Studio - Essay Resources

Graphic Design using Colour
Colour Psychology
Colour Theory
Colour Schemes
Pantone
Colour in Design/Art
Colour Theory
Colour Theory Basics
Colour Psychology
Colour and Graphic Design for the Web

Studio - Green Composition - The World Today...

Green Composition, originally uploaded by James Wellock.

This composition first started off by me thinking what colour I would use to represent the world today. I went through various colours, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange but ended up at green. Personally to me it’s a colour great distress because I believe it to have both good and bad connotations.

In the composition above I've tried to create the conflicting nature of green, the very urban scene of skyscrapers and money is put to the background as we see a tree dying from what these tools of humanity have set upon the world. People don’t care any more. All they care about is themselves and money; as long as they’re alright the rest of the world can burn as far as they’re concerned. I don't understand how it can give people strong sensations of being natural and clean while also to others representing greed and dirtiness. I worked out that I don't know which side of green to be on yes it is natural but also it is rich and almost sickening.

Colour psychology states that green is calming and relaxing but while I was creating the composition I found my self feeling a bit unwell, which in turn started off a cracking headache. I think this was due to simply revolting toxic green being used, even to look at it for longer than 10 seconds hurts you eyes.

Studio - Red/Turquise Composition - Complementary Colour Scheme - Red: Love or Danger?

Red/Turquise Composition, originally uploaded by James Wellock.

This particular composition has been designed to show the effect of the complementary colour scheme. Here red and its opposite colour on the colour wheel, turquise have been used to show conlfict and opposition. I've tried to display the theme of love and danger visually, as it interested me that the colour red can be so contrasted in connotation. If you ask someone to say a feeling red gives them they could say love, passion, careness but they could also easily say danger, evil and wickedness. Its this astonishing difference that made me want to use this specific colour scheme as I feel it reflects the colour red perfectly.

This colour scheme is extrmemly useful when you want something to stand out, it offers a massive amount of contrast. Due to this then it is alot harder to harmonise than any other colour scheme and is mostly used when a direct simple order or message is needed to be displayed.

Colour psychology states that red is the most emotionally intense colour of all, for example it is the colour of love. It is an extreme colour and it is advised that it should be not worn in moments of negotiation as it can make the other party feel uncomfortable. More often than not red will make an object look ten times better than it would in any other colour but this can have a down side, for example statistics show that more red cars are stolan than any other cars in other colours.

Studio - Pimpy Purple

Purple
Originally uploaded by James Wellock.

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Purple to me is a colour of wealth for some strange reason. It always gives me the impression of "granduar" and "pimpness." I say it gives me an impression of "pimpness" as I always associate it with leopard skin rugs etc. Purple I think is an unusual colour as it is neither masculine or feminine it sits in the middle, both men and woman can wear purple and get away with it. I think its both calming and enriching to look at, it looks on the out side as a nice, pleasent soft colour but as you delve deeper into it, it turns dark and mysterious.

Colour Theory & Psychology Resources

Colour Wheel Pro (Theory)
Infoplease (Psychology)

Studio - Citrus Green

Citrus Green
Originally uploaded by James Wellock.

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I decided to put this green in my colour diary simply because I think it looks totally tropical. Its situated on a car I walk past everyday and even when its pooring down with rain it still reminds my of more tropical climates and for some stange reason Lilt! You can imagine it colouring a jungle or beach out in the Carribian, it gives a greats sense of warmth although in reality the blueness can give a slight sense of coolness as well.

Studio - Analogous Colour Scheme - Blue Composition - Flippers?

Blue Composition, originally uploaded by James Wellock.

Here I have used the analogous colour scheme of blue which includes the dark and light versions of the colour, to create a rich, vibrant, strong image. The composition was influencd by the BMW 1-series advert from the television. Here simple images and colours such as black and green are used to create a high impact, exciting piece of multimedia. Blue to me reminds me of the sea and the shear power and life of it. This is then what I've tried to replicate in the composition. The arcs of the image are intentional to describe the crushing power of the ocean. This is then contrasted by the leaping dolphin, symbolising life, showing that life can prosper in the most hostile of places.

Blue as I said is the colour of the ocean and even the sky, it is all around us and due to this it is one of the most popular colours. It causes the opposite reaction to red, it is peaceful and a tranquil blue will produce calming chemicals in the body calming people down. Blue simulates loyality and due to this is a popular colour to wear to a job interviews. Its also stated that people work better in blue environments, for example weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms.

Studio - Yellow Composition - Caution vs Danger

Yellow Composition, originally uploaded by James Wellock.

Here is a my own interpretation of the colour yellow. To me yellow is a colour of youth and happiness but after thinking about it yellow only really represents happiness in nature and within humanity itself it is a colour of great danger and harm. So in this composition I have tried to represent the conflicting feelings of the two groups. For example in nature yellow is used on wasps to show caution but in humanity it is used on such logos as toxic chemicals to show a much greater and stronger feeling of intense danger. Yellow is one of the primary colours and a building block for other more complex colours, its shear simplicity birghtens up the environment and used in conjucntion with green, one such exmaple are daffidils, gives a great sense of calmness and rest. It is this I wanted to get across to the viewer as it seems whatever yellow is in nature, humanity as taken it to its extreme for their own greedy, gain.

Studio - Aqua Blue

Aqua Blue
Originally uploaded by James Wellock.

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This tropical blue always for some reason reminds me of the film Finding Nemo. Its such a beutiful, intoxicating colour and one that as well as calming is also warming. Its easy on the eye and is a colour that whatever it is covering makes the object much more vibrant than it otherwise would be. It reminds you of past holidays lounging about on the beach and cooling of in the crystal clear, blue sea.

Studio - Black

Black
Originally uploaded by James Wellock.

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Black to me is a colour of anxiety, you never quite know where you stand with black. In one sense it can be a colour of purity and cleanleness as there is no other colour mixed in to attract your attention. But on the other hand it can be a colour of great fear and mystery. It always reminds me of a nightmare I had once, it was one in which I thought I'd woken up from a dream, only to find that somekind of "Shadowman" was in my bedroom holding me down, not letting me get up. I tried to move and shout for help but nothing came out, then just as I thought I was done for I actually did wake up, to my relief. As you can imagine it took me a while to get to sleep after and I'm not ashamed to admit I did end up sleeping with the light on!

Studio - Fiery Orange

Firey Orange
Originally uploaded by James Wellock.

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I call this firey orange because in autumn this tree outside my house always gives my a feeling of warmth, even on the coldest days of the year. To me with its wild, windswept shape and thin long leaves, it looks like a fire rising and burning in the cold winter winds.