colorcolor what do we know? what do we want to know? what did we learn?

COLORCOLORCOLORCOLORWhat do we know?What do we know?

What do we want to know?What do we want to know?

What did we learn?What did we learn?

• The notes from this PowerPoint were paraphrased from the book “Residential Housing and Interiors” (Good-Heart Wilcox)

• Color Personality Test from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=5215

VOCABULARY• Color Spectrum A• Primary colors B• Secondary colors C• Intermediate colors

D• Hue E• Value F• Intensity G• Tint H• Shade I• Complement J

A. The full range of all existing colors

B. Yellow, blue, redC. Orange, green, violetD. Yellow-green, blue-green,

blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange

E. The name of a colorF. The lightness or darkness of a

hueG. The brightness or dullness of a

hueH. Made by adding whiteI. Made by adding blackJ. The color directly opposite of

another on the color wheel

VOCABULARY• Monochromatic K• Analogous L• Complementary M• Split-

Complementary N• Triadic O• Double-

Complement P• Neutral Q

K. Based on a single hueL. 3-5 adjacent huesM. 2 hues directly across

from each otherN. One hue and the two on

each side of its complement

O. Combo of any three colors equal distance from each other

P. Two sets of complementsQ. Combos of black, white

or gray

The Psychology of Color

• Color is the most exciting tool of the designer• A space absent of color would not give any

interest to the person occupying the space– Color creates a mood within a room, and can

communicate excitement, romance or solitude

• Many color perceptions affect the way people feel about a room, space or object– People make associations with colors based on past

experiences– Each color has its own characteristics and common

psychological impact

The Psychology of Color, continued

• Careful color consideration should be used in each area of the home– The social area of a home should be

decorated in colors that will make all members feel comfortable

– Bedrooms should be decorated in colors that make the occupants feel relaxed

– Dressing areas should be free of harsh colors that may contrast with choosing clothing

Activity• List each color on a piece of paper. Next to

the color, list the first word that comes to mind when you hear the color. Do not think for too long. – Black– Red– Blue– White – Brown– Yellow– Green– Orange– Purple

• Write down your favorite color…

RED• Associated with danger,

power, love, passion, anger, fire and strength

• Bold, exciting, and warm• Stimulates the nervous

system and increases blood pressure, respiration rate and heartbeat

• It should be used with care in design

• Can be lightened or darkened to create other colors

• If your favorite color is pink, you are…– Laid back and carefree, somewhat sheltered

and innocent, and gentle.– Words that describe you are shy, romantic, and

feminine. – You have a calming effect on those around you

and people who need a friend seek you out.• If your favorite color is red you…

– Want to be part of the action and are quite impulsive.

– You are outspoken, quick-tempered and intense, dynamic and noticeable, and not afraid to speak up.

– If you are not careful you can become overbearing.

– You are emotional, exciting and athletic.

ORANGE

• Cheerful, warm, less aggressive than red

• Expresses friendliness, courage, hospitality, energy and hope

• Mixes well with cool colors

• If your favorite color is orange, you…– Are unique, friendly and get along well with

others. – Radiate warmth and inspire those you are

with. – Tend to be social and drawn to groups of

people. – Are the hearth of the home and grateful for

family and friends.

YELLOW• Cheerful, friendly, warm• Associated with happiness,

sunlight, sympathy, prosperity, cowardice, and wisdom

• Yellow rooms are light and airy

• Should be used with care b/c they demand attention

• Gold provides a luxurious touch and usually used in accents and accessories

• Yellows take on the tones of other colors and add flattering highlights

• If your favorite color is yellow, you…– Are intellectual and drawn toward the new

and modern. – High spirited, cheerful, and idealistic best

describe your personality. – You are vivacious, extroverted and comedic. – You have strong opinions and can be

stubborn. – You live by high standards and give sound

advice.

GREEN

• Refreshing, the color of nature, cool, peaceful and friendly

• Associated with hope, envy, and good luck

• Mixes well with other colors and looks good with white

• If your favorite color is green…

BLUE

• Has the opposite effect of red

• Cool, calm and reserved

• Communicates serenity, tranquility, and formality

• Too much blue can be depressing

– If blue is your favorite color, you...• Are cautious, conservative and sensitive

to the needs of others. • Often thrust into the role of peacemaker. • Are business-like, calm, and capable, a

loyal, trustworthy friend.• Expressing your emotions in a relationship

is difficult for you.– If your favorite color is blue/green, you

• Are sensitive and need loving care and adoration form others, but you maintain your independence.

• Showing emotion is difficult for you and others perceive you as self-centered.

• Have excellent taste and a mature outlook.

VIOLET

• Color of royalty, dignity, and mystery

• Dramatic and works well with other colors

• Often used in small amounts as an accent

• If your favorite color is purple/violet, you…– Are creative, consider yourself unique, and set

yourself apart from others. – Are an artist at heart. – Scheduling and mundane tasks bore you. – Can frequently be found daydreaming and would

actually prefer fantasy to reality. – Seek cultural events and luxury but do not put

yourself out to serve humanity. – Many inventors claim purple as their favorite color.

BLACK

• Mysterious, severe and dramatic

• Symbolizes wisdom, evil, and death

• Small amounts help other colors appear more vivid

• Makes other colors appear more crisp and clear

• Use large amounts sparingly, as it can appear oppressive and claustrophobic

• If your favorite color is black, you…– Are sophisticated, mysterious and dramatic.

