Sk-etchbook

I watched the Lynda.com Working with Color title a while ago but didn't really absorb it so I revisited it the other day. I have always found Colour Psychology and Theory very interesting. I can remember touching on the subject originally when I was doing my Media Studies GNVQ many moons ago. At that point I found it insightful in the ways it could explain how colours affect the moods and thought patterns of individuals and how preferences towards certain colours could also show what characteristic personality traits that person may have.

With colour theory specifically I appreciate the way it explains how the brain sees colours and how we are drawn to look at certain areas of a design without our conscious minds even knowing about it. The relativity of value, hue and saturation is also an interesting area as it coincides with what I have studied about accessibility and highlights the fact that colour and the way it is perceived is completely dependent on the viewer. The importance of value and it's strength above the other two factors also goes a long way in explaining why black and white photography has such an appeal.

Finally the way we attach cultural values to colours is also entertaining. Understanding this can be a very powerful tool especially in the area of web design as the market is global. Designing for a non-geographical audience can be a tricky subject and it is easy to simply apply our own perceptions to the designs. It is important to remain open minded and to try and put yourself into the mind of your target audience.

Now as most of the people on this course have a design background it would be nothing new to them however I have only been studying the design side of things in any depth for the past year. I'm still limited by technical ability and have not perfected detaching myself from the process however exploring my creative side has been incredibly beneficial. As I spent a good few years working as part of the rancid English rat-race I think many of the creative tenancies I possess had been suppressed. People by nature are inventive, creative and social creatures. It is necessary for our mentality to vent these things, to share ideas and to enrich the lives of others. Everybody can do something and the fact we are all good at different things is what makes society's work, be it design, music, painting, drawing, baking, telling jokes, literature, throwing mind blowing parties, standing on one leg, etc, etc...

?? Went off on a bit of a tangent rant then but never mind! Adiós!