OUGD404 Design Principles Colour Theory Task

In the last colour theory seminar we were asked to select  objects and look at the contrasts acting between them and the colour paper we were given. I will then go on to pantone match both the paper and the objects and look at this same contrast digitally (photoshop) and then printed), both in full colour and grey scale.

The red cap has a darker tone than that of the orange paper, yet the red is quite an orange red, meaning the contrast of hue is quite small. This means that the contrast of saturation is based mainly on the contrast of tone which is quite high. The contrast of saturation then contributes to the contrast of extension which also takes into consideration the proportion of each colour. Although this picture doesn't show it the paper is considerably bigger than the cap, this makes it stand out even more. Although the colours are quite close on the colour wheel the complimentary contrast is playing on the already established contrast of tone to bring out the blue tones in the res cap, which in turn helps e temperature contrast to come into play but only is a small way. In short the greatest contrast here is that of tone.

-Once again the tone of the cap is much darker than the paper behind it making the paper seem pale and desaturated in comparison.

-Because there is such a contrast in the brightness of the two colours combined with the fact that there is a small amount of red makes the red stand out.

-Although these colours are not complimentary, they are almost and this means that that are being pulled towards these complimentary colours. This can be seen in the orange tint of the red cap and the green isn tint of the blue paper.

-There is a strong contrast of temperature also, which means that this colour pairing is a very high contrast, although not the highest (complimentary) and s a good example of simultaneous contrast.

- There is a very clear contrast of tone once again, with the cap shading to a very dark purple (this is something that was noticeable in real life but has admittedly been exaggerated by the photograph). 

- A strong contrast of hue is created by the two colours which also means that the contrast of saturation, that is established by the hue and tone collectively,  is very high. the paper is quite desaturated and pale, where as the cap is quite a rich colour.

-The contrast of extension is happening to a lesser degree, although this cannot be seen in the photograph, the cap does stand out from the paper quite a lot, but neither of the colours are very bright or vibrant so the contrast of extension is lessened.

- There is a strong sense of the complimentary contrast  in this pair similar to that above. The red and yellow are not complimentary colours, but they are near complimentary and so are being pulled towards these colours. The red cap is clearly shading to purple, which is the complimentary colour for yellow. This was once ageing visible in reality but seems to be made more tangible by photographing. so in conclusion the most prominent contrast are complimentary contrast and contrast of tone.

-Although there is very little contrast of hue, the contrast of tone means that the saturation of the paper appears much less that the cap. 

-Both extension and temperature really don't come into play very much but the contrast of extension plays a small role both because of the ratio of one colour to the other (small amount of cap) and the difference of vibrance.

- Generally the greatest contrasts taking place here are of tone, saturation and extension.

-The most obvious contrast taking place here is complimentary. the effect this has is to increase the redness of the cap, creating a colour with a very high chromatic value and creating a strong almost painful contrast. 

-Both tone and Hue differ, mostly tone plays quite a small role because the high contrast of hue grabs attention. However, these combine to create a very high contrast of saturation.

- The contrast of temperature is relatively low, this is because although red is  decidedly hot colour green doesn't really have a specific temperatures a colour.

-This is a clear example of simultaneous contrast.

- There is a strong contrast of tone and a small contrast of hue, with the dark green of the pen being made to seem even darker when next to the bright orange. However, the low contrast of hue means that the contrast of saturation is quite low with the pen appearing more saturated but only by a little because the orange seems quit vibrant.

-This could be because although the colours are not complimentary, the contrast is acting. This can be seen in the blue tint to the dark green pen which in turn amplifies the brightness of the orange paper.

-There is a slight contrast of temperature even though green is not associated particularly with a temperature, the blue tint helps it appear cold in comparison to the hot orange.

- Although this photo may not display it to its best, the contrast of extension is quite high, with both colours being quite vibrant and the pen only being small and dense in colour in the centre of the page.

- The most noticeable contrast here is that of tone which makes the pen seem dark and dense in colour where as the paper seems pale. There is only a small contrast of hue yet the tone contrast means that the contrast of saturation is quite hight, with the paper seeming highly desaturated next to the pen. (The photograph seems to enhance the desaturation of the paper.)

