The before image has a color palette consisting of bright red, sky blue, black, and white. While the black and red contrast certainly provides a visual impact, this does not adhere to any of the color harmony principles. For my after image, first I decided to create a new palette using complimentary colors. I kept the red, as it is a color that evokes excitement (suitable for advertising a dance class). So, I found its complimentary color, green, and then chose two shades (one with a lower saturation and one with a light value) to act as accents. The before image uses red as its background, when cool colors work better as backgrounds; thus, I made my background a cool color (pale green) so the eyes are drawn to the red sections (and the pertinent information). The before image also had some places where a dark text sat on a dark background, causing some issues in readability. In the after image I made sure there was contrast between the font color and the background color to help readability. In addition to the preceding aspects, there is less empty space in the after image than the original, and color has been successfully used to create functional areas in the layout.
Instructional Insights 