OUGD404. Design Principles. Colour Theory 5.

PRINT.

- 4 colour print process - CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow and black. works with DPI - dots per inch. based on the idea of optical mixing. each dot colour is slightly off set from the others then the eye mixes them to create colours.

- formula print - raw, physically mixed colour. the ink is actually that colour. relationship between the two depends on technology in use.

- dot pitch - number of dots with in a field of view. 

we had been asked to bring in any professional printed ephemera to the session. we then had to split it all into piles based on the number of colours involved in the print process.

1 colour used

4 colours used

3 colours used

2 colours used.

then we used a linen tester to try and determine which printing process had been used.

offset lithography printing uses the cymk process and splits them up into single plates with the image seperated by colour and on each one. 

we were asked to do find out about a contrast and do a presentation about it for the session. i was focussing on contrast of temperature. Using an orange object and a blue object analysed the results of putting those object onto the different coloured paper.

contrast of temperature
- decided reds the warmest blues the coldest.
- all others in between  truer blues look warmer in comparison to dark blues but then next to light blues they look colder.
- reds warmer than yellows but but because of contrast of tone when orange next to red red looks darker so colder.
- green next to red makes red look warmer but green isnt as cold as if next to blue.
- high contrasts: blues & reds, Greens & violets, all others inbetween.
- low contrasts: yellow & orange & red, light blue & true blue & dark blue, all same shades.
- means that high contrasting colours change the temperature of other colours more drastically.
- so dark green next to true violet makes the green look warmer but also the violet but the green more so.
- light yellow is quite warm - soft warm. next to dark green it looks a lot warmer. looks hot because dark tone of the green absorbs more light.

lizzy and issy talked about contrast of hue - found that hues compared with each other will change the perception of each hue further. highest contrast - reds & yellows.

beth looked at contrast of extension. found that balance of amount of colour next to another colour is higher on a neutral background than another colour background. found that a colour in-between the two being contrasted and used as a background increases the contrast - yellow and violet on red or green.

we then had to come up with 10 questions we wanted answering about colour theory.

1. how can i work out the optimum balance of colour in terms of contrast of extension? - Photoshop.
2. how can i pick the most appropriate colours for a design depending on its theme/tone of voice? - look at a colour theory book and do research.
3. how can i ever know what colour im actually looking at? - because its got a name.
4. how can i help alleviate the effects of simultaneous contrast with colour? - 
5. why do people like/dislike colours? - because they have different tastes.
6. would the saturation of colours change the balance nevcessary for an equal contrast of extension?
7. if a colour is darker does it mean its absorbing more light? yes
8. why do certain colour combinations look bad? - that depends on the person.
9. is there a finite amount of colours? yes
10. if a room is lighter has the colour actually changed or just our eyes? actually changed but depends on your view of what is perception.

then as a group we were asked to collate our questions into the 5 most important.

we swapped with another group and we had to answer theirs and vice versa.

answers to our questions:

1. as many as you want but 3 to be safe.
2. natural is inconsistent so should be chosen in controlled light level environment.
3. theory says no but sometimes it can work. called complementary because they complete each other to make neutral grey.
4. metalic colours considered shades of grey so no.
5. same one but colours appear brighter on screen.

their questions and answers:

1. why do colours force out complemetary colours? - because the one colour, a normally dominant wavelength, would be equalised in wave by its complement. so if theres more or or completely one colour the other would be seen - fatigue of eye from over exposure to colour means that signal to the brain about that colour is weaker so brain tricks itself into seeing the complementary colour.
2. whats the simplest way to balance colour? - use photoshop colour balance tool.
3. is it always a case of contrast of tone and hue working together? - aesthetically no - depends on person. for the eye - mostly - most comfortable combination to look at. 
4. how many colours can you use? - as many as you want but to be safe 3 - 60% primary, 10% secondary, 30% tertiary.
5. if everyone percieves colour differently does this mean we perceive contrast differently? - probably but you can never know...