Deciphering Color

Prof. Gulbash Duggal

 Color

• Color can alter the appearance of form and

space.
• Color can affect our performance abilities
and change our moods.
 Colors Are Often Symbolic.

Let’s talk about what role color has played in

different times in history.
 In China…

Yellow has religious significance

and is still the Imperial color
today!
In Greece and Rome…

• Red was believed to have

protective powers.
• Purple was restricted to use by
nobility.
 The Egyptians

• Adorned walls of
tombs and temples
with brilliant colors of
blue, tangerine, and
green.
In the Italian Renaissance…

• Colors were vibrant reds,

Greens, Golds and Blues.
 In the Rococo period…

• Tastes became
very feminine,
colors became
less vibrant.
In 18th Century England…

• There was great elegance.

Colors were rich, showing a
strong Chinese influence in
the use of red and gold.
 During the Victorian era…

• There was great

Eclecticism known for
it’s abundance of
“things”.
• Colors were mostly
dull reds, greens,
browns, and mauves.
In the Early 20th Century…

• Colors were Monochromatic.

There were sleek surfaces
and strong contrasts with
black, gray, silver, brown,
beige and white.
 In the 1920’s…

• All-white interiors
became popular
which gave way to
delicate pastels with
bright accents.
In the 1950’s..

• Light colors were preferred.

• However, American interest
turned to Mexico and a shift
to bright colors with bright
contrasts.
 And in the 1990’s…

• Regal gold, blue, and

red were used. In
some areas Victorian
was being revived.
• Ivy league also
becomes popular with
forest greens and
cranberry reds.
Understanding color is key to good design,
memorable art and unforgettable
photography.
Where Does Color Come From?

• A ray of light is the source of all color.

• Without light, color does not exist.
• Light is broken down into colors of the
spectrum. You can often see a variety
of colors in a bright beam when you
look at something like a rainbow.
Light And Pigment
(Additive And Subtractive)
• Additive colors are colors which are
"pure", i.e. colors that add up to form white
light.
A RED light looks RED because it emits
RED light.
• While Subtractive colors are "impure".
You perceive RED pigment to be RED
because it reflects RED light and absorbs
everything except RED light falling on it.
 Light
First and foremost, “What is Color?”
Color is the aspect of an object when light
travels through it or reflects off it.
One thing is extremely important when we
talk about color; The presence of light.
Without light there is no color, independently
of it traveling through or reflecting. Light is the
basis of color as it is perceived by our brains
 Notice the two important
instances;
1. When light travels through an object.
Color that is seen when light travels “through”
is commonly known as RGB (Red, Green &
Blue) used in screens.
2. When light reflects off an object.
Color that is seen when light “reflects” is known
as CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow &
Black) and is used mainly for printing.
Colors are still taught as the primary colors
to be red, yellow and blue and that the color
wheel stems from those three colors.
In reality, the REAL primary colors that will
TRULY mix to make all the colors with the
help of black and white are Magenta (a
tonality of Red), Cyan (a tonality of Blue)
and Yellow.
 Pigments
• Pigments are substances that can
be ground into fine powder and
used for adding color to dyes and
paints.
• Pigments were originally derives
from animal, mineral, and vegetable
sources.
• Examples:
– Purple from shellfish
– Red dye from the dried bodies of
scale insects
• To create our own color wheel, we
will be mixing different pigments
together to create all the colors in
the color wheel.
COLOR WHEEL
 The Color Wheel
• The color wheel is a basic tool we use
when working with colors.
• It is based on the standard color theory
known as Brewster/Prang.
• In addition to the traditional color wheel,
there are two color systems that are
useful when more detailed colors are
required.
– The Munsell system:
• Has 5 principles hues and 5 intermediate
hues. A numbering system helps designers
identify the exact hue they need.
– The Ostwald system:
• Made from pairs of complementary colors.
The color circle has twenty-four hues.
 The Color Wheel

B lu e B lu e - v io le t
• There are 12
B lu e - g r e e n V io le t hues in the
spectrum of
G re e n R e d - v io le t
color.
Y e llo w - g r e e n R ed
• They are
divided into
Y e llo w R e d -o ra n g e
three
categories…
Y e llo w - o r a n g e O ra n g e
 The Primary Colors
B lu e B lu e - v io le t

• Red, Yellow, and B lu e - g r e e n V io le t

Blue
G re e n R e d - v io le t

• These colors
cannot be Y e llo w - g r e e n R ed
combined from
mixing any colors Y e llo w R e d -o ra n g e

together. Y e llo w - o r a n g e O ra n g e
 The Secondary Colors
B lu e B lu e - v io le t

B lu e - g r e e n V io le t
• Green, violet, and
orange G re e n R e d - v io le t

• Made by
combining the Y e llo w - g r e e n R ed

Primary colors
together. Y e llo w R e d -o ra n g e

Y e llo w - o r a n g e O ra n g e
 The Tertiary Colors
• Yellow-green, blue- B lu e B lu e - v io le t

green, blue-violet, B l u e - g r e e n V io le t

red-violet, red-
orange, yellow- G r e e n R e d - v io le t

orange.
• Made by
combining a Y e l l o w - g r e e n R ed

primary and a
secondary hue. Y e llo w R e d -o ra n g e

• Named by the Y e llo w - o r a n g e O ra n g e

Primary color first.