Color Theory

Color Theory is a part of everyday life, the average consumer considers color as a major factor in most purchases. When it comes to fashion design, interior design, architecture, and industrial design color has blossomed into vibrant, bold, bright shades. The word "color" in itself is interpreted vary differently depending on the field of study (physicist, optician, psychiatrist, poet, lighting engineer, or painter).

"Color is a property of light, not of the object itself."(DESIGN BASICS) Sir Isaac Newton discovered the principle in the seventeenth century that objects have no color of their own, but rather the ability to reflect rays of white light. When it comes to color mixing, usage depends on whether the color source are pigments or dyes. Colors from light combine to create visuals based on the additive system, while pigments combine based upon the subtractive system. Color combination is key in creating successful design, and it is important to remember that color is changed by lighting. Our perception of colors is altered based upon surroundings, landscape, and context. In addition, juxtaposing complementary and contrasting colors gives greater visual interest and depth to the colors we perceive.

In all forms of art, color evokes a response from the viewer. It can exude humanistic qualities. A primary example of this is the use of "warm" and "cold" colors, using blue or red tones to give the design a sense of feeling or emotion. This quality of a design may potentially become the determinant in whether or not the consumer buys the product. A design is sustainable when the consumer identifies the clear purpose and functionality of the product. Thus color is a largely significant factor in design and the overall visual presentation of an object.

Lauer, David A., and Stephen Pentak. Design Basics (with ArtExperience Online Printed Access Card). Belmont: Wadsworth, 2007. Print.