Using Color Well

1
Using Color Well

• Document Design
• By Dr. Jennifer Bowie

2
Rules

• 1 Use color to communicate not decorate!
• Keep it simple
• Be consistent

3
When to use?

• To make documents look better
• To improve the effectives of documents
• To communicate

4
Terms to know

• Grayscale The different shades of gray a printer
  can make.
• Hue The name of a color, such as green.
• Value How light or dark a color is.
• Chroma How bright the color is.
• Screen How much of a color is used. For example,
  if you screen a hue of blue at 20, the color
  will look paler, since it is only at 20. The
  full hue would be at 100. By screening colors,
  you can multiple shades of one hue.
• RGB System for mixing colors to create other
  colors. Used by televisions and computer
  monitors. Uses red, green, and blue as primary
  colors.
• CYMK System for mixing colors to create other
  colors. Commonly used by printing services. Uses
  cyan, yellow, magenta, and black as primary
  colors.
• From PWO

5
Spot Color

• Using a second color (with the 1st often black)
• Easy effect and cheap way of improving design
• Rules of thumb
• Can mix spot color with white and black for
  shades (lighter and darker)
• Do not over use (think of it like bold)
• Can replace black with another color and have a
  normal color and a spot color for more colorful
  designs.

6
Tips

• Use colored paper to add color
• Colors vary from screen to printer and from
  printer to printer
• Since 1 of women and 8 of men have issues with
  distinguishing some color (color blindness), use
  more then color to separate items (even light vs
  dark would work)
• Consider cultural conations and color meanings

7
History of color

• Color has always been part of the human
  existence, playing an important role in the life
  of humans.
• Early humans learned to eat food based on its
  color--ripe, not ripe, poisonous, healing.
• Ancient cultures thought of color as
  symbolically divine." (Sidelinger, 1)
• yellow, in ancient times, represented the mind to
  primitive man, the sun and the sun god Ra to
  Egyptians, the goddess Athena and air to
  Grecians, and honor to Indians. (Sidelinger,
  78-79)
• Connotations of colors change over time.
• in ancient times Greece and Zunis green
  represented water. Today blue represents water.
  (Sidelinger, 80)

8
Color Sex Differences

• According to Natalia Khouw there are sex
  differences in color preferences taste
• Blue stands out for men much more than for
  women.
• Men prefer blue to red, women red to blue.
• Men prefer orange to yellow, women yellow to
  orange
• Women have more diverse color tastes than men
• Women in India and England could consistency list
  more colors than men
• Info quotes on this page from color my world
  by Molly E. Holzschlag http//www.molly.com/articl
  es/webdesign/2000-09-colormyworld.php

9
International connotations of color

• Red
• West courage and love
• China happiness and good fortune (preferred for
  wedding gowns)
• US flag blood
• French Flag military color coat of arms
• US Stop signs lights
• Yellow
• China imperial color, revered
• US peoples least favorite color but a happy
  color
• France jealousy

10
International connotations of color

• Green
• Positive (US) growth, clean, fresh,
  environmental
• Negative (US) mold, nausea, and jealousy
• Historic Europe fertility (wedding gown color in
  15th century)
• US Go green lights
• Blue
• Positive (US) serenity, the sky, infinity
• Negative (US) sadness (feeling blue)
• US Flag valor of US, particularly soldiers
• French Flag military color coat of arms
• Safe in almost every culture (Morton)

11
International connotations of color

• Purple
• Historical West royalty, mourning
• France religion, sacredness
• US magic, lavishness, homosexuality
• Catholic Europe death and crucifixion
• Middle East prostitution
• Cultural unsafe color
• Pink
• East India feminine color
• US baby girls get pink, innocence, sweetness,
  soft, gentleness
• Japan pastels are neither masculine nor feminine
• France homosexuality

12
International connotations of color

• Black
• West mourning, death
• France unknown, death, night, work
• White
• East mourning, death
• West purity (color of bridal gowns)
• US Flag bandages to staunch the flow of blood
• France monarchy, royalty

13
Use color wisely well

• Remember communicate not decorate
• Sources
• http//ezinearticles.com/?Colors-Their-Connotatio
  ns-and-Perceived-Meaningsid4510
• http//www.molly.com/articles/webdesign/2000-09-co
  lormyworld.php
• http//wps.ablongman.com/long_porter_pwo_2/0,8017,
  848524-,00.html

14
Cool Links to find out more!

• http//ezinearticles.com/?Colors-Their-Connotatio
  ns-and-Perceived-Meaningsid4510
• http//www.molly.com/articles/webdesign/2000-09-co
  lormyworld.php