Its taken me some time to decide what to write in my first blog post EVER! lol But not because I have nothing to say....I always have something to say.....but more because I wanted it to be meaningful, not in a zen sort of way, but to somehow be useful and not just writing for writing sake or because I felt I needed to.
As a designer and artist, we have things that move us in our craft, things that we run to for inspiration, or use as part of the creative process, things that make our art, well, “us”. For me, its color.....
Color graces every single wall in my home, we have no white walls here, except for in my studio where the reflection of color from the walls onto what I am doing might affect the final outcome.
Color plays a part in everything we do and for me, as an artist, its the very foundation of everything I create. It helps sell the design I am creating, my goal to evoke an emotional attachment for the buyer, at least I hope it does.....
Now if you think I have lost my marbles, think again....This is all about the business of doing business......how we buy and sell products is very much centered on not only a great design and price ( some may argue price is the first consideration ) but also by the emotion it evokes from us......I say that emotion comes first.....So follow along and read my first bog post on Pantone's color of the year and see what it is I am talking about.....
As a designer and artist, we have things that move us in our craft, things that we run to for inspiration, or use as part of the creative process, things that make our art, well, “us”. For me, its color.....
Color graces every single wall in my home, we have no white walls here, except for in my studio where the reflection of color from the walls onto what I am doing might affect the final outcome.
Color plays a part in everything we do and for me, as an artist, its the very foundation of everything I create. It helps sell the design I am creating, my goal to evoke an emotional attachment for the buyer, at least I hope it does.....
Now if you think I have lost my marbles, think again....This is all about the business of doing business......how we buy and sell products is very much centered on not only a great design and price ( some may argue price is the first consideration ) but also by the emotion it evokes from us......I say that emotion comes first.....So follow along and read my first bog post on Pantone's color of the year and see what it is I am talking about.....
Pantone's color of the year for 2015
Well, its that time of year that Pantone announces its color of the year....and per usual is greeted with mixed reviews. For me, it’s not my fave, I like softer, brighter hues, ones that remind me of my garden, but maybe the new color “Marsala” is just what we need. Need? Yes, need.
If anyone doesn’t know, Pantone is the ultimate source for color guidance in the design world....not self professed, they have earned that title by being on top of their game. While most people might think that they sit around in an office in their corporate headquarters in New Jersey and think this stuff up, not quite.....I had known about the process for awhile now, but ran across this article that many of you may find interesting....the process they go through to come up with just exactly how those Fashion Color Reports they do twice a year, are generated. Those fashion reports then trickle down into what colors are used in the home decor market as well. Give it a read.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2012/04/pantone_color_forecasts_are_they_accurate_.html
I eluded to in my opening post, color evokes emotion. Studies have long been done on how we receive and respond to color and the feelings that accompany it. Several years ago I bought the book “Color: messages and meanings” by Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's color guru. Within its pages are not only the most beautiful colored photos but in depth explanations of how we view color on an emotional level and the feelings that are evoked by the use of certain colors when it comes to packaging, advertising, and the choices we make when buying certain products. Everything we feel can often be related back to a time in our life that something was wonderful or even not so wonderful. How many times do you find yourself saying “This reminds me of.....” Our brains are wired in a way in which we store things and continue to reference that experience. Part of that experience also involves color. I recently saw a group of vintage photos that had been colorized. In black and white they were simply glimpses into the past, once color was added they were imbued with a difference sense of feeling for me, they came alive......
So how does color and its emotional response work in design? When you go shopping for anything, the first thing you are drawn to is the design, lets say a stuffed animal. Its a bunny, perfect for a new baby, the animal itself evokes the image of a soft, gentle furry creature before you have even touched it. Now add the soft pink color and its perfect for a little baby girl ( and while some people want to run in the opposite direction of those gender stereo types, I’m old school, and with everything pink I have ever bought my grand daughter, she asked for drums for Christmas! lol )
In advertising, color can evoke more of a response than words.....seeing the UPS symbol for example, that brown and yellow symbol on the side of the truck means something....( usually at my house it means product samples have arrived! Yeah! ) But according to Leatrice Eiseman, “these emotions must somehow connect with the essence of the product in the advertisement.” and I say, in the product design itself at times.
While it is a generally known fact that the ultimate manipulation in advertising is the use of color and the way we respond to it, its suggestiveness is brought to us on a subconscious level. When it comes to product design, color plays a part in even getting the consumer to pick the item up and consider buying in. When out shopping you never hear anyone say, “Wow thats really ugly I think I’ll buy it”. They are first taken by the overall design which can either be the actual product itself or the colors used on it. The big yellow ware bowls that were popular several years back at the start of our last war, gained some popularity during that time, why, because it evoked a memory of a grandmothers sunny yellow kitchen, back to a time when life was simple, safe and not so bereft with sadness, it was warm and inviting...yellow is also "the color of hope, joy and optimism....” Again we harken back to a memory that was a good one for us or feel the relatively powerful emotions that yellow can bring when we see it, yellow also being the easiest color for the human eye to see......
