1080 × 1350 px
The principle
Every subject comes with a default palette: summer is yellow, technology is blue, organic is green. Defaults are safe but forgettable. Choosing an unexpected palette can make a familiar subject feel new — as long as the choice is deliberate and the poster still communicates.
Objective. Challenge colour conventions while keeping a message clear.
The brief
Design a poster for a summer beach festival without using any of the typical summer colours.
Constraints
- No yellows, bright blues or turquoises
- Maximum four colours
- The poster must still feel like summer
You're done when
- A palette that avoids the obvious
- The subject is still clear
- A distinctive, memorable result
Stretch goal
Make a winter event poster using a classic summer palette.