I met a colorist on train and she studies color from the surrounding area to select color for commercial properties. Her job is so specialize and fascinating. She shared with me some of her swatches form her current project for a developer that was looking to paint the new property. Color study is an extension of the idea that color is intentional. “The science and psychology of color have had fascinated thinkers for centuries.” say Reed and Feisner of the book Color Studies.
Like landscape painters, colorist naturally “borrow” the color relationships they find in nature, and rely on color strategies — specific color relationships that can be used as a formula for building our color composition. Inspiration for different things can come from color.
We forget that color pairings like food pairings are intentional and that they evoke a specific emotion or thought. Colors is to painting as spices are to cuisine. “More than any other element of design, color has the ability to make us aware of what we see, for nothing has mean without color”, express the authors Reed and Feisner
When I was a full-time graphic designer, color was one of the first things I looked to for inspiration. A blank page was the most intimidating thing in the world. However, once you splashed a bit of color onto the page, the piece started to take form and could then be manipulated further.
Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways. – Oscar Wilde