Color is an experience. Color is a defining attribute in the world we live in. We live in a world in which we come to know things via our senses; let’s call these perceptual experiences. As humans, we perceive color in truly amazing ways. In fact part of the beauty and awe of color is that the perceptional experience of color is just that, namely the way it appears to us. We perceive color just as we perceive taste. For instance, can one really say what the color green is like or the taste of an apple? We attempt to communicate these experiences with others via propositional statements or comparisons and literary devices, but in reality, our perceptual experiences are unique to us. One would have to somehow be in our own mind to experience the very things we experience. Many significant memories are experiences that we had, such as that perfect shade of orange submerging the beautifully vast ocean water just before it disappears for the night, setting with a peculiar green flash that you’ll miss if you blink. Color is meaningful to us.
In the world of design, color is one of the significantly defining elements of a particular piece, thus rendering it meaning and life. Sam Levinson, an American Humorist said, “It’s a good thing that when God created the rainbow, He didn’t consult a decorator or He would still be picking colors,” thus underscoring the fact that when picking colors, one should not be cavalier. At Kalos Interactive, we sometimes spend hours upon hours, carefully scrutinizing differing color palettes hoping to communicate just the right message for a given project appropriate for their industry, and hopefully augmenting the subjects perceptual experience of the website, logomark, business card, advertisement, or various other works we create. Much time could be spent on color theory, the science behind light and color, aesthetics, and the way we observe the world, but I believe that color nonetheless is a very significant element that is often taken for granted.
One of my favorite website concepts and means to help the color picking process is Kuler by Adobe. This is a very sleek tool to share color, possibly a way to share your experiences and life with others via color palettes. It is a kind of social networking site dealing with color, where one can explore, create, and share color themes. One can also manipulate palettes based on a variety of different settings, create a palette from a photograph, and even download the theme into Adobe Creative Suite, thus having it right at your fingertips. This Flash/Flex based interface is filled with many great goodies. I sometimes spend hours on this site and it inspires me and my projects. I feel like in an indirect way, others from around the world are sharing their color recommendations and experiences and consulting on projects. Someone once said, “Color is your soul painted,” and I believe this may just be true and that Kalos Interactive Design is green.
visit site :: kuler.adobe.com
