The Role of Color in Design The Magic

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The Role of Color in Design

The Role of Color in Design

The Magic of Color • Color can play tricks on your eyes. • Red

The Magic of Color • Color can play tricks on your eyes. • Red and orange can make people feel bold, excited, or even nervous. • Yellow can make people feel cheerful and hopeful. • Blues and greens are generally subdued and are used to create a calm feeling. • An all-white room has a simple, clean look but can lead to feelings of isolation. • For some people, gray can result in feelings of fatigue.

Warm and Cool Colors

Warm and Cool Colors

Warm Colors Red Orange Yellow Red-Violet to Yellow • Colors associated with the sun.

Warm Colors Red Orange Yellow Red-Violet to Yellow • Colors associated with the sun. • •

Cool Colors • Blues and greens • Colors that capture the essence of the

Cool Colors • Blues and greens • Colors that capture the essence of the ocean • Yellow-green to Violet on the color wheel

Warm & Cool Colors • Whether the color appears warm or cool depends on

Warm & Cool Colors • Whether the color appears warm or cool depends on the base or undertones of the color. • Blues appear warmer when red is added to them but appear cooler when green is added. • Cool colors are popular in bedrooms, bathrooms, and home offices because of their relaxing effect. • Warm colors are suitable in areas of high activity, such as the kitchen and family room.

Illusions with Color • Color can fool the eye. • At the same distance,

Illusions with Color • Color can fool the eye. • At the same distance, warm-colored objects appear closer than cool-colored ones. • You can visually enlarge a small room by painting the walls a cool color. • A high ceiling that is painted a dark color will seem lower. • A light color on a low ceiling will make it appear higher

Illusions with Color (cont. ) • Bold, bright colors make objects stand out. •

Illusions with Color (cont. ) • Bold, bright colors make objects stand out. • On a tan sofa, your eye would be drawn to turquoise pillows; white pillows would be less likely to be noticed. • A dark walnut bookcase against an ivory wall seems to fill more wall space than a bleached oak bookcase against a deep blue wall.

Components of Color • Color is a property of light. • Each wavelength is

Components of Color • Color is a property of light. • Each wavelength is a separate color. • When sunlight passes through a prism, the rays are bent, which separates the light into it’s component colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo (deep blue), and violet. • This is the visible spectrum

Components of Color (cont. ) • All objects contain pigments, substances that absorb some

Components of Color (cont. ) • All objects contain pigments, substances that absorb some light rays and reflect others. • The colors you see are the reflected light rays. • If no light is reflected, the object is black. • If all light is reflected, it is white.

The Language of Color • Hue: the specific name of a color is its

The Language of Color • Hue: the specific name of a color is its hue • Neutral Colors: black, white, and gray • Intensity: brightness or dullness of a color • Objects with high color intensity seem larger and closer than objects with low intensity • Objects with low color intensity are muted and create a calmer effect • Complement: the color that is opposite a color on the color wheel. If you mix a color with its complement the color’s intensity will be duller

Color Wheel and Color Schemes Developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666

Color Wheel and Color Schemes Developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666

The Color Wheel • Primary Colors: these colors cannot be created by mixing colors

The Color Wheel • Primary Colors: these colors cannot be created by mixing colors • Red • Yellow • Blue • Secondary Colors: these colors are made by mixing equal parts of two primary colors • Orange • Violet • Green

The Color Wheel • Tertiary Colors (Intermediate Colors): created by combining a primary color

The Color Wheel • Tertiary Colors (Intermediate Colors): created by combining a primary color with a neighboring secondary color • Yellow-Orange • Red-Violet • Blue-Green • Yellow-Green

Color Value • Value: The lightness or darkness of a color • Tint: adding

Color Value • Value: The lightness or darkness of a color • Tint: adding white to a color • Example: pink is a tint of red, peach a tint or orange, lavender a tint of violet • Shade: adding black to a color which lowers its value and makes it darker • Example: Navy is a shade of blue, maroon a shade of red • Tone: adding gray to a color which makes it duller than normal but not as dark as a shade

Color Schemes: A combination of colors selected for a room design in order to

Color Schemes: A combination of colors selected for a room design in order to create a mood or set a tone for the room.