So why did I say that Marsala may be just what we need? Simple, the warm brown with red undertones reminds of us the earth and its warmth and richness, its organic quality....the color of animals in the woods, of mahogany and brick, rustic natural settings....maybe we need to get back to the earth, care for her and be good stewards of her....plant gardens and reap her rich rewards.....We need a push to remember back to that day when things may have been harder, but they were certainly more simple.....
If you are a designer or even if you aren’t, color plays an important part of our life...from the sweater you choose to wear today, you know, the one that gets you tons of compliments when you wear it or that extra bounce in your step you get knowing you have chosen the perfect shade of lipstick for yourself down to the powerful feelings you get when you connect with a certain color.
I may not be a fan of this color, but I certainly will take it and try to work it onto my upcoming work in some form or fashion, if only to evoke the emotion in my work that I think this rich earthy hue imbues.......
Thanks for joining me for my first blog post!
I’ve included a link to the book I have referenced, its a great tool in any designers library!
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Messages-Meanings-PANTONE-Resource/dp/0971401063
If anyone doesn’t know, Pantone is the ultimate source for color guidance in the design world....not self professed, they have earned that title by being on top of their game. While most people might think that they sit around in an office in their corporate headquarters in New Jersey and think this stuff up, not quite.....I had known about the process for awhile now, but ran across this article that many of you may find interesting....the process they go through to come up with just exactly how those Fashion Color Reports they do twice a year, are generated. Those fashion reports then trickle down into what colors are used in the home decor market as well. Give it a read.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2012/04/pantone_color_forecasts_are_they_accurate_.html
I eluded to in my opening post, color evokes emotion. Studies have long been done on how we receive and respond to color and the feelings that accompany it. Several years ago I bought the book “Color: messages and meanings” by Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's color guru. Within its pages are not only the most beautiful colored photos but in depth explanations of how we view color on an emotional level and the feelings that are evoked by the use of certain colors when it comes to packaging, advertising, and the choices we make when buying certain products. Everything we feel can often be related back to a time in our life that something was wonderful or even not so wonderful. How many times do you find yourself saying “This reminds me of.....” Our brains are wired in a way in which we store things and continue to reference that experience. Part of that experience also involves color. I recently saw a group of vintage photos that had been colorized. In black and white they were simply glimpses into the past, once color was added they were imbued with a difference sense of feeling for me, they came alive......
So how does color and its emotional response work in design? When you go shopping for anything, the first thing you are drawn to is the design, lets say a stuffed animal. Its a bunny, perfect for a new baby, the animal itself evokes the image of a soft, gentle furry creature before you have even touched it. Now add the soft pink color and its perfect for a little baby girl ( and while some people want to run in the opposite direction of those gender stereo types, I’m old school, and with everything pink I have ever bought my grand daughter, she asked for drums for Christmas! lol )
In advertising, color can evoke more of a response than words.....seeing the UPS symbol for example, that brown and yellow symbol on the side of the truck means something....( usually at my house it means product samples have arrived! Yeah! ) But according to Leatrice Eiseman, “these emotions must somehow connect with the essence of the product in the advertisement.” and I say, in the product design itself at times.
While it is a generally known fact that the ultimate manipulation in advertising is the use of color and the way we respond to it, its suggestiveness is brought to us on a subconscious level. When it comes to product design, color plays a part in even getting the consumer to pick the item up and consider buying in. When out shopping you never hear anyone say, “Wow thats really ugly I think I’ll buy it”. They are first taken by the overall design which can either be the actual product itself or the colors used on it. The big yellow ware bowls that were popular several years back at the start of our last war, gained some popularity during that time, why, because it evoked a memory of a grandmothers sunny yellow kitchen, back to a time when life was simple, safe and not so bereft with sadness, it was warm and inviting...yellow is also "the color of hope, joy and optimism....” Again we harken back to a memory that was a good one for us or feel the relatively powerful emotions that yellow can bring when we see it, yellow also being the easiest color for the human eye to see......
So why did I say that Marsala may be just what we need? Simple, the warm brown with red undertones reminds of us the earth and its warmth and richness, its organic quality....the color of animals in the woods, of mahogany and brick, rustic natural settings....maybe we need to get back to the earth, care for her and be good stewards of her....plant gardens and reap her rich rewards.....We need a push to remember back to that day when things may have been harder, but they were certainly more simple.....
If you are a designer or even if you aren’t, color plays an important part of our life...from the sweater you choose to wear today, you know, the one that gets you tons of compliments when you wear it or that extra bounce in your step you get knowing you have chosen the perfect shade of lipstick for yourself down to the powerful feelings you get when you connect with a certain color.
I may not be a fan of this color, but I certainly will take it and try to work it onto my upcoming work in some form or fashion, if only to evoke the emotion in my work that I think this rich earthy hue imbues.......
Thanks for joining me for my first blog post!
I’ve included a link to the book I have referenced, its a great tool in any designers library!
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Messages-Meanings-PANTONE-Resource/dp/0971401063
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