Colour Task

16/02/15

Colour

Colour is all around us. for this task i am going to be looking more closely at colour and colours that go together to create a mood. A good way to select colour is to gather it in some way and use this collection as a resource. I will make a collection of primary research in this way in the form of photographic colour (meaning i will photograph colours i find in the environment to record them.) 

“ Research reveals that all human beings make an unconscious judgment about a person, environment, or item within ninety seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on
colour alone.”
The Institute for Colour Research 

Colours are given to companies, groups and packaging that we then recognise and associate with these colours, so much so for example that if the colours are changed it can confuse or even annoy some people. For example when walkers changed their crisp packet colour for salt and vinegar to green rather than blue, customers were still grabbing the blue packets thinking it was salt and vinegar because they had associated the packet with this colour so much.















Interaction Of colour:

When colours are placed next to one another the appearance they give off is changed so much so that the colour could even look a different shade when placed next to a certain colour. Colours can compliment each other and 'sing' when placed next to each other creating an energy appealing to the eye. Colours are just waves of light that are bounced off the object into the eye and perceived in a certain way. 

Black object absorb all these light waves and so no colour bounces back into the eye making it appear black. 

We see colour through light waves that are reflected by an object:

When the same colour is used in a different context the perception of that colour can change radically. 

Colour is always seen in relation to the colour surrounding it. For example in this image the green grid that has been placed inside these colour blocks is the exact same shade in each image. However its visual effect is very different when it is placed with different colours. 

A good exa,poe of how colour is changed is shown in this image where again the grey squares are all the same colour however they look different shades when compared to different coloured backgrounds. For example the grey square on the white background looks different to the grey square on the green background. 

Henry Mattise:

Was an artist know for his use of colour. He focused his work around the colour he used in it and if he seeks the strongest colour combination possible the content of his work is of no importance. Meaning he was largely focused on the colours of his work and not the subject. 

Henri Matisse (1839-1954) claimed that colour and form could only achieve their full potential if they become independent from the objects they depicted. Importantly, modern artists emphasised the view of each individual artist, and hence, vision. This image shows a good example of this as the subject of the image is a woman however the colours are not realistic or even correct block wise (the yellow stripe down the woman's body) however the painting is still very appealing and the colours work very well together. 

Colour theory is a set of principles that can be used to create harmonious colour combinations.These ideas are represented in the colour wheel, which helps designers understand colour interactions, select and combine colours, and construct pleasing and effective palettes. 

(left image shows digital pixilated colour shown on computer screens and the right images shows printed ink colour shown on paper)

The differences in these colour systems mean that often when people print colour from a computer it will not come out the same. Designers can get pantone colour charts to select the colour they want to print accurately. 

A colour wheel shows artists what colours compliment each other by looking at the colour opposite to the colour you want to use. Also it shows what colours can be created by combining certain colours for example the middle triangle shows the colours next to each other make the new colours that segment out from the triangle e.g. red and yellow = Orange. 

The colour wheel with this image sows what colour combination has been used for this image. 

There are lots of different colour combinations artists can use to create different emotions and effects in their work. Colour wheel show these combinations and the effect they have on the viewer. 

Accents of colour create subtle tension and bring focus towards smaller elements inside images. Meaning that for example in this poster the text at the top can stay small and still be noticeable and important in the poster. 

Colour And Symbolism:

We use colour to associate objects or groups or themes together however when creating a certain design, the designer must be aware that different cultures have different meanings and association with colour for example in western culture wedding ceremonies are connected with white clothing, where as in iran white clothing is used to mourn. 

Black on yellow are the 2 colors with the strongest impact:

Pink Soothes The nerves:

Commonly used to splash the walls in prisons and mental health care facilities to assist in subduing those who are out-of-control. So pink definitely has a useful place and a purpose, other than decorating a prom dress or Barbie’s dream house.

Men and women see the color red very differently:
While those of us who are estrogen producers tend to see maroon, cardinal, and crimson, men typically just see red. No varying tones, hues, or shades–just color-crayon, fire engine red. The explanation is actually quite simple and all falls back on basic DNA. Researchers from Arizona State University found that there’s a specific gene that allows us to see and interpret the color red. Women have two X chromosomes, while men only possess one. Because the particular “red-seeing gene” sits on the X chromosome, it only makes sense that women would have a full understanding of the red spectrum, while our counterparts only have half the pieces to the racy red puzzle.

Starter task:

This is the correct order of the coloured cards i was given, darkest to lightest. 

Black and white photograph more clearly shows the order of darkest colour to the lightest. The eye could not detect this difference as much as the camera could. 

This was my first attempt at creating the order. The black an white photograph shows up the mistakes i made in this order more clearly. 

The Task:

The words i will collect images of colour for:
Jubulant:
Synonyms- elated, Euphoric, Joyous, Excited, Thrilled, Triumphant
Antonyms - Depressed, Discouraged, Sad, Sorrowful, Unhappy, Unexcited.

Sombre:
Synonyms- Brunet, Charcoal, Clouded, ebony
Antonyms- White, Clean, Happy, Hopeful, Optimistic

Calm:
Synonyms- Cool, Harmonious, mild, Tranquil, low key.
Antonyms- Agitated, Excited, Harsh, Roused, Fierce, Rough.

Verdant:
Synonyms- Leafy, Grassy, Flourishing, Lush, Fresh.
Antonyms- Death, Dying.

Autumnal:
Synonyms-Ripened, Blooming, Fall, Mature.

Colour Pallets i made using the images i had gathered:

Task 2:

I researched images relating to 3 different themes and then using the images a found created colour pallets for these themes that would best represent them. 

Task 3:
I gathered images made by artists that are interested or experts with colour and again created a colour pallet to best represent their painting.

I will now create posters using a template for the poster  for 'Anatomy Of A Murder' By Saul Bass, and change the colours of different elements of the posters to relate to my colour pallets. I will choose from any of my colour pallets to work with but must stick to that specific colour pallet to see if it works and does give the impression of the theme of the colour pallet. I will think about how my colours relate to each other and where to position them in the poster in relation to each other to create a certain mood and theme.

This is the coloured poster i created for calm. The colours i used a pale colours which i selected from my pallet 1 in calm. Perhaps these colours are still slightly more dull or muted then i would have preferred them to be however over all the colours are soft and there is not too much distractions, as i have used similar tones and shades except for the purple which i have added to break up the poster slightly and add a little more interest to the poster however using a calming colour. 

This is the poster i made for the expensive car company theme. I used Pallet 2 to create this colour combination. I think this gives ff quite a good look in relation to the theme as it is simple and subtle yet sophisticated and expensive (with the inclusion of the gold text and gold man). The gold on the black background suggests an expensive company as the text stands out and is bold (important) but is also gold and so looked expensive (or suggestive of expensive). Black is used as a smart or more classy colour and the red i have used is present to represent the variety of car colours. Grey or white would have worked here to to keep the simplicity element present (which expensive companies tend to do) however the red worked well to make the poster stand out and suggest the company is a stand out company.