– Are dignified and keep to yourself. – May be unhappy with how things are, but

aren’t quite certain how you can change existing circumstances.

WHITE

• The symbol of youth, freshness, innocence, purity, faith and peace

• Makes other colors appear cleaner and livelier

• If your favorite color is white, you…– Expect to be happy most of the time. – Have a light, good, and pure personality – Have a sense of innocence about you. – Seek perfection and expect others to do the

same, which sometimes make you appear cold.

PROJECT!• Choose any teacher or administrator in this

building (preferably one that you know fairly well and like…so that leaves me out!...no really, you can’t choose me!)

• Look for a paint chip that you think best describes their personality based on what you just learned about color characteristics and color psychology

• Answer the questions for that teacher on the sheet provided

• Your teacher will receive this sheet once it is graded

The Color Spectrum• The full range of all existing colors…over 10 million

identified colors• The color wheel is the most commonly used tool for

understanding color relationships in design• The middle ring consists of three types of colors:

– Primary: Yellow, blue and red…mixing, lightening and darkening these makes other colors

– Secondary: Orange, green, and violet…mixing equal amounts of two of the primaries makes these and on the color wheel they are placed in between the two colors used to make it

– Intermediate: made by mixing a primary with a secondary…they are also called tertiary colors and the primary color is always placed first in the name

The Color Wheel

COLOR CHARACTERISTICS

• Hue is the name of the color

• Value is the lightness or darkness of a hue– A tint is when white is

added to make it lighter – A shade is when black is

added to make it darker• Intensity is the

brightness or dullness of a hue

• The complement of a hue is the color directly opposite of it on the color wheel and can be used to dull each other

Warm and Cool Colors• Some colors may make a room seem warmer

or cooler even though the temperature of a house is the same

• Warm colors are orange, red, and yellow– Called advancing colors, make objects appear

larger or closer, but a room appears smaller– Associated with warm objects such as the sun and

fire• Cool colors are blue, green and violet

– Called receding colors, make objects seem smaller and further away, but a room looks larger

– Associated with grass, water and trees

NEUTRAL COLORS• Black, white and gray

– White is totally absent of color, black is a mixture of all colors and gray is a combination of black and white

• Brown, tan and beige are considered near-neutrals– These are usually

based on red, orange and yellow hues

THE EFFECT OF LIGHT ON COLOR

• Natural light is energy supplied by the sun in wavelengths which range in size from short (infrared) and long (ultra violet)– Humans cannot see either of these

• There is a very small band of light that is visible and its colors are seen in a color band– When the band hits an object, colors are reflected and

absorbed…the color that is not reflected is how an object gets its color

• Natural light changes throughout the day causing colors to have different tints at different times of the day

• Always choose colors under the light that will be used in the room

• Cool colors need warm light and vice versa

OTHER COLOR EFFECTS

• Effect of adjacent colors– Colors change when

placed next to others– Some can intensify and

others dull• Effect of texture on color

– Flat, shiny surfaces reflect light and can enhance color

– Dull, soft or textured surfaces make color seem less intense and darker

• Effect of color on space– Colors gain intensity when

they cover large areas

The Brewster System• The standard color

wheel• Best known and simplest

of all the color wheels • Is also called the Prang

system • Based on the primary

hues• Includes primary,

secondary and intermediate colors for a total of 12 colors

The Ostwald System

• Uses yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, turquoise, sea green and leaf green

• Mixing these hues with black or white will create 24 hues

The Munsell System

• A system of color notation that scientifically describes and analyzes color in terms of hue, value and chroma (the Greek word for color)

• Has a total of 100 different colors

COLOR SCHEMES

• Certain colors used together in design

• There are seven basic color harmonies

MONOCHROMATIC• Based on a single hue

and is the simplest color harmony

• Variation is achieved by changing the value and intensity of a hue and by adding neutral accents

• Makes a room appear larger and unified

ANALOGOUS• Combines three to five

adjacent related hues on the color wheel

• Look best when one color is dominant

• Examples:– Yellow, yellow orange,

orange– Green, blue-green, and

blue

COMPLEMENTARY • Combining two hues

that are directly opposite each other on the standard color wheel

• Makes the colors appear more intense

• Examples– Red/green,

yellow/purple, orange/blue

PG 116

SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY

• Combining one hue and the two hues on each side of its complement

• Examples– Red orange/ green/

blue– yellow/blue-violet and

red-violet

TRIADIC• Combination of any three

colors that are of equal distance from each other

• The most common is the three primaries: red, blue and yellow

• This can be tricky because of the sharp contrast– Example: purple, orange,

green

DOUBLE COMPLEMENT• Combines two

sets of color complements

• Examples:– Red/green and

blue/orange

File #: 4482480

NEUTRALS• Made by using

combinations of black, white and gray

• Shades of cream, brown, tans and beiges may also be used

• If it is one of any of these colors it is still considered a neutral color scheme

File #: 9290653

COLOR DECISIONS• Consider color harmonies that happen in nature

– Ex: earth tones

• Think about the fabric you want to use or a painting you want to hang in the room– Pull colors from these samples

• Some places are able to match paint colors directly to samples

• Always choose a dominant color– Sometimes and equal amount of colors is

overwhelming

Other Helpful Color Scheme PowerPoints

•http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=4287

•http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=5074

•http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=4390