-Because of the difference in density of colour the contrast of extension is becoming quite prominent.

- Both the temperature and complimentary contrast are very small and the most dominant contrasts are that of tone, saturation and extension.

-Something that the photograph has highly exaggerated is the complimentary contrast which is clearly changing the colour of the pen, pulling it towards the purple.

-Bothe the contrast of tone and hue are quite high making the saturation differ greatly; the depth of colour in the pen makes the pale chalky yellow weak in comparison.

-Contrast of temperature doesn't really come into play because these two colours are quite temperature neutral.

-Contrast of extension definitely makes the pen star out, bringing the small amount of colour of a high chromatic value into sharp contrast.

 - The complimentary contrast means that the pen is becoming more green and the red more red, creating an extreme contrast.
-A large contrast of hue and and a relatively large contrast of tone makes the contrast of saturation quite high. Although there is a luminance to the pen because of its slightly reflective surface the chromatic values are made to seem on a parr by the complimentary contrast.
-Both contrast of temperature and extension come into play to varying degrees. There is a high contrast of temperature yet the contrast of extension is less dominant because of the equal vibrance of the colours. (this is something that changes when photographed, I would have said that the contrast of extension played a larger role in reality than in the image because the red was slightly more desaturated than is shown here.)

-One of the major contrast in this pairing is that of tone. The pen is a much darker, more dense colour than that of the paper. This contrast of tone alone carries through a relatively high contrast of saturation because the contrast of hue is very low. 

-The contrast of extension is another contrast which becomes quite dominant in this pairing, because the depth of colour in the pen compared to the paper and the small amount of it really makes it stand out. There was a large difference between the photograph and reality in this instance with the paper actually being much darker and so the contrast less pronounced. However, the analysis is just the same just slightly less on all counts.

-Both temperature and complimentary contrasts are barely there.

OUGD404 Design Principles Colour Theory Seminar

To start off with we were split into groups of four and given a selection of coloured paper as shown below. We went on to discuss how the paper finish (matt uncoated) effected the chromatic value of the colour because of the small amount of light it was reflecting. The colours were desaturated and chalky, therefore have a low chromatic value.

                                             

We then collected a rage of coloured objects.

We then started to compare the colours of the paper and objects when put next to each other and how they changed.

The law saturation of the paper in contrast too the bolt create a contrast of saturation which makes the bolt stand out and look brighter.

 Complimentary contrast increases pulling the orange towards red and the saturation of the green in the paper. Contrast of extension could also be claimed because the combination of the brightness of the bolt in comparison to the paper and the small amount of colour in the bolt makes the bolt stand out even more.

Complimentary contrast is reduced and the pink tint to the orange is brought out, as is the orange tint of the pink. The bolt is a much brighter colour than the paper and so a contrast of tone is achieved along with a contrast of saturation. The chromatic value of the bolt is higher making the paper seem pasty in comparison.

A strong complimentary contrast is achieved making the orange incredibly orange and the blue incredibly blue. This is because of a high contrast of hue. Th high luminance of the orange create a contrast of tone, making the paper seem more matt. To be honest this is a perfect example of simultaneous contrast. All areas of the colour are combining to create the greatest contrast possible.

 The two oranges are pulling together making the bolt seem less saturated and the paper more. The luminance of the bolt is reduced and brightness of the paper is increased reducing the contrast of tone. However, this contrast of tone is the one thing stopping them disappearing into one another.

 We then started looking at the pantone swatches and what they were made of. the difference between solid and process swatches could be seen at this level. Process is made up of CMYK where as solid is a mixed pigment. Solid is always better for a large amount of a good quality colour.

 We then looked at CMYK printing and what role each colour played. i.e. below you can see one print with yellow and another without, it brings a brightness and density to the colours.

