COLOR

Part 1
Second Semester, SY 2019 - 2020

Dear Class,

It has been my pleasure to be a part of your studies in TIP Manila.

I hope the following materials can help you in your journey towards
being architects.

The following are my personal compilation. My request is that you

use them only in your studies and not for any other reason.

Thank you class.

Ar. Renee Borromeo

Color is not a property of objects,
spaces, or surfaces; it is the
sensation caused by certain
qualities of light that the eye
recognizes and the brain interprets.
 Color
is a product
of light
As light changes,
the color we
observe changes
What color is grass? Green? Grass
may be almost gray at dawn,
yellow-green at noon, and blue-
black at midnight.
But our mind insists that
the grass is green despite
the visual evidence to the
contrary, a psychological
compensation called color
constancy.
It is an example of subjective
constancy and a feature of the
human color perception
system which ensures that the
perceived color of objects
remains relatively constant
under varying illumination
conditions.
Related to the concept of
color changing with the
light is one other important
color phenomenon: Our
perception of colors
changes according to their
surroundings.
Even in the same light, a color will
appear different depending on the
colors that are adjacent to it.
Rarely do we see a color by itself.
Normally colors are seen in
conjunction with others, and the
visual differences are often
amazing.
The smaller “pink” squares are
identical; the visual differences are
caused by the various background
colors these squares are placed
against.
With pure, vibrant colors, optical
changes will be very slight.
The Physics
of Color
The perception of color
derives from the
stimulation of cone cells in
the human eye by
electromagnetic radiation
in the visible spectrum.
Electromagnetic radiation (EM radiation or EMR) refers to
the waves (or their quanta, photons) of the electromagnetic
field, propagating (radiating) through space, carrying
electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves,
microwaves, infrared, (visible) light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and
gamma rays.
The visible spectrum is the
portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum
that is visible to the
human eye.
Light is electromagnetic
radiation within a certain
portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. The word usually
refers to visible light, which is
the visible spectrum that is
visible to the human eye and is
responsible for the sense of sight
The essential fact of color
theory is that color is a
property of light, not an
object itself.
Color theory in the visual arts is a body of
practical guidance to color mixing and the
visual effects of a specific color combination.
Sir Isaac Newton illustrated this
property of light in the 17th century
when he put white light through a
prism. The prism broke up white light
into the familiar rainbow of hues
Objects have no color of their own
but merely the ability to reflect
certain rays of white light, which
contains all the colors.

Blue objects absorb all the rays

except the blue ones, and these are
reflected to our eyes. Black objects
absorb all the rays; white objects
reflect all of them.
The word color has so many
aspects that it means different
things to a physicist, optician,
psychiatrist, poet, lighting
engineer, and painter….

There are numerous books that

discuss the topic of color.
But, what does
color mean to
an architect?
RGB color model - an additive color model in
which red, green and blue light are added together
in various ways to reproduce a broad array of
colors. Light model

RYB color model - denotes the use of red, yellow,

and blue pigments as primary colors in art and
design, particularly painting.

CMY color model - a subtractive color model that

predicts the appearance of cyan, magenta & yellow
dyes/pigments organized as thin overlaid layers to
reproduce a broad array of colors. Pigment model
The main purpose of the RGB color
model is for the sensing, representation,
and display of images in electronic
systems, such as televisions and
computers, though it has also been used
in conventional photography.
In color printing, the usual primary colors are
cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY).
In inkjet color printing and typical mass
production photomechanical printing
processes, a black ink K (Key) component is
included, resulting in the CMYK color model.
 Properties of Color

1. Hue – simply refers to the name of the

color.

2. Value – the lightness or darkness of

the hue.

3. Intensity - measures the range of a

color from dull to vivid. Also called
chroma and saturation.
 HUE
The first property of color.
Hue simply refers to the
name of the color. Red,
orange, green, and purple
are hues.
Although the words hue and color are
often used as synonyms, there is a
distinction between the two terms.
Hue describes the visual sensation of the
different parts of the color spectrum.
However, one hue can be varied to
produce many colors.
So even though there are relatively few
hues, there can be an almost unlimited
number of colors.
Pink, rose, scarlet, maroon, and crimson are
all colors, but the hue in each case is red.
You will even notice that the same hue can
have different names in different color
systems.
“Blue,” for instance, may be a blue-violet in
one system and a cyan in another. One system
may use the term purple and another violet.
Try to see past the names given to the colors
and look instead at the relationships.
 VALUE
The second property of
color.
Refers to the lightness or
darkness of the hue.
In pigment, adding white or black
paint to the color alters value.
Adding white lightens the color
and produces a tint, or high-value
color. Adding black darkens the
color and produces a shade, or
low-value color.
 INTENSITY
The third property of color.
Refers to the brightness or
dullness of a color.
Intensity is sometimes called
chroma, or saturation.
 Color wheel
An abstract illustrative
organization of color hues
around a circle, which
shows the relationships
between primary colors,
secondary colors, tertiary
colors etc.
The twelve-step color The most common
wheel of Johannes Itten.
organization for the
relationship of basic color.
The color wheel of twelve hues is the
one still most commonly used. If you
look closely, however, you will notice
that the complements are not consistent
with those shown in the illustration of
additive and subtractive primaries.

