art 132 two dimensional design for graphic design

ASSIGNMENT 3: COLOR (25 pts)

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IN CLASS TUESDAY March 19

INTRODUCTION

Color is such a dominant component of everything we encounter in the visual world that it can be easy to take it for granted. For artists and designers, however, the application of color is a deeply considered, deliberate choice, not simply an intuitive one. By better understanding how color is formed and the relationships between different colors, the color decisions in any piece of art or design becomes much more intentional and effective.

Untitled Mark Rothko, 1952-53

Untitled, 1952–3, Mark Rothko (detail). Mark Rothko used color to evoke "basic human emotions" such as joy.

Color is one of the fundamental elements of our existence, and defines our world in such deep ways that its effects are nearly imperceptible. Whether in the micro-sense with the choice of an article of clothing, or the macro-sense where cultures on the whole embrace color trends at the scale of decades, color is a signifier of our motives and deepest feelings.

The EFFECT of COLOR: https://www.pbs.org/video/-book-effect-color-book/

Josef Albers: 1888–1976): a German-born American painter, Albers completed Itten’s introductory course at the Bauhaus in 1920, eventually joining the faculty there. Albers would later go on to teach at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he taught American artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. Albers was well-known for his use of color in his art and his work on color theory itself. The Magic of Color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3xpTtn7zo8

Jane Davis Doggett (1929–): an American designer famous for her innovative use of color in public spaces for navigation and way-finding. Doggett also explores color in her art work, which combines the color theories of Albers with an expressive, narrative quality. (See Doggett’s work for the Miami, Houston, and Tampa international airports for excellent examples of color in use in environmental design, and her book Talking Graphics for her use of color in art.) Wayfinder in the Jet Age Documentary

April Greiman (1948–): an American graphic designer and pioneer of the New Wave school of design. Frequently noted for her early incorporation of the computer in her design practice, Greiman’s use of color both in print and environmental graphics is notable for its boldness and energy. (See Greiman’s identity design for Vertigo (1979), the 1995 commemorative stamp design for the 19th Amendment, and her Wilshire-Vermont mural for examples.) OFFSET - A Conversation + aprilgreimen.com

Hew Locke at the TATE: https://www.ppowgallery.com/artists/hew-locke#tab:thumbnails

Hurvin Anderson: Artist at the TATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2nRnnVYuy4

COLOR SYSTEMS

Additive and subtractive color models. As designers create work both for the screen (websites, apps, etc.) and for print (packages, magazines, etc.) it is extremely important for them to understand the uses and limitations of both the additive (RGB) and subtractive (CMYK) color models.

HUES, TINTS, and SHADES

Hues, tints, and shades. Hues (middle row) trending toward white (tints) and black (shades).

SATURATION

satuation gradient

Saturation. As colors become less saturated they steadily lose intensity and become gray.

WARM + COOL COLORS

warm and cool colors

 

COLOR WHEEL

cmyk color wheel

Farbkreis, 1961, Johannes Itten. Itten’s interpretation of the familiar color wheel using red, yellow, and blue primary colors.

COLOR RELATIONSHIPS

color relationships 1

Analogous colors are groups of colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel, and can often be seen in nature (e.g. autumn leaves). While analogous colors can create a rich palette, it tends to be monochromatic (containing or using only one color) and lacking in the vibrancy of complementary colors. Complementary colors are those colors opposite one another on the color wheel, which cancel one other out (make a gray) when combined, but are extremely vibrant when placed next to one another.

 

Split-complementary colors make use of the colors to either side of a color’s complement. While Split Complementary colors have much of the same vibrancy and contrast of complimentary colors, they create less tension between themselves. Triadic colors are those colors that are evenly spaced from one another around the color wheel. Triadic colors tend to be quite vibrant in relation to one another, even when used as tints or unsaturated variants of hues.

Additional Lecture Notes (PDF)

Art Context, Cultural Connections and Relevancy

Color is a dominant feature of the visual landscape, which is why the successful use of color can make design more effective in communicating an intended message.

However, the use of color can also send unintended—or even unwanted—messages as well. Certain colors in western culture have become linked to certain concepts—such as gender—which can feel limiting to people who see themselves one way, but are addressed in another.

In August of 2015, the Target chain of department stores announced that it would move away from using stereotypical colors in its toy departments (among others), eliminating the use of pinks and yellows to identify certain toys or areas of the store as being for girls, and blues and greens to identify others as being for boys. As attitudes—and therefore design trends—change in the face of an ever-evolving culture and market demands, where else can you see colors that once were commonplace as a visual shorthand for certain concepts that have now fallen out of use?

Male+Female-Symbols

Color in culture. How does changing the relationship between culturally understood colors and images affect their meaning? How does it affect how we respond to them as a society?

adidas-color-branding

Color in culture and branding. Does a color shift from more traditionally athletic or aggressive colors of red and black in the Adidas logo change how the brand might be perceived? Do pink and green make the logo seem more casual or playful? How accepting of this kind of change do students feel they—or the people students imagine as the typical Adidas customer—might be?

DESCRIPTION:

This assignment is about COLOR. You will learn how to mix color both manually with paint and digitally using Illustrator. You will make a CMYK color wheel and color value scale using paint, and duplicate the value scale using Illustrator.

Finally you will develop a pattern using Illustrator and in a series of 3 compositions present the same pattern using different color schemes.

MATERIALS

You Provide:

Instructor will provide:

FIRST THINGS FIRST. SET UP FOLDERS on your portable USB drive and in your SERVER account. As a class we will prepare your work for a digital portfolio.

WHAT TO DO:

 

PT 1 - READINGS + COLOR WHEEL

READ

IN CLASS TUESDAY March 19 - THURSDAY March 21

1. Make a CMYK color wheel using acrylic paint and your bristol paper. (10 pts)

cmyk color wheel

DIRECTIONS for MAKING the COLOR WHEEL as seen above -
A DEMO will be given in class on TUESDAY March 19

MIX COLORS - Demo will be given in class.

2. MAKE COLOR SCALE with Illustrator and paint (5 pts)

Your digital and analog/painted color scale should be as identical as possible.

DUE TUESDAY March 26.

Present Color Wheel and BOTH Color Gradation Scales using the two complementary colors

 

PT 2 - Patterns + Color (10 pts)

IN CLASS TUESDAY March 26.

INTRODUCTION TO PATTERNS + COLOR

IN CLASS TUESDAY April 2.

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DUE THURSDAY April 4

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PATTERNS STRUCTURES

repeat pattern

brick pattern

half-drop

diamond repeat

turn-over or random repeat

stripe repeat

overlapping pattern

 

 

RESOURCES:

 

 

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