85% of Human communication is visual. And what more aspect
of visual communication can deliver excitement and variety than Color?
The Rainbow (The Universal intro to the Visible Spectrum)
Most people believe that the only colors of a rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, but a rainbow is actually made up of an entire continuum of colors – even colors the eye can’t see!
A designer should not use color without a specific plan or goal.
Here are some of color’s principle uses:
o Conveying emotion and meaning
o Changing perception of space o Changing apparent size o Showing similarities and differences o Parsing the visual field into chunks o Linking spatially separated objects together o Attracting attention o Creating emphasis o Smoothing to improve image quality o Creating aesthetic and emotional appeal
What are some common mistakes in color usage?
o Using insufficient brightness contrast. This is the biggest sin,by far.
o Paying attention only to aesthetics o Using color for color’s sake without a specific plan or color scheme. o Assigning different colors to the same type of the same color to different types o Using hue to represent a quantitative continuum o Creating large fields of saturated color o Using too many colors
How does color convey meaning?
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Agency), for example, has standardized
o RED: danger o ORANGE: warning o YELLOW: caution o BLUE: notice o GREEN: safety Moreover, the CIE even specified the parts of color space which should be used for each color signal. However, these associations of color and meaning may be culture specific and should be used with care.
The association of mood or feeling with color is uniquely human. For
most people, different colors represent different moods. However, common associations stemming from tradition, nature and personal experiences include: RED ORANGE YELLOW GREEN BLUE INDIGO PURPLE BLACK WHITE
Nature Fire/Bloo Sun/Day Stars Earth Water Clouds Moon/Night Air/Snow
d Trees Anatomy Base of Genitals Stomach Throat Brain Crown Disease Base of Spine Spine Natural Warmth Homey Brightnes Natural Solid Meditativ Wealth & Compose Harmony s e Status d Physical Stimulati Revitalizing Restful Restfu Sedate Effect ng l (lt blue) Emotional Revitalizi Stimulation Restfu Effect ng l (peach) Mental Stimulatio Revitalizi Restful Effect n ng (Emerald) Spiritual Blood of Endurance Streets of Growth in Peace Fasting, Sin, Purity Associatio Jesus and Strength Heaven our of the faith, Darkness n relationsh Holy patience, ip with Spirit trust Jesus Natural Warmth Homey Brightnes Natural Solid Super Meditativ Wealth & Compose Harmony Heat Autumn s Health Truth Sensitiv e Status d and Other Urgency Abundance Cowardic Environ- Dignit e Wealth Sophisticat Purity Assocaitio Appetite Appetite e ment y Visionar Royalty ed Cleanline ns Passion Communicati Harvest Money Power y Sophisti- Death ss Masculini on Gold Vegetatio Cool- Aestheti cation Rebellion Lightness ty Ambition Intelligen n ness c Intelligen Strength Emptines Aggressio Generosity ce Fertility Pristin Abstract ce Sinister s n Receptivity Youth Life e Inspired Religious Evil War Hope Melan Telephat Femininit Love -choly ic y Heavi- Creative Lust ness Penitence Doubt Fantasy