Furthermore, if you try mixing colors

based on this wheel (such as blue and
red to make violet), you will find the
results to be dull and unsatisfactory.
 The color wheel based on
the Munsell Color System
has ten equal visual steps.
Mixtures of complements
on this wheel will more
closely produce neutrals
(when tested as light
mixtures on a computer,
Ten step for example), and the
Munsell color wheel positions of the colors are
more useful in predicting
paint mixtures as well.
Munsell Color System
A color space created by Prof.
Albert H. Munsell that
specifies colors based on 3
properties of color: hue, value
(lightness), and chroma (color
purity).

The 3 independent properties

of color are represented
cylindrically in three
dimensions as an irregular
color solid
Ostwalt Color System
A color space that was
invented by Wilhelm Ostwald.

Ostwald's system provides a

single, midpoint interpolation
between adjacent colors. It
does not have an easy way of
recording millions of colors.
Tints - come from adding
white to hues
Shades - come from adding
black to hues
Tones - mixing the hue with
grey
Achromatic - use no color,
just shades of grey, black and
white
Monochromatic - uses only
one color. The hue can vary
in value, and pure black or
white may be added.
Warm colors - exhibit energy
and joy.
They have a tendency to appear
larger.

Cool colors - convey calmness

and peace (best for office use).
They have a tendency to appear
smaller next to a warm color.
They often work well as a
background color.
“Cool” colors? “Warm”
colors? These are odd
adjectives to describe color,
as cool and warm are
sensations of touch, not
sight.
Why do we do it? Because of our
learned association of color with
objects.
Hence, red and orange (fire) and
yellow (sunlight) are identified as
warm colors. Similarly, blue (sky,
water) and green (grass, plants) are
always thought of as cool colors.
Touching an area of red will
assuredly not burn your hand,
but looking at red will indeed
induce a feeling of warmth.

The effect may be purely

psychological, but the results
are very real.
There was a story of workers in an
office painted blue complaining of
the chill and actually getting colds.

The problem was solved not by

raising the thermostat but by
repainting the office in warm
tones of brown.
We generally think of the colors
yellow through red-violet as the
warm side of the color wheel and
yellow-green through violet as the
cool segment. The visual effects are
quite variable, however, and again
depend a great deal on the context
in which we see the color.
In B the green square appears very warm
surrounded by a background of blue. But
in C the identical green, when placed on
an orange background, shifts and
becomes a cooler tone.
If we create an environment
with walls, floors, and neutral
ceilings, when we apply
certain colors on the different
surfaces, we get different
visual effects.
 Apply a darker shade on the
ceiling, the sensation of a
lower space is generated.
Apply color to the central wall
of space, the idea of a certain
"spatial shortening" is created
visually.
Apply color to all walls, the
perception of a space longer
than it really is, is produced.
 COLOR SCHEME
Are logical combinations of colors on the
color wheel.
Color schemes are used to create style
and appeal.
Colors that create an aesthetic feeling
together commonly appear together in
color schemes.
 Complementary

Any two colors opposite each

other on the wheel.

For example, blue and

orange, or red and green.
 Analogous

Any three colors next to each

other on the wheel.

For example, blue-green,

green, and yellow-green.
Make sure you have enough contrast when
choosing an analogous color scheme.
Choose one color to dominate, a second to
support. The third color is used (along with
black, white or gray) as an accent.
 Triadic

Any three colors that are

equally apart on the color
wheel.

For example, green, orange,

violet.
Choose one color to dominate, a second to support. The
third color is used (along with black, white or gray) as an
accent.
 Split complementary

Use three colors.

The scheme takes one color

and matches it with the two
colors adjacent to its
complementary color.

For example, green, red-

violet, and red-orange.
 Tetradic
Double complementary

Uses four colors together, in

the form of two sets of
complementary colors.

For example, red and orange

is paired with blue and green.
 Monochromatic
A monochromatic color scheme involves the use of
only one hue.
The hue can vary in value, and pure black or white
may be added.
 Achromatic
Achromatic means only the neutral colors are used
in the design (black, white, and gray).
Once, rules were taught
about just which color
combinations were
harmonious and which
were definitely to be
avoided because the colors
did not “go together.”
A combination of pink and
orange was unthinkable; even
blue and green patterns were
suspect.
Today these rules seem silly, and
we approach color more freely,
seeking unexpected
combinations.
Certain color pairings are almost difficult to
look at.
In fact, our eye experiences a conflict in trying
to perceive them simultaneously.
Red and cyan literally have a vibrating edge
when their values are equal and their
intensities are high.
“Colors acquire
particular associations
on the basis of prior
experience and cultural
background.”
Interior Space: Design Concepts for Personal Needs
By Stuart Miller, Judith K. Schlitt
Second Semester, SY 2019 - 2020

Dear Class,

It has been my pleasure to be a part of your studies in TIP Manila.

I hope the following materials can help you in your journey towards
being architects.

The following are my personal compilation. My request is that you

use them only in your studies and not for any other reason.

Thank you class.

Ar. Renee Borromeo