Expression of Colour

Expression & Characteristic
Part 3

Expression of Colour

“Don’t use that colour because that is your favourite colour”, Mr. Martin.

“Ops, Ok sir!” student.

Colours are so intimately influencing our designs and ideas, even with colour alone designer can be inspire to have new ideas. It is a course by its’ own in fact. Even medical industry now already starts using colour for curing patient.

Colour may be international couture but yet it is still culturally segmented when come to race & nation. Malaysia is one of the best countries to explore colour usage of colours among multi races, look around us we have Iban, Kadazan, Pinan, Chinese, Malays, Indian, Sikh and etc.

Primary Colour
Decade after decade primary colours never fail to rub into every new logos or old logo usage, can any one please come out with a new palette?

Student: “Sir, why we use colour?”

Mr. Martin: “Wow, that is the best question ask so far!” Ok, mankind are prone to aesthetic value and even natures it selves use colour to communicate, look at poisonous snakes and frogs, theirs colour already warn the predators with a message of don’t touch me! (Colours> yellow and black or red) Look at those signboards with danger or poison messages, its’ always come in yellow & black.

In a nutshell always remember 3 main reasons for colours usage
A) Aesthetics value
B) Communications value (Culture, Message & Psychological)
C) Functional value (What, Why, When, Who, Where, How)

Student: “ Sir, who set the colour trend?”

Mr. Martin: “ Ok, do your research now, log to

1) http://www.colorassociation.com/
2) http://www.occa.org.uk/home.lasso
3) http://www.iac-colour.co.uk/
4) http://www.aic-colour.org/

Remember, the usage of colours is closely influences by the development of technologies and materials use in the industries. For example the uses of metallic paint also called polychromatic or "metal flake", are not found until the paint industries introduced it (ref. from http://www.protectall.com/artpaints.htm#1980 ), cars lover must read this link ha! ha!.

Designers should be well inform and aware on technologies development that will holistically influence their design outcome in final execution.