Art & Interior Styles
Color Part 1
- Color: learn how color affects our everyday life, read to learn more Part 1 (color theory below), Part 2, Part 3
- Home Styles: interior style guide
- Workshop: learn how to paint watercolors
Favorite Topics - Color Part 1
What is Color Theory?
Color theory is sometimes referred to as the art and science of color and encompasses many different aspects of how we interact with color. Below are just a few topics that I found fascinating.
Color vs Colours: Both words refer to the visual perception of different wavelengths of light, meaning they have the same meaning. Note that the spelling difference is a matter of dialect, with "color" being the standard in American English and "colour" being standard in British English.
Living in a World of Color and Energy
The influence of color is everywhere, color can affect our personal energy, or mood, and even can determine if we make a purchase or not.
Color and the Senses
General facts about sensory input and human beings:In the pre-historic era, sight is one of our most important means of survival as hunters and gatherers in the early days of our evolution, we experienced a variety of colors and forms in the landscape. This has become part of our genetic code. In our current state of evolution, vision is the primary source for all our experiences. Current marketing research has reported that approximately 80 percent of what we assimilate through the senses, is visual.
Our nervous system requires input and stimulation and color addresses one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation. With respect to visual input, we become bored in the absence of a variety of colors and shapes.
Our nervous system requires input and stimulation and color addresses one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation. With respect to visual input, we become bored in the absence of a variety of colors and shapes.
Color and Brand Identity
A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, and color combination.
1. Color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent.(Source: University of Loyola, Maryland study)2. Color influences brand identity in a variety of ways. Consider the phenomenal success Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green ketchup has had in the marketplace. Introduced as a promotion in support of the first “Shrek” movie. More than 10 million bottles were sold in the first seven months following its introduction, with Heinz factories working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep up with demand. The result: $23 million in sales attributable to Heinz green ketchup (the highest sales increase in the brand's history). All because of a simple color change.3. Apple Computer brought color into a marketplace where color had not been seen before. By introducing the colorful iMacs, Apple was the first to say, "It doesn't have to be beige". The iMacs reinvigorated a brand that had suffered $1.8 billion of losses in two years. And now we have the colorful iPods.
Is White (or Black) a Color or a tint?
In a technical sense, white, along with black, is considered an achromatic color (or shade) rather than a color itself, as it's a combination of all colors in the visible light spectrum.
Hue, Tint, Tone and Shade. What's the difference? Color Wheel ...?
COLOR is the general term we use to describe every hue, tint, tone or shade we see. White, Black and Gray are often referred to as a color.
Is Grey a Color or Shade?
Grey is any color in a series of colors that range between black and white. However, in design, grey can also be a hue of other color. Greys with tints of different colors, like blue or brown, are still considered grey. Depending on the shade of grey, it can be warm or cool.
In my opinion, when decorating a home interior it can be a very difficult color to select for walls and home furnishings because of the various tints used to create the grey.
NOTE: Grey and gray are two different spellings of the same word. Gray is more common in the U.S., while grey is more common in other English-speaking countries.
Most Popular Interior Paint Color?
Worldwide, the most popular interior paint colors are versatile and timeless neutrals like grays, whites, and beiges, offering a clean backdrop for many various home decoration styles.
Colors for Individuals, Seasonal Color Analysis
Seasonal color analysis aims to determine the most attractive colors for an individual by matching their natural coloring to a seasonal palette. By understanding your seasonal type, you can then choose clothing, makeup, and even hair colors that complement your natural coloring which will make you look more healthy and vibrant. The four seasons are spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Your skins undertones are the core principle in this seasonal color guideline. People have either warm or cool undertones in their skin, hair, and eyes, and these undertones dictate which colors will enhance their natural beauty.
Spring
Skin tone: light skin, clear warm undertone
Hair: light blond to medium brown, strawberry blond
Eyes: blue, turquoise, green, hazel, light brown
Best colors: are light tones, pastels, bright, warm colors
Summers
Skin tone: light skin, clear warm undertone
Hair: light blond to medium brown, cool undertones
Eyes: blue, grey-blue, cool green, grey brown, slate
Best colors: cool, soft colors, pastels
Autumn
Skin tone: warm tones, gold undertone
Hair: medium brown to black, dark auburn, red
Eyes: blue, brown, olive green
Best colors: fall colors, orange, red brick tone, rich warm colors
Winter
Skin tone: cool undertones
Hair: brown to dark black
Eyes: brown, cool green, brown black
Best colors: dark jewel tones, blacks and whites, deep, cool colors
Color Increases Participation and Memory
Color can improve readership by 40 percent 1, learning from 55 to 78 percent 2, and comprehension by 73 percent 3.
Psychologists have documented that "living color" does more than appeal to the senses it will also boosts memory for scenes in the natural world. Memory-wise, if a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture with natural colors may be worth a million.
Within a store, hanging an extra "tag" of data on visual scenes, color can help us to process and store images more efficiently than colorless (black and white) scenes, and as a result to remember them better, too.
Ads in color are read up to 42 percent more often than the same ads in black and white. Yellow, for example, has been shown to activate certain mental processes, stimulate the nervous system, and even trigger memories.
Studies have shown that the color green has healing powers and is the most relaxing color for the human eye to view. Green helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and nervousness. Green is new growth, rebirth, and harmony.
Blue is renowned for its calming properties. Scientists noted that it is often used to reduce stress and anxiety, create a sense of tranquility, and aid in sleep. Blue light therapy is often used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and lighter shades of blue can be beneficial in bedrooms.
Source:
- The findings were reported in the May 2002 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, published by the American Psychological Association.
- Source: Color for Impact, Strathmoor Press, April, 1997
Color: affects Part 1 (above), Part 2, Part 3
Home Styles: interior style guide
Workshop: learn how to paint watercolors