Color Schemes Pg. 415 • Monochromatic: uses tints and shades of one color on

Color Schemes Pg. 415 • Monochromatic: uses tints and shades of one color on the color wheel

 • Analogous: uses colors that are next to each other on the color

• Analogous: uses colors that are next to each other on the color wheel

 • Complementary: uses two colors that are directly opposite each other on the

• Complementary: uses two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel

 • Split-Complementary: combines one color with the two colors on each side of

• Split-Complementary: combines one color with the two colors on each side of its complement

Color Schemes • Double-Complementary: uses four colors that are an equal distance apart from

Color Schemes • Double-Complementary: uses four colors that are an equal distance apart from each other on the color wheel

 • Triadic: uses any three hues that are an equal distance apart on

• Triadic: uses any three hues that are an equal distance apart on the color wheel

 • Neutral Color Scheme: using white, black, gray, beige or brown

• Neutral Color Scheme: using white, black, gray, beige or brown

 • Accented Neutral: using a neutral color scheme with a small amount of

• Accented Neutral: using a neutral color scheme with a small amount of bright color

Psychological Effects of Color • Colors can be literally warming and cooling to the

Psychological Effects of Color • Colors can be literally warming and cooling to the human body. • Yellow walls can warm up a cold warehouse. • Blue walls can make a bakery feel cooler. • Health & Safety: Bright, warm colors are used to warn or alert • Food Appeal: blue tends to dull the appetite and red and orange stimulate the appetite. • Restaurant designers try to avoid blue interiors • Fast food restaurants use reds and oranges

Choosing Color Schemes • The color scheme should suit the place, the people, and

Choosing Color Schemes • The color scheme should suit the place, the people, and purpose for which it’s intended • Consider the following: • What mood do you want to create? • Who is the room intended for and what colors do they like? • What is the style of the room? • What amount of time will be spent in the room? • What existing colors are in the room that can’t be changed (tile, counters, carpet etc)?

Choosing Color Schemes (cont. ) • What colors are in the adjacent rooms? •

Choosing Color Schemes (cont. ) • What colors are in the adjacent rooms? • You don’t have to use the same color but the colors need to harmonize. • To create a unified look designers think one color, a signature color should run throughout a home, even if only in small amounts. • What is the lighting in the room both natural and artificial? • When a room has a great deal of bright natural light white walls may seem too stark and glaring. A room with little natural light will seem brighter if a warm color is used.

Selecting Colors • Be sure to bring paint, wallpaper, flooring and fabric samples to

Selecting Colors • Be sure to bring paint, wallpaper, flooring and fabric samples to the room before making a purchase since you need to view it in the light of the room it will be in. • Should be a color the client will enjoy and can live with. • A general rule of thumb is to avoid too much or too little color. • Large quantities of intense colors can overpower a room.

Creating a Color Sample Board The sample board provides an idea of how the

Creating a Color Sample Board The sample board provides an idea of how the different colors, patterns, and textures will look together. • Use pins or thumb tacks to mount samples on foam-core board so you can move swatches around or replace them as needed • Gather as many actual samples as you can of the materials you plan to use: paint, wallpaper, fabrics, flooring, even wood finishes.

Creating a Color Sample Board • Vary the size of the samples so that

Creating a Color Sample Board • Vary the size of the samples so that they are in the same proportion to one another as the real objects. For example, the carpet sample might be three times the size of the fabric sample for a window treatment. • Arrange the samples to reflect the relationship of objects in the room. Place swatch of sofa fabric next to the paint sample for the wall etc.

Creating a Color Sample Board • Evaluate the color scheme. Look at the board

Creating a Color Sample Board • Evaluate the color scheme. Look at the board at various times of the day to be sure the colors look pleasing in all light. • If you’re using paint, you should realize that paint samples may not accurately represent how the paint will look on the walls. • Before you make a final decision, paint a large section of a wall and allow it to dry.

The End

The End