Skip to main content

Color Workbook

Color Workbook (3rd edition) by Becky Koeing was met with great enthusiasm on my part. The publisher describes the text as presenting “... a wide-ranging overview of color theory and design combined with student activities that reinforce color concepts through hands-on experience.”

This text does deliver on providing exercises (at the conclusion of each chapter) using traditional methods (paint) and the computer. These activities give enough wiggle-room for any instructor to customize them for their own needs, while keeping the message of the preceding content reinforced.

Overall I was duly please with the organization of the book's subject matter (begins with color theory and concludes with a very short chapter on art history).

I was however surprised to see 2 chapters, (34 pages long) devoted to basic 2-D design concepts. This seemed a little out of place with the rest of the material. I would have much rather seen this section edited out, and replaced with a chapter on psychological/cultural influences or commercial application of color within the design industry.

This may not be a deal breaker for some academics, but may promote the use of a supplemental text if the need is great in these areas (not very economical given the high retail price of $70.00).

by Becky Koenig

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Another Pinboard to Follow

Having resisted Pinterest for about a year now, I finally dipped my toes into the virtual pool of pinboards. My apprehension was truly misdirected and I've come to find that the concept of organizing visual images/links onto a virtual board has become a great teaching tool. After covering the typical graphic design topics such as typography, and history it was a natural move to include color among the related topics. So here is a link to my All Color Matters pinboard .
Read more

Purple for the Privileged

Murex Brandaris For centuries, the color purple was both an elusive and exclusive hue. From the time of Ceasar till the conclusion of the Byzantine Empire, purple was worn by kings and those serving in a high office or positions of influence. Rulers like Nero would sentence anyone to death who dared to wear imperial purple. The Roman emperor Diocletain however, took a more economical approach by collecting taxes from anyone who was compelled to slip on the hue. Up until the 1850’s, the arduous process of acquiring this color was more involved then its close cousin—red. Not unlike red, purple was also derived from the animal kingdom. Farmed from the Mediterranean region by the Phonecians as far back as 1500 B.C., Tyrian Purple came from the mucous secretion of a predatory sea snail’s hypobranchial gland ( murex brandaris , murex trunculus , bolinus brandaris ). The sea snails were soaked and then boiled in large vats which allowed the “juice” to be removed from the gland. It t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Color and Design

Not a book for light reading, Color and Design will satisfy any design practitioner, or scholar seeking to gain a more expanded view of how humans respond to color. Editors Marilyn DeLong and Barbara have curated a selection of essays which are organized into subjects ranging from color psychology  to marketing and trend influences. Since these are essays, the reader should not expect this book to offer a cultural analysis of primary/secondary colors nor an explanation of basic color theory. What the text does offer is specific examinations on various topics that center around sociological approach of how color is assimilated within a culture, its art, folklore and consumerism. Outwardly this can seem to be a real bore. I did however find a pearl or two that can potentially be assigned as required reading for my students. For example in Part III: Markets and Trends , I found an informative essay by Alex Bitterman ( Color the World: Identifying Color Trends in Contemporary Ci...
Read more