SHEFALI

Color is the most instant form of communication. When we see anything,  we naturally perceive its colors first. The reaction towards each color is associated with certain emotional understanding, depending upon cultural norms and surroundings where we live. I want to understand the relationship between colors and emotions, on the basis of my studies and observations.

Book: Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. (2005). Basics design: colour. 5th ed. Switzerland: AVA Pub.

In the book, the authors have tried to develop a basic understanding of colors. On page 12-13, color coding has been explained which develop a relationship between people’s mood and emotions with color. the authors also mentioned that this concept is not universal, it varies from place to place and person to person. From this, I am trying to develop my understanding of, how can we use the colors within a space, to design a user -friendly space for emotional well being. For this, I observed some spaces within my reach, and want to share my perceptions about these spaces.

In the above pictures, both spaces are group study rooms in the library. As a designer, if I have to choose between the two, I would prefer space at the right to work in. Although space on the left is providing a calm emotion due to the use of light colors, and the use of these colors make it more formal which I find boring as a designer. On the other hand, In space at the right, the use of a varied combination of grey, blue and green shades, making it more interacting and interesting to work in by breaking the monotony and also maintaining the balance and character of a space with the use of perfect color combination.

In the end, I would like to conclude that, color is the most important element in creating a space. Only the difference in colors, in the same kind of space, can alter the emotional effects of a person.

In my last blog, I talked about the color as a design tool and the importance of using color psychology to use it wisely. A few days back, I started reading some books about colors, and I learned many things about colors and design. In this blog, I would like to talk about the color psychology and perception.

The psychological perception of colors can be an interesting field to explore. It represents the responses of people towards colors. This response varies with culture, society, politics, fashion and design trends. Generally, the color experience can be categorized into four parts i.e. saturation of the hue as right/dull or light/dark, emotional attachment to an object, emotional response towards an object i.e. like or dislike and the character of the color an observer perceive. This perception or preference of color generally linked with geographical location, historical traditions and color myths, and biases as well.

These color and emotions theories are not stereotypical, these are created by people only. It keeps on varying over a period of time, with the change in trends. Basically, the challenge is to understand this theory while taking care of both historical values as well as the latest trends and responsibly apply them to the design process.

References:-

Reed, R. (2010) COLOR + DESIGN: Transforming Interior Space. Fairchild Books.

Imagine an interior space with an open floor plan. Open floor plan can be stated as a huge multi-functional open space. This is an example where color schemes play an important role to create in the cohesion. Color schemes are the combinations of colors on the color wheel. It acts as a tool to add aesthetical appeal to a design.

The color combinations can be derived using the color theories. Color theory is the practical guide of color mixing and the visual effects created by them.  Depending on the different contrast and emotions produced, different schemes are derived using different nature and types of colors. Some of these are the monochromatic color scheme, complementary color scheme, analogous color schemes etc.

The monochromatic color scheme consists of a single color family i.e colors produced by adding black, grey or white to a single hue. Due to the lack of hue in colors, it tends to create a more subtle and peaceful environment. The complementary schemes consist of colors which are opposite to each other on the color wheel, for example, the primary colors and the secondary colors. Due to the opposition in nature of both colors, this scheme creates a strong contrast so it cannot be used in the subtle situation. The analogous color scheme generally uses three colors which are next to each other. One of the colors is basically the dominating one i.e. primary color or secondary color and the other two are tertiary colors. As one color is dominating and the other two are supporting colors, it tends to create a balanced environment.

Analogous color scheme

Complimentary color scheme

Monochromatic colors scheme

There are many ways to look at colors through the lens of various theories. And, these colors schemes can influence the user experience of a space. They can create a mood, define a particular style, and create cohesion to distinguish things within a space. So, color schemes are the basic tools which can be used to enhance the function of a space.

References:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme

https://study.com/academy/lesson/interior-design-color-schemes.html

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-color-scheme-definition-types-examples.html

The design is a work process for the creation of an object, which has some functional and aesthetical value. The user- perspective is also the main parameter to be considered while designing.  Elements and principles of design are those tools which are used to create designs to enhance the user experience. Some of the main elements are the line, point, shape, color, and textures. Out of all these, I personally believe color to be the most important design tool.

Color is the first thing, generally perceived by people in any object. It is the element of art which is produced when light strikes an object and reflected back to the eye within nano-seconds. It helps users to connect to objects instantly in comparison to any other design element and people react in a different manner with some associated meanings and emotions depending upon their culture, surroundings, gender or age group.

Color psychology is quite complex to interpret because it varies from place to place and person to person. To develop an object or space, it needs to be used sensibly,  taking care of all above-mentioned factors in the previous paragraph. But if once understood, it can become an apparatus for designers to develop successful designs.

In the end, it can be said that the success of the design is directly related to the user- experience, if the user is happy, the design is good and if not, the design fails. So as the responsible designers, it becomes our responsibility to make a design successful. Furthermore, last but not least, I would like to share my process of understanding the color psychology in my upcoming blogs.

Interiors are spaces which define the nature of user, especially in the world of architecture. An architect is like a scriptwriter in the movies, and I want to be a complete filmmaker. While pursuing my bachelor’s course in architecture, it was all about design, aesthetic appeal, and functionality of the building. Once designed and structured, the success of a project depends upon the function and quality of a space. The actual execution is where all the action is and as a person of action, this is where I believe, I will thrive. During this masters, I would welcome the opportunity to upgrade my skills and qualification as an interior expert.

The fundamental elements of interior design include space, line, light, color, textures, and pattern. Each element has its own importance. The absence or alteration of any one of the above elements can change the perception of a particular space. In this semester, I want to build my knowledge of how these elements affect human emotions and functionality of space.

I have decided to choose “the color” as my research topic. The reason why I have chosen this element is the experience which I had. When people enter the space, the first thing they generally observe is the color of the space. For example: in the above images,  colors and lighting within space are the first elements which draw the attention. Color is a science on its own and is one of the extremely important elements that interior designer master’s. It has the ability to create mood, define unity and evolve the visualization of how large or small space is.

As a responsible designer, I want to gain knowledge in how colors in spaces influence inhabitants. In my upcoming blogs, I would like to share my research progress in understanding the relationship between colors and spaces, so as to create the spaces for emotional well-being.