ARTS 1311: Color Use

A few weeks ago, we spent the week learning about colors. This week, we focused on color use. This week instead of focusing on what color is, color value and hue, we focused on how colors work together to project a feeling or emotion. We looked at how using complementary colors would effect a design. We looked at how color contrast would effect the emotions of a design. We looked at the symbolic associations of colors and how they differ between cultures.

I know it might not seem that interesting, but it was. It was interesting to look at how a basic color like white has different meanings in Western cultures than it does in India. We were tasked with looking at colors in our own culture and picking out a few that differed from what is generally recognized. We explored how different colors emote different feelings from different colors. Like the fact that orange in the Buddhist culture is humility and desirelessness but in Chinese cultures it means love and happiness. Or the fact that in Ireland green is the color of luck whereas in Islamic cultures it is used for peace.

I enjoyed really looking at how colors not only can depict a mood or feeling, but that feeling can change based on the culture.