All Color Matters

The color red is known to escalate the body’s metabolism through the pituitary gland. Respiration, blood pressure, and heart beat become altered in reaction to red’s physiological imprint on us. It is no wonder that this color has become so closely associated with highly emotional responses such as anger, energy, good health, fertility, passion, sensuality and love. Because of these instinctual reactions, different cultures have worn this color to mark the passing of life’s important milestones. Red remained an elusive color to produce for many centuries. Many processes were explored in different parts of the globe to find a manufacturing procedures that would produce a vibrant color that wouldn’t fade easily. Prior to the introduction of synthetic dyes (the middle of the 19th century) red became a status symbol. Replaced by purple as the preferred color among monarchs, high-ranking government officials and as a visual symbol to separate the gentry from the poor. In some cases the...

A good well-rounded text that tackles all aspects of the leading theories of color and its associated vocabulary. Holtzschue offers many illustrated examples of how this theoretical information is applied to, when solving common problems in color design. Beyond basic color study, there are chapters that address topics such as screen display, color management, print and web medias as well as physiological responses. To help educators, a companion workbook which contains exercises for students is offered online via the publisher's website. With all of the aforementioned considered, this would have been a near-perfect text for a basic color theory class. Holtzschue's mention of art history/cultural influences is quite thin however (4 pages) and her attempt at tackling the (often overlooked) business side of color could be expanded upon as well. In general though, this book remains a valuable source for designers to consult for understanding how to make sound color choic...

Tonight will conclude the epic three-night Jeopardy battle to prove if the human brain can still out-pace a computer’s. Last night we were (once again) informed via Alex Trebeck, of the technological nuances of Watson’s programming. We were briefed on how long it took Watson to be built, his components, and programming, I however was more interested in seeing any visual reaction he would display through his avatar. I applaud the IBM team for being mindful of the potential emotional drama an audience feels when seeing a contestant sweat. Since Watson lacks a face, IBM chose to construct a flat panel display which projects an avatar controller (IBM’s Smarter Planet icon encased with spinning arcs of colors). This a welcome departure from the cold glowing red stare of Hal from the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Digital artist Joshua Davis worked with the IBM team to help give Watson his "face". Programmed with 27 states (ranging from correct answers to Daily Doubles) ...

Taking a more fine art approach, Color draws from past, and present art movements for aesthetic examples on basic color theory application. In depth chapters explore topics such as psychological/compositional effects, color relationships, subtractive/additive media, fine art and applied design. Where Color Workbook by Becky Koenig takes a more “hands-on” approach to color theory, Color presents the realities of color uses from a working artist's point-of-view. Other subjects mentioned include computer art, video, architecture, landscape design, sculpture, and clothing. This book does fall short in two areas; cultural influences and the omission of any suggested exercises for students to back-up the text. This normally wouldn't be an issue, however given the high retail price of $93.00, it would be difficult to justify this purchase to the budget minded student unless it can be aquired via used or heavy discount. Color (Sixth Edition) by Paul J. Zelanski, Mary Pat Fishe...

Within the past few years color has served as a visual unifier for nonviolent political movements. Wearing of a specific color (sometimes at great risk) is a physical reminder to those who support the like-minded. The recent wave of discontent among Egyptians has the makings of another color revolution. The key demands for free elections (without the repeat of an automatic winner from the ruling party) is only one of a long list of reforms that the populace is demanding. Other countries such as Iran, and Ukraine have used color to reinforce political, and cultural reforms that have been emotional nods to their nation’s history. In December of 2004, Ukrainians wore the color orange to send a message to Putin that they were unified against the rigged elections that made Viktor Yanukovych the newly elected president vs. Viktor. Since orange was the original color adopted by Yushchenko’s campaign and supports, it was a natural transition for the color to be used to represent their ca...

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 psy...

If you enjoy oil and acrylic painting, this book is for you! Written from a painter’s perspective, this text explores the technical aspects of the craft while offering an eloquent historical survey from the classic to the contemporary. This isn't a book that offers an psychology analysis or historical origins of each color. What you will find, is exercises for mixing color palettes, methods and painting practices (specific to art movements), materials, aesthetic approaches, and basic concepts in understanding how to choose color for a given purpose. Gury is able to successfully pull together the broad range of topics through his precise yet approachable writing style. One cannot help feeling inspired to paint, after paging through the many beautiful closeup examples of brushwork in this very (economically reasonable) book. Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice by Al Gury