McDonalds' use of red, orange and yellow creates a lively reaction in the viewer by mixing several colors. Conversely, by narrowing the palette to a single color, you can keep the effect simple and classic. Elizabeth Arden uses a high-energy color, red. But by keeping the color scheme simply red, the company conveys the brand value of understated elegance. After you've chosen a palette with color, contrast and depth, it's time to think about the font.
Fonts comprise a subtle tool that has a big effect.
If a font is used properly, it's rarely noticed by the viewer. If used improperly, it's always noticed. The first and most important factor in choosing a font is readability. If your marketing relies on a good deal of printed text, use serif fonts consistently. But visually, sans-serif fonts look more modern, flexible and dynamic.