From Renaissance Art to Modern Design: A Brief History of Gradients

 

Gradients, in the context of graphic design, refer to the gradual blend between two or more colors or tones. While they may seem like a modern concept, gradients have been around for centuries. Renaissance artists, for instance, utilized chiaroscuro – a technique involving the transition between light and shadow – to create depth and dimension in their paintings. During the rise of skeuomorphic design, which aimed to mimic real-world objects in digital interfaces, gradients were used extensively to create realistic textures and materials. This trend was prominent in the early days of iOS design.

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credit: Jessica-Russo-Scherr

In the digital age, gradients found their place in the design world with the emergence of graphic design software in the late 20th century. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, for instance, made it easier than ever to create and manipulate gradients, leading to their widespread use in print and digital media. 

Gradients were a popular way to add color and depth to designs a few decades back, but then the flat designs took over. However, gradients have made a comeback in popularity in recent years, and they are being used in a different style and manner than their application before. Now the gradients are much softer, playful, and blend quite easily. They are being fit in the background as well. Designers are blending similar bright colors in backgrounds and adding depth and visual designs to it. The possibilities are endless! Colors can be easily blended in a gradient. Designers can easily create apps by just combining apps, and there is much room for creativity as well.

Here are some best practices for using gradients in graphic design:

- Use soft color transitions to get a smooth gradient. Avoid overloading the gradient with too many colors. Try to use two or three color stops.

- Avoid conflicting colors and choose colors that match well together. Adobe Color CC can help you find analogous, monochromatic, triad, complementary, compound, and shade colors using a color wheel.

- Decide on a light source to help you decide which are the lighter and darker areas in the gradient.

- Use a linear gradient for a square or polygonal area and a radial gradient for round areas.

- Always have separate shapes for the fill color and gradient color. This way, you will be able to apply a gradient over an existing color, playing with opacity to create different effects.

- Work with the opacity to let color blend into fill areas.

- Use gradients to create a unique touch to your design. Along with conventional colors, a gradient also contains new hues that appear in the spots where colors blend with each other.

- Use gradients to add volume to a flat image.

- Use gradients to manage the audience's attention. Each type of gradient guides the viewer's eye in a specific direction.

- Use gradients to express emotions, moods, or themes with colors, such as warmth, coolness, energy, calmness, or mystery.

- Choose the elements that you want to highlight and enhance them with color progressions.

- Use your brand colors when putting together a gradient. Avoid applying gradients throughout your brand identity. Pick a few designs that can benefit from color progressions most.

- Test your gradient with text, images, and all sorts of other content to make sure it's as versatile as it can be.

- Be extra careful when using gradients in illustrations or logos, as they look best only in few scenarios. Avoid using gradients completely in line illustrations as they tend to look quite strange.

Using gradients in graphic design requires careful consideration of color transitions, color matching, light source, gradient type, opacity, and brand identity. Gradients can add a unique touch, volume, and attention management to designs, but they should be used sparingly and appropriately.