Elements of Design - COLORS PDF

COLORS THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1 Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA After the design element of space, color and light are probably two of an architect’s most powerful design tools. Color and light can alter the use and perception of a space, since they can be manipulated for effect or emotion. Color c...

COLORS THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1 Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA After the design element of space, color and light are probably two of an architect’s most powerful design tools. Color and light can alter the use and perception of a space, since they can be manipulated for effect or emotion. Color can be used to define form and give a sense of scale rather than merely provide a background. Color can be used to create an illusion or to emphasize a dramatic architectural form. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Writings on color theories first appeared around the 1400s, and the subject was further developed in 1600s by Isaac Newton. http://sirisaacne.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/7/0 /19707031/9293229.jpg?693 Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA In the 1600s, Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) demonstrated that color is a natural part of sunlight or white light. When he passed a beam of sunlight through a prism of transparent material, he found that as the light emerged from the prism it dispersed, separating the individual wavelengths into different colors. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Color Newton showed that a prism could break up white light into a range of colors, which he called the spectrum, and that the recombination of these spectral colors re-created the white light. Image Source: Designing Interiors The effect of passing rays of white light through a prism is to bend the shorter wavelengths more than the longer wavelengths, thus separating them into distinctly bands of color. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA HOW WE PERCEIVE COLOR? An object with red surface. When light strikes onto the object, only red light waves are reflected back to eye after all other wavelengths are absorbed by the red surface. Image Source: Designing Interiors  Light and color perception are influenced by the many variables and factors categorized under one of the four columns Image Source: Designing Interiors Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA ATTRIBUTES OF Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA ATTRIBUTES OF COLOR COLOR PROPERTIES To describe a color with reasonable accuracy, three basic properties have been designated to identify the dimensions, or qualities, of color: hue, the name of a color; value, the lightness or darkness of a color; and chroma or saturation, the degree of purity or strength of a color. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA ATTRIBUTES OF COLOR HUE OR COLOR The name of a color such as yellow, green, blue, red. VALUE OR LIGHTNESS The relative lightness or darkness of a color. Lighter values are achieved by adding white to a color, and darker values result from adding black. CHROMA OR SATURATION The relative purity or intensity of a color determined by how much or how little gray us added to the color Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA ATTRIBUTES OF COLOR Hue,Value and Chroma -- the three dimensions of color Image Source: Interior Color by Design: Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Other Color Terms TINT A hue produced by the addition of white. SHADE A hue produced by the addition of black. TONE A hue produced by the addition of gray. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA THEORY AND SYSTEMS: MIXING METHOD Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA MIXING METHOD To understand the effects, relationships, and applications of color, it is helpful to organize color into a systematic classification or theory. It is essential to understand the relationship between the primary colors of light and the primary colors of pigments, and how these are mixed to produce other colors. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA MIXING METHOD ADDITIVE METHOD OF MIXING LIGHT Additive Color. The first method of mixing light is called the RGB color model and is an additive process dealing with light. The three primary colors of light are red, green, and blue (RGB). When all three colors are overlapped, white light is produced from the three additive primaries. This process of mixing light consists of adding “energy” on top of “energy,” thus creating lighter colors. Additive color mixing begins with black and ends with white; as more color is added, the result is lighter and tends to white. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA MIXING METHOD SUBTRACTIVE METHOD OF MIXING LIGHT Subtractive Color. The other method of mixing color through light is a subtractive process and is related to pigments. Pigments are materials that change the color of transmitted or reflected light as a result of selective absorption. In the subtractive method, the primary colors are magenta, yellow, and cyan (the secondary colors of light). When overlapped, magenta and yellow produce red, yellow and cyan produce green, and cyan and magenta produce blue. When the three subtractive primary colors are overlapped, all color is absorbed or subtracted from white light, producing black. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA MIXING METHOD PAINT COLOR MIXING When dealing with opaque pigments, such as paint, the theories of mixing light do not apply. However, mixing paint colors is closely related to the subtractive method of mixing light. The three primary colors of opaque pigments are red, yellow, and blue. When two primaries are mixed—that is, yellow plus blue, red plus blue, and red plus yellow—they produce secondary colors of green, violet, and orange, respectively. When the three primaries are mixed, they produce black Paint-mixing method of combining primary and secondary colors Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA DESIGNATION Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA There are 12 colors in a standard color wheel that are divided into three designations: primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. The basic principles of color theory and design are simple. The color wheel becomes a visual aid in helping us understand the principles of color. It is also an excellent tool to help create harmonious color schemes for painting, interior decorating, and commercial design. It creates an orderly progression of color that helps us understand color balance and harmony.  COLOR DESIGNATION PRIMARY COLORS. Our color wheel starts with the 3 primary colors, placed in an equilateral triangle. The primary colors are: Blue Red Yellow Image Source: Interior Color by Design: Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA  COLOR DESIGNATION SECONDARY COLORS. Also known as complementary colors. The secondary colors are: Orange (red + yellow) Green (yellow + blue) Violet (blue + red) Image Source: Interior Color by Design: Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA  COLOR DESIGNATION TERTIARY COLORS. The tertiary colors are: yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. Image Source: Interior Color by Design: Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA THEORY AND SYSTEMS: COLOR WHEEL Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR SYSTEMS As Sir Isaac Newton continued his experiments with light and the color spectrum, he recognized that a relationship formed between each color and its adjacent color. By joining the end colors, red and violet, to form a circle, he found that the bands of color flowed together in a continuous spectrum. From these early experiments, the color circle, or color wheel, was developed and further refined into color systems. Several color systems have evolved since Newton’s early experiments, each one based on a different group of basic, or primary, colors. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR WHEEL 12-PART COLOR SYSTEM The most familiar and simplest color system is based on the work of Johannes Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832). It is often referred to as the RYB color system or the “standard color wheel” or the 12-part color wheel. This system is based on paint-color mixing properties and the belief that the three primary colors cannot be mixed from other colors or be broken down into component pigments. Image Source: Interior Color by Design: Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR WHEEL THE MUNSELL COLOR SYSTEM It was developed, at the turn of the century, by Albert Munsell (1858–1918), an American artist and art teacher. His theory of color is based on five principal hues: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and five intermediate hues: yellow-red, green- yellow, blue-green, purple-blue, and red-purple Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR WHEEL THE OSTWALD COLOR SYSTEM Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932), a German physicist and chemist who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1909, also developed a color system. His system is based on four primary colors: red, green, blue, and yellow, and four intermediate colors: orange, purple, green-blue (turquoise), and yellow-green (leaf green). Each primary and intermediate hue has two auxiliary hues, one added to each side, for a total of 24 hues around his color wheel. https://art-design-glossary.musabi.ac.jp/wpwp/wp- content/uploads/2014/05/059_hue-circle_02.jpg Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR WHEEL THE GERRITSEN COLOR SYSTEM In 1975, Frans Gerritsen developed a color system that is based on the laws of perception and explained in his book Theory and Practice of Color. Gerritsen’s color system is based on six basic colors: yellow, cyan, magenta, green, red, and ultramarine blue. These six colors are made up of three “eye” primaries: blue, green, and red (as discussed under cone vision) and three “eye” secondary colors: yellow, magenta, and cyan. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Image Source: Designing Interiors COLOR WHEEL THE KÜPPERS COLOR SYSTEM Harald Küppers, a partner in the printing firm of Wittemann- Küppers K.G., explains his color theory in his book Color: Origin, Systems, Uses. Küppers theorizes that the color spectrum contains the five regions of blue, cyan, green, yellow, and red. He also explains that although magenta is not present in the spectrum as a monochromatic color, it is produced by superimposing the red and blue spectral regions. Therefore, his color system is based on those six primary colors. Image Source: Designing Interiors Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR WHEEL THE PANTONE COLOR SYSTEM Pantone is a corporation that began as a commercial printing company in the 1950s. However, it is best known for its color-matching system (PMS). Pantone’s system consists of approximately 1,114 ink colors that are produced from 13 base pigments (15 including white and black) mixed in specific amounts. http://www.atlasscreensupply.com/Shared/Images/Product/Panto ne-Color-Guide-GP1601A/GP1601A-pantone.jpg Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA COLOR SCHEME Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA The concept of color harmony is the basis of understanding the theories of arranging colors into practical color schemes. Designers establish color schemes to set a basic guide, or rule of thumb, to build upon. A successful color scheme is not necessarily determined by which concept was followed, but by how it was applied and to what proportions. Color schemes can be applied to the standard 12-part color wheel or to other color systems, such as Gerritsen’s color tone circle. These color schemes can be placed in two general categories: contrasted or related (analogous). Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Analogous: Colors that contain a common hue and are found next to each other on the color wheel, e.g., green, blue- green and blue create a sense of harmony. Remember adjoining colors on the wheel are similar and tend to blend together. They are effective at showing depth.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Monochromatic: One color. A monochromatic color scheme uses only one hue (color) and all values (shades or tints) of it for a unifying and harmonious effect.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Neutral colors: Contain equal parts of each of the three primary colors - black, white, gray, and sometimes brown are considered "neutral". When neutrals are added to a color only the value changes, however; if you try to make a color darker by adding a darker color to it the color (hue) changes.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Warm colors: Suggest warmth and seem to move toward the viewer and appear closer, e.g., red and orange are the colors of fire.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Cool colors: Suggest coolness and seem to recede from a viewer and fall back, e.g., blue and green are the colors of water and trees).  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Complementary: Two colors opposite one another on the color wheel, e.g., blue and orange, yellow and purple, red and green. When a pair of high intensity complements are placed side by side, they seem to vibrate and draw attention to the element Not all color schemes, based on complementary colors are loud and demanding -- if the hues are of low-intensity the contrast is not too harsh. Intensity can only be altered by mixing a color with its complement, which has the effect of visually neutralizing the color. Changing the values of the hues, adding black or white, will soften the effect.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Triad: A color triad is composed of three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel. The contrast between triad colors is not as strong as that between complements.. Primary - red, yellow, and blue  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Triad: Secondary - by mixing two primary colors, green – orange - violet  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Triad: Intermediate - colors are created by mixing a primary and a secondary: Red-orange, yellow- orange, yellow- green, blue-green, blue-purple, and red- purple.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Split-Complementary Split complements - the combination of one hue plus the hues on each side of its complement. This is easier to work with than a straight complementary scheme. It offers more variety, e.g., red- orange, blue, and green.  TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME Double-Complementary Double complementary - two adjacent hues and their opposites. It uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors. USES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Physiological Effects Mystics have long held we emanate a colored glow, or aura, which is thought to effect the state of a person's health and spirituality. Today, chromotherapy is used to heal with colors. This form of treatment dates back thousands of years to the ancient "color halls" of Egypt, China, and India. A more prominent use of color therapy occurs in environmental design (the effect of color on health and behavior). Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Personal Color Preferences Not only have we inherited cultural associations, but we also respond to colors in individual ways. Research has revealed some variables that help explain individual differences in color responses. One thing remains the same in color and that is our own color preferences are important to us. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Image source: https://editorial.designtaxi.com/editorial- images/news-color130616/2.jpg Emotional Effect The actual emotional effect of a specific color in an artwork depends partly on its surroundings and partly on the ides expressed by the work as a whole. To be surrounded by blue lighting in an installation is quite different from seeing a small area of blue in a larger color context. For many of us the emotional effects of art may be difficult to articulate. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Color Symbolism Our responses to color are not just biological. They are also influenced by color associations from our culture. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA RED The warmest and the most energe/c color of the spectrum. Red is associated with love thus it is he color of Valen/ne ’s Day. It could also mean danger which is why most warning labels, emergency exit and stop signs come in red. Red represents anger, speed, violence and strength. Red is said to raise blood pressure or increase your heartbeat. Red would not be ideal for hospitals, prisons or psychiatric wards. The Chinese believe that red symbolizes luck and celebra/on. It is used from birthdays to weddings. For the Indians, red is the color of purity. