“What we call colour is something that’s perceived by the mind. There’s potentially an unbounded number of things we can call colours”

– Roland Fleming

// Colorful Complications

All color is dependent on light and our perception of that light. These perceptions are influenced by culture, suggested by trends, and rooted in history. Wars have been fought for color, people have been thrown in jail for mixing color, and others have died as a result of the latest trend.

Color is one of the most suggestive, emotional, and influential tools we have in our toolbox. Needless to say, there are infinite numbers of ways to guide a class on color — from scientific to emotional, absurd to practical, everything in-between and a little bit beyond.

In this unit you will gain an awareness of how professional graphic designers communicate about color for a variety of surfaces. We’ll explore four industry standard color spaces and limitations within their color gamuts. We will grapple with printing issues as they relate to color matching (aka, “but it doesn’t look like that on my screen!?”), we’ll develop a close relationship with CMYK and challenge assumptions of the Pantone Matching System. You’ll create a logo and style guide for a local brand as a way to learn how to specify color for branding and identity projects. We will also discuss aspects of color theory and examine color through a historical lens by conducting an investigation into the narratives color can offer to support the success of an idea.

week one // trust your eyes — Pantone books and how they work
week two // getting cozy with cmyk — building color and some theory too
week three // recalibrating — getting printouts to look like they should
week four // applying color — style guides, branding and color
week five // codifying color — queuing up color in HTML, QUIZ
week six // colorful stories — how was it made and why was it important

// Workload Expectations

weekly assignments, podcasts, readings, research project, and a QUIZ!

// Outcomes

demonstrate principles of subtractive & additive color phenomena
demonstrate principles of industry standard color systems for print & screen
develop a familiarity with cmyk color mixing
develop a familiarity with the possibilities and limitations of different color spaces
develop a familiarity with identity / branding style guides
develop an awareness of the identity design process
recognize the relevance of research in the creative process
analyze, evaluate, and apply criticism as a means to develop creative work

// To Note

Missing class – If you miss a class it's your responsibility to catch up, not the instructor's to catch you up. First, email Emily before class to let her know what's up, second check the website to see what we're doing, and third, ask a classmate to fill you in on what we did. Even if you are absent, you are still responsible for the work done in class and work that's due the following class.
Backing up – Have a plan for backing up your computers and start to implement good workflow habits (naming files, organizing classwork, etc).
Learning process – Everyone learns things a little bit differently and all ways of learning are important. If you're not getting a concept that's been presented, let Emily know.
Personal space – Please be mindful of personal space in the classroom, during crits, moving about, etc. This includes physical space and kindness in how we speak to each other. Feedback is important and should be delivered in a constructive way.

// Rotations

Since color is a subject with no hard and fast rules about it’s use, we mix up the semester so you can learn from two different professors. The full class syllabus is here and gives an overview for each section along with all the nitty gritty.