Basic Color Theory. Color Theory Tutorial by Worqx. Why study color theory?
If you are involved in the creation or design of visual documents, an understanding of color will help when incorporating it into your own designs. Choices regarding color often seem rather mystical, as many seem to base decisions on nothing other than "it looks right. " Although often told I had an eye for color, the reason why some colors worked together while others did not always intrigued me and I found the study of color theory fascinating. While attending the University of Minnesota I enrolled in almost every course I could from different departments: graphic design, interior design, and fine arts. During my studies, I learned that there were 2 main reasons why scholars investigated color—the first involved the communication of colors; the other involved the application of color.
Color Theory: a brief tutorial. Basic color schemes: Color Theory Introduction. With colors you can set a mood, attract attention, or make a statement.
You can use color to energize, or to cool down. By selecting the right color scheme, you can create an ambiance of elegance, warmth or tranquility, or you can convey an image of playful youthfulness. Color can be your most powerful design element if you learn to use it effectively. Colors affect us in numerous ways, both mentally and physically. A strong red color has been shown to raise the blood pressure, while a blue color has a calming effect. Being able to use colors consciously and harmoniously can help you create spectacular results.
Color Wheel Pro: Color Theory Basics. Color Psychology. By David Johnson Like death and taxes, there is no escaping color.
It is ubiquitous. Yet what does it all mean? Why are people more relaxed in green rooms? Why do weightlifters do their best in blue gyms? Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. Black. Color Psychology In Marketing. Color Think Tank - the psychology of color. Our personal and cultural associations affect our experience of color.
Colors are seen as warm or cool mainly because of long-held (and often universal) associations. Yellow, orange and red are associated with the heat of sun and fire; blue, green and violet with the coolness of leaves, sea and the sky. Warm colors seem closer to the viewer than cool colors, but vivid cool colors can overwhelm light and subtle warm colors. Using warm colors for foreground and cool colors for background enhances the perception of depth. Although red, yellow and orange are in general considered high-arousal colors and blue, green and most violets are low-arousal hues, the brilliance, darkness and lightness of a color can alter the psychological message. Colors act upon the body as well as the mind. People will actually gamble more and make riskier bets when seated under a red light as opposed to a blue light.
For most people, one of the first decisions of the day concerns color harmony. Information Applied To Graphic Design: Color Psychology. When designers at Berni Corp. changed the background hue on Barrelhead Sugar-Free Root Beer cans to beige from blue, people swore it tasted more like old–fashioned root beer served in frosty mugs. No matter that the beverage itself remained exactly the same.
Similarly, consumers ascribe a sweeter taste to orange drinks the darker the orange shade of the can or bottle. It’s difficult to correlate color with product sales. But Berni claims that when it changed Canada Dry’s sugar–free ginger ale can to green and white from red, sales shot up more than 25 percent. The red can had sent a misleading cola message to consumers. —The Wall Street Journal On Marketing / Ronald Alsop, Bill Abrams, p143.
Graphic design applied to technology has become a powderkeg issue. Psychology plays some part in every tactical advantage. There are dozens of tutorials which equate blue to calm corporate competence. Color Psychology - The Psychology of Color. Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions. - Pablo Picasso Do you feel anxious in a yellow room?
Does the color blue make you feel calm and relaxed? Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions. It is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and cause physiological reactions. Certain colors have been associated with increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eyestrain. "Given the prevalence of color, one would expect color psychology to be a well-developed area," note researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier. Despite the general lack of research in this area, the concept of color psychology has become a hot topic in marketing, art, design, and other areas.