Advanced Computer Art and Design.

Advanced Computer Art and Design

What is Color?

Color is a perceptual sensation created in the human mind in response to certain wavelengths of electromagnetic energy that constitute the visible spectrum of light. Human perception of and response to these wavelengths is affected by many factors including physiology, psychology, language, and culture. › Color Design Workbook

What is Color?

The quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light. › Dictionary.com

A phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects. › Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

What is Color?

Color in Print

The use of color in printing is almost as old as printing itself, but the process has always been labor-intensive and required painstaking amounts of skill. The lithographers of the mid-19th century sometimes used as many as 12 separate hand-drawn plates to reproduced one page. With the invention the computer and more recently digital printing presses the mechanics of the process have become simpler.

Color in the Design World Color Systems: There are 2

primary color systems that the designer needs to be aware of: Additive or Pure Light Primaries (RGB) Subtractive or Printer’s Primaries

(CMYK)

Color in the Design World

Additive or Pure Light Primaries (RGB) RGB is Red, Green and Blue.

This color system is the most pure and has the most brightness or intensity.

When these colors overlap, they create Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and White.

White is achieved by seeing all colors.

This system is called Additive.

Subtractive or Printer’s Primaries (CMYK)

CMY is Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. This system has physical properties that absorb color.

For instance, the sensation of color is when the paper absorbs all wavelengths except those that the eyes perceive.

That is why this is called a Subtractive system, because it subtracts wavelengths.

Pantone Matching System®Pantone Matching System® The Pantone Color Matching System is

largely a standardized color reproduction system.

By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.

The Pantone system also allows for many 'special' colors to be produced such as metallics and fluorescents.

 PMS colors are almost always used in branding and have even found their way into government legislation (to describe the colors of flags).

Symbolism of Color

The communicative properties of a color: · People are comfortable when colors remind them of similar things. EX. a soft shade of blue triggers associations with the sky, we get a sense of calm.

Successful design requires how and why colors communicate meaning. - The source of these meanings can be quite conspicuous EX. red is the color of blazing fire and blood, blue the color of cooling waters and the sky. - Other meanings may be more complex and not universal.

Symbolism of Color

Psychological or Cultural Associations - This symbolism arises from cultural and contemporary contexts.

It is not universal and may be unrelated to its natural associations. EX. green’s associations with nature communicate growth, freshness and ecology. On the other hand, green may also be symbolic of good luck, money and greed; all of which have nothing to do with green plants.

These associations arise from a complex assortment of sources.

Symbolism of Color

Color may have both positive and negative symbolism. EX. although blue is the beautiful color of the sky, it can be symbolic of sadness or stability.

Idiomatic American English reflects these traits in phrases such as “singing the blues” and “blue chip stocks.” Red is the color of fire and blood, it is an energizing, aggressive and bold color. In direct contrast, red is used for “STOP” signs throughout the world today.

There are no absolutes, but there are logical sources for the range of complex and sometimes contradictory psychological/cultural meanings of colors

Symbolism of Color1. Cultural associations: the color of currency,

traditions, celebrations, geography, etc. EX. green is associated with heaven (Muslims) and luck (U.S. and Ireland)

2. Political and historical associations: the color of flags, political parties, royalty, etc. EX. green is the color of Libya's flag; it’s the favorite color of Emperor Hirohito and the source of "Green Day" in Japan, and in the U.S., the Green Party.

3. Religious and mythical associations: the colors associated with spiritual or magical beliefs EX. the green man was the God of fertility in Celtic myths. Also, in contemporary Western culture, green is associated with extraterrestrial beings.

Color and Marketing1. Research, 92.6 % said that they put most importance on

visual factors when purchasing products. Only 5.6 % said that the physical feel via the sense of touch was most important. Hearing and smell each drew 0.9 %. (By Secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo 2004)

2. When asked people to approximate the importance of color when buying products, 84.7 % of the total respondents think that color accounts for more than half among the various factors important for choosing products.

3. Research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. (By Institute for Color Research)

4. Research suggests 73% of purchasing decisions are now made in-store. Consequently, catching the shopper's eye and conveying information effectively are critical to successful sales. (By Henley Centre)

Color & Brand Identity1. Color increases brand recognition by up to 80

%. (University of Loyola, Maryland) 1. Ex. Heinz: color influences brand identity in a variety

of ways. Consider the phenomenal success Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green ketchup has had in the marketplace. 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.

2. Ex. Apple Computer: Apple 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 put on the top a brand that had suffered $1.8 billion of losses in two years.

Color increases memory

Psychologists have documented that "living color" does more than appeal to the senses. It also boosts memory for scenes in the natural world.

Color helps us to process and store images more efficiently than colorless (black and white) scenes. Color engages & increases participation

Ads in color are read up to 42% more often than the same ads in black and white Color attracts attention

Tests indicate that a black and white image may sustain interest for less than two-thirds a second, where as a colored image may hold the attention for two seconds or more

Color affects taste & smell Our senses work together. Ex. seeing

a color may evoke any number of other sensations. Green may be evocative of the smell of grass, lemon yellow may evoke a sour taste

Ex. Seeing the color yellow-green may evoke taste sensations of sourness; pink may evoke sweetness. Seeing the color grey may evoke olefactory (smell) sensations of smokiness.

Color affects taste & smell Dramatic results can also be achieved by using a blue light bulb for a dining area.

Blue food is a rare occurrence in nature, there are no leafy blue vegetables, no blue meats , and aside from blueberries and a few blue-purple potatoes from remote spots on the globe, blue just doesn't exist in any significant quantity as a natural food color.

Consequently, we don't have an automatic appetite response to blue. Our primal nature avoids food that are poisonous. A million years ago, when our earliest ancestors were foraging for food, blue, purple and black were "color warning signs" of potentially lethal food.

Some food products fail in the marketplace not because of bad taste, texture, or smell but because the consumer never got that far.

Embrace Color – The End

Resources

www.belyea.com/svc/all_about_color.pdf

www.pantone.com www.colormatters.com