OUGD405Studio Brief 01 Final Prints

I learnt so much during this brief and printing the designs out properly just reminds me of that fact. i had an enormous learning curve when it came to operating Photoshop and deciding to follow these designs to the end was quite a risk in the circumstances, as I was unsure how to do a lot of what I wanted and didn't even know if it was really possible at an acceptable level. Most of all I am proud that every single aspect of the designs is there for a reason and are implemented in a way that really fits with the John Lewis branding.

If I were to do this brief again I would work on the finish in Photoshop because that is one thing that I think i would be able to improve on now.

OUGD405 Studio Brief 03 Final Prints

Once again i have use the heavy textured stock from the print room because of the way it suits the natural and earthy subject matter of the designs. I am so happy with these designs not simply because I like them but because they are so much better than the first layout designs i produced. I have learnt so much during this brief, not only about layout design but in general visual design how important the details are. For example, the way the first few lines of each column are slightly larger just makes me happy both because of its subtlety and because of the way it references another aesthetic (botanical literature) and in so doing adds to the tone of the designs. 

I have also made a lot of progress when it comes to working in InDesign. Going through all ways grids and guides could be constructed and most of all the way to organise folders and files to work the In Design program and prepare it for print. 

I guess I am most happy about this project on a personal level . It is a victory over my own ability to over complicate and confuse the designs I create.

The main thing I would have done differently would have been to experiment more with production methods. I would have loved to used these illustrations for etchings and even tried some type setting to get a really tactile and physical finished product. However, Inductions were mandatory for both of these things so it would have been impossible to do them.

OUGD405Studio Brief 04 Finished book

For the inner pages of the book I used the heaviest stock available in the digital print room (270gsm) with a lightly textured finish. I wanted an earthy natural feel but also a high standard print, so this worked out really well. The black card is simply from the library shop; after asking in the print room I found it was the best I could do without sending off for a sample of G.F Smith paper. I wanted a completely matt black so that the shine of the cover design contrasted well against it, this has still been achieve but I would have liked a richer black.

One of the major problems I encountered was getting the insects to over lap correctly and as you can see it is still a little bit off. This is because the shape of the stage beetle, compared to that to the fly and the grass hopper, is so different. Although it works relatively well this is something I would have liked to have had the time to improve on.

Something that has surprised me during this brief is the way small details have just popped up and worked as I go along. This rarely happens and I in no way rely on it but it is pleasant when it does. An example of this would be the way the back cover has been altered to become a stand so that young children could place it on the floor and have both hands free to play with it.

Because of the young target audience I would have really liked to coat or protect the pages of the book so that it would really have been fit to be used by its target audience. I would have done this by covering them with matt sticky back plastic or look into paper finishes such as waxes that repel water so that the matt look would be maintained. In all The finish product is more like a prototype in its self that a final thing.

I really love the hand made look of the entire object. Some might say it looked un professional but I feel that it has a warmth and honesty which would appeal to parents and children alike. This is especially evident in the cover design with its hand rendered type.

Overall I am very happy with the illustration style, Its complex and interesting, exactly what I set out to create. However, I would have liked to do more of them so that it was a really full book but each illustration took the best part of two days, so this was just impossible in the time allotted. I am also pleased in general by the idea of the book and the way it plays with the images of insects brining out the amazingly interesting side of them and working to prevent the fear of insects in you children. 

I am disappointed that I didn't get a chance to do foil work on the front cover, I think it would have made it look more like a finished product and allow me to try out something new. In the end I think i could have improved on my work for this brief by trusting my self to be able to follow through on the more risky concepts. i spent a lot of time early on procrastinating over which ira to follow and by the time I decided to take the risk a large amount of other wise useful time had passed. Overall I would be happy to by this and have it in my home even if it wan't used by children, it is just a beautiful object (fulfilling its purpose by associating this beauty with insects.)

OUGD405 Studio Brief 04 Book Cover

To make the front cover of the booklet I used the prototype cover as a template for both the size and placement of holes for the binding.

Softened the corners.

Went over my traced design on the back with a soft pencil.

Made sure it was in the correct place.

Transferred the design using a harder pencil.

Traced over the design with a silver pen and ink.

The finished result is exactly what I was going for; high shine and contrast to the matt paper but a soft hand rendered aesthetic.