Toucans on Gray - An Afterthought

I often struggle with choosing a background color for my designs. There are so many possibilities and each color usually has something to recommend it. While it is fortunate that I can upload many as many variations to Spoonflower as I like, as a rule, I do try to limit the number of color variations somewhat. (Although now that I am thinking about it, I’m not sure why.)

Anyway, when I created the keel billed toucan design, I had originally settled on these:

Remembering that I tend to favor bright colors, I decided to try gray:

I really, really wasn’t sure. But I took an informal survey of my friends and other Internet acquaintances. Not only did some people like it, they preferred it. So I uploaded it too.

And wouldn’t you know, it was the first of the toucans sold. Ha! And to think if left to my own devices, it would not have made the cut. Lesson learned - include more muted colors, and when in doubt, ask your friends. Many thanks to those who encouraged me to include this version.