Day 5:
Lesson 5: Color
Finally! A lesson on color. Even before I begin the lesson, I just want to say that I’m super excited about this lesson, I’ve never really learned about color aside from the basics in elementary school, primary colors, Roy G. Biv in Science, the prism, rainbows. I’ve always been fascinated by rainbows (figures =P), just the color in them in general, but interestingly enough I have slight color-blindness. I’ve been told that I can’t tell between blue and purple, but those instances were only because the object whose color was in question was borderline blue and purple.
Now onto the lesson…
“This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.”
“Welcome to…life.”-Cause I Said So
CMYK and RGB: just an image, but ahhh! so exciting!
Design and color, have just recently fused together. Great quote!
“Color exists, literally, in the eye of the beholder.”
-Graphic Design: The New Basics
This lesson was rather scientific, reminiscent of physiology and biology, maybe even some kindergarten stuff, except this, by far, is one of the more difficult topics. Okay so, I’m gonna try to regurgitate what I’ve learned:
- color:
- is unique to one’s perception of it;
- has become integral to the design process as color-printing and media have become more accessible, more routine;
- an infinite range of hues and intenisities;
- displays are usually in in RGB while printing is done in CMYK(I should probably start saving files in CMYK format for when I go to print);
- color comes form light which is received by cones in our eyes;
- color is relative, dependent on physical pigmentation as well as ambient lighting;
- the primary colors are red, green, and blue: are additive because they make up all the hues in the spectrum. based on this theory, red and green paint should combine to make yellow, but when executed, combine to make a brownish color
- pigment-based color systems are considered subtractive because when multiple pigments come together, the reflect less light than they absorb;
RGB is addictive, says the lesson. Hahaha, addictive gives a bad connotation. When I think of addicts, I usually think of drugs, substances, -aholics and such. Maybe design and color is addictive, bad for me sometimes because it takes away from my time when I have to do other things like study and such. I need to start changing it up more often because looking at a screen all day isn’t that great for the eyes. =P
FUNdamentals and things:
- The Color Wheel
- Primary Colors: Red, Yellow, Blue
- Secondary Colors: Green, Purple, Orange
- Tertiary Colors: made from one primary and one secondary color
- Complements: colors that lay opposite one another on the color wheel; near opposites
- Analagous Colors: have minimal chromatic differences
Vocabulary:
- Hue: place of the color within the color wheel
- Intensity (Luminence, Brightness, Lightness, or Tone): brightness or dullness of a color
- Value: the light or dark character of the color
- Shade: addition of black
- Tint: addition of white
- Saturation (Chroma): nearness to gray
Dang, there are Design Problems to these lessons, maybe I should start doing them. Maybe I’ll just start right now. I’ll return to the other Design Problems in backward order. Yeah that’s what I’ll do.
This one I’m gonna have to focus on for a while…won’t stop ‘til I get through every single color, every last one. =)
I need to stop using web safe only colors on Adobe. =/
Until next time.
-RaccaWear Ink