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Blue Blue means calm and tranquility. It may mean peace, stability, and harmony. Blue is also the color of trust, truth, confidence, security, cleanliness, order, cold, water, sky and loneliness. Blue reduces one’s appe=te, slows the pulse rate and lowers your temperature. Blue is also commonly used for business because it communicates reliability and trustworthiness. The Chinese associate blue with immortality. In Colombia blue is associated with soap. For the Hindus, it is the color of Krishna. The Jews believe blue is a holy color. In the middle East, blue is the color of protec=on. These may be the reasons why blue is considered t be the safest global color. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA green The color of nature. It represents the environment, good health, luck, youth, vigor, spring, fer=lity, envy, inexperience or misfortune. The coolness of green soothes, calms and is said to have great healing powers. Surgeons wear green in most opera=ng rooms. In India, green is the color of Islam. It also has religious significance for Catholics in Ireland. In some tropical countries, green may mean danger. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA yellow Yellow is happiness, idealism, joy, imagina=on, hope, summer. Sunshine, gold, dishonesty, cowardice, illness and inspira=on. The yellow rose symbolizes friendship. Asian see yellow as sacred and imperial. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA black The color of power, sexuality, sophis=ca=on, elegance, wealth, fear, evil, depth, sadness, remorse and death. In fashion, black is a favorite color. It is associated with formality and class. Clothes also look more expensive when they come in black. Black is said to be the absence of light or color. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA orange Orange is an energe=c color. It is probably the most aNen=on-gePng color. This is why most warning signs come in orange. It also means warmth, balance, enthusiasm, vibrance and flamboyancy. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA purple Purple is the color of royalty, spirituality and nobility. It also represents wisdom and mystery. Wizards in fairy tales oTen wear purple. Purple may also mean arrogance, cruelty and enlightenment. Purple is also associated with crea=vity. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA white When colors come together in perfect balance, we see white. It is the color if purity, simplicity, cleanliness, precision, innocence, birth, winter, snow and good. In visual representations of good and evil, white is usually associated with the good guys. In Japan, white carnations signify death. The Chinese likewise see white as a color for mourning. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA AS AN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN INGREDIENT Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Color as an Architectural Design Ingredient Architectural design consists of the manipulation of many interrelated elements including space, form, structure, light, texture and color. Best approach for an effective color design should be looking at all the paint colors and other materials as single color composition. The most successful color design is responsive and appropriate to the design goals. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Important roles color can play include: 1. Setting the emotional tone or ambiance of a space 2. Focusing or diverting attention 3. Modulating the space to feel larger or smaller 4. Breaking up and defining the space 5. Unifying the space or knitting it together Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA INTERACTIVENESS OF RELATIONSHIPS Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Interactiveness of color relationships Colors cannot be selected without taking into account of all adjacent colors and materials in the space. This requires examining the total environment where the colors will be used. Adjacent colors can have a very strong effect on one another; therefore, it is important to be able to predict and control their interaction. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Color Hierarchy and Proportions 1. Warm hues increase apparent size of object 2. Warm hues bring objects forward 3. Purer colors advance and dominate, while muted or grayed tones of the same color recede. 4. Cool hues make them recede 5. Warm hues soften outlines slightly more than do cool hues make outline clearer than do related hues; attention getting. 6. Warm hues are naturally more arousing and exciting than the cool hues. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Proportions of Color As a general rule in designing colors for interiors, it is prudent to use the strongest or most dominant colors in the smallest amounts, otherwise, they tend to overpower the space and actually can become oppressive. When stronger colors are used in smaller amounts they function as accents and serve to enliven the more muted or neutral colors. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA TONALITY Which color dominates? Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA Tonality The relative proportions of colors can affect which color dominates. Generally, the color that used in the greatest proportion in any color scheme defines the tonality of the scheme. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA  Tonality The color that defines the tonality of the scheme is the dominant color. The next most prominent color would be the subdominant color, and the color that is used the least, or used as an accent, is called the subordinate color. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA References: R. Kilmer & W. Kilmer (2014). Designing Interiors, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. O.R. Ojeda & J. Mccown (2004). colors: architecture in detail. Singapore: Rockport Publisher Inc. J. Poore (1994). Interior Colors by Design: A Design Tool for Architects, Interior Designers and Homeowners. Singapore: Rockport Publisher Inc. Author/Researcher: Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA