Colour in Graphics Francesca R. Luzzi University of Udine, Italy ABSTRACT: The following pages show the première of a work-in-progress project about teaching colour in graphics and teaching graphics throughout colour. The aim is to collect cues for newcomers learning here called tips not only facing the crucial issues and the range of topics (from colour science to art and semiotics) that graphic design embrace, but also trying to find out inspiration from all these issues, following the natural fluidity of graphic language. The fluid language Graphic Design works as a fluid language: it uses more dimensions (from the verbal to the visual), it can be deictic as homophoric, it s looking forward as backwards, it s following cohesion or disjointedness and you can be sure that, while many books on actual trends in visual culture are being printed, new ideas and a new aesthetics have just been developed. As expression of a post-modern idea, accelerated by realtime channels of communication, graphic design is subject to continuous rebirths and continuous deconstructions. Not at least, fluidity occurs inits definition as discipline: in the pantheon of artistic disciplines is not clear whether it could find place near painting as its secular evolution or wait in the purgatory of all the applied arts (historically discriminated from the «noble» ones), or at least be filed under computer sciences as popularly mistaken for. The enlightened eye As it has a fluid body, graphic design couldn t probably fit the debate around the two cultures as conflict of the rational science and the intuitive art. I prefer to look at graphic design as an open discipline that gets aesthetic intelligence off the ground with an enlightened eye upon art and science: as Elliot W. Eisner wrote, cognition historically deals with knowing rather that feeling, as knowledge has always been a verbal construct, constrained by the instruments of a language framework. But qualitative research is a mix of art and science and Graphic Design is a perfect exampe, embracing both of them. C.P. Snow, The two cultures, and a second look, 963. Elliot W. Eisner, in The Enlightened eye, 998. 3 E.W. Eisner, ibidem. Why graphic design and why color If graphic design is a fluid language, we can t ignore the complex challenge of its teaching. Nonetheless, as everything concerning art and creativity, we can expect that such language would flow under a subjective process, rather than objective. On the other hand, we see that graphic designers are not merely creating style with no substance in a sort of aesthetic exercise and that this discipline is a dominant part of the contemporary visual culture, rather than mere commercial art; in a complex-relations frame, a graphic designer builds a multi-layers visual text as a channel of communication where a message takes place. What I m going to do (left apart the research of a model) is to suggest a path onto praxis throughout the many layers of communication. In this perspective colour reveals itself as a powerful tool, for many reasons. First of all for practical reason: that in graphics we use colour. We use it as background level, in pictures, in illustrations, in fonts, which are commonly considered the atomic parts of design framework. We modify colours, we add coloured elements, and, not at least, we must deal with our instruments capabilities as each device uses a specific colorimetric space. Secondly, as we know that we can t acquire a sort of grammar of colours, colour is contest-dependent: its use has to do with perception rules (eg. in figure-background relationships), environment (eg. long or short distance view), identity (as in corporate ads), cultural impact (eg. in products packaging) or goal s aesthetic principles. Therefore its relatedness can work as a metaphor for what is design in a overview. At last, if in one hand colour relatedness gets things complicate both for beginners and experts, on the other hand its cross-disciplinary approach is a good example of the crossdirection look that we should develop in graphic design. 309
Colour in graphics tips for praxis We can follow a double-direction way: departing from the contest where our communication takes place, we can build up the semiotic space and explore how it is expressed throughout colour, how colours influence these means and establish metafunctional relationship... or vice versa: departing from colour behaviour, we learn how their properties can be used as significant, as forms that convey a large range of meanings. There won t be any model providing practical rules to creativity, but indeed exercises called tips since they re small hints of broad subjects. An existing example (and source of inspiration) has been provided by Interaction of color of J. Albers. In a glance, this is the contribution scheme: WHAT IS IT? how does it look like? how does it work? how can i reproduce it? colour sciences References for colour science: - The chromaticity diagram - Colour appearance - Colour dimensions (hue, saturation, chroma, colourfulness, lightness, brightness, tints, tones, shades, etc) - Colour models (CIE Lab, Additive & Subtractive models) - Common colorimetric spaces used in graphic design: RGB, CMYK, spot colours (Pantone, RAL) References for analysis of the visual dimension: Iconic / not-iconic Interpersonal meanings (interpersonal metafunctions) COLOUR IN GRAPHICS Interaction demanding/ offering Modality degree of reality in a real environment/ isolated Visual metaphors Visual rhymes Framing WHAT IS IT FOR? what does it mean? which relationship is it creating with the other elements? semiotics, visual communication Shot close, medium, long ideal-real up/down Angulations: vertical high-low horizontal frontal-oblique given new left-right THE VISUAL: Interpersonal meanings express whether the viewer is part of the world represented as well as the degree on intimacy and complicity that the sender of the communication wants to establish. Visual metaphors and visual rhymes have a cohesive function between elements of the layout. Lots of these metafunctions are well known in the grammar of cinema, where each shot arrangement is subordinated to the necessity of taking the viewer (unaware of the process) into a precise degree of participation in the action, willingness or point of view. Metafunctions like visual metaphors and rhymes often appeal to colours which weave specific relationships between the graphic elements of the page and their functions. THE VERBAL: textual metafunctions and marked linguistic devices (like blend, antonomasia and oxymoron) are common in advertising, in order to enforce the message of the communication. In graphics they re used to build a multi-level communication too, less immediate and more abstract. There s a link between the visual and the verbal stating different degrees of joint, from the more strict where both of them can be read separately to the finest, where the viewer can t clearly classify the graphic elements as texts or images. Since the 80ies, Deconstructive Design enhanced the use of a floating and fragmentary typographic compositions, where the page isn t literally «read» but «caught». 1. A common visual rhyme, using colour, in commercial ad: the main colours of the photo correspond to the brand s palette (as the packaging does). 2. Visual metaphor on a blog: art is everywhere writing excape from a canvas representing the fixed borders where art is inscripted. 1 2 310
A TIP #1 COLOUR PROPeRTIeS Task 1: colour gradients (from Joseph Albers classwork on Interaction of color ). A) Attendants work on a CMYK gradient made by 5 patches from magenta to black; each patch must have equal parts of M (00%) and an increasing vaule of K (with step of 0%) to final black that is M:00% and K:00%. B) In a different file, they make another gradient from magenta to black, encreasing the K value but following their own preferences: criterium is that each patch must have equal variation of K compared to the previous and the following patch. The first and least patches have always M: 00% and K: 0/00%. C) Comparison between the first gradient (automatic encrease of K) and the second (optical encrease) will make them adjust their gradient and comment other attendants works. They should also practise with other colours. B C A Gradients from Magenta to Black. A is get with automatic encrease of 20% in K; B is free. Task II: colour contrast (ibidem) Taking the nd and 5th patches, attendants will make a tipical Simultaneous Contrast picture, comparing the effect of size under colour influence. #1 CRUCIAL TOPICS: Perception: Weber-Fechner law, Contrast & relativity of colours Semiotic: modality, modulation, textual meanings Graphic Design must take in strong consideration Simultaneous Contrast deceptions, expecially working with fonts. In fact, the same character can have different behaviour when colour changes, expanding or being absorbed by the background. Which one of the following visual solution is more powerful - according to the verbal? Which word are stressed? ) MANDATORY MODALITY (no regret) An abstract commander is talking It s forbidden to regret... We won t accept your regrets... Don t think at the past, you re here now ) WILLINGNESS (no regret) The reader is talking I will not regret... I m proud of my choises... I won t apologize 311
TIP #2 COLOUR PROPeRTIeS Task: create space illusion throughout colour transparence. Digital simulation of Albers space illusion exercise. Attendants has a layered file, where the background is locked. Horizontal block looks over the vertical orange block. They have to complete the middle and lower boxes colours in order to create a space illusion effect; the lower transparence should look behind the vertical one as the medium should ambiguous. At the end, they ll use the colours to make a graphic composition with typefaces; they should also try different solutions. #2 CRUCIAL TOPICS: Colour appearance: transparence and space-illusion Semiotic: modulation, visualverbal metafunctions. The task and 2 possible solutions. TIP #3 VISUAL MeTAPHORS Task: build a social ad about cancer desease. From the AILC (Italian Cancer Desease Research Institute) ads. Attendants must create a social ad where the pay-off leverages a verbal joke is: the italian world incurabile (incurable) is split into the prefix in- and the morpheme curabile (curable); the task is to build a visual metaphor throughout colours and characters only (framing in permitted). #3 CRUCIAL TOPICS: Colour deception Linguistic derivation Textual metafunctions 1 2 3 The results of a former classwork. Each layout uses interaction between character and underground to express the visual metaphor: 1. transparence; II: colour in flux; III occlusion. 312
TIP #4 FROM THe COLOUR PALeTTe TO THe BRIeF COLOURS & FeATUReS VISUAL DIMeNSION (Interpersonal meanings) Degree of reality (modality) Shot Vertical angulation Visual metaphors Task: a book about the making of the movie One hour photo 1) ANALySIS OF THe MAIN environments SHOP YORKIN FAMILY HOUSE SY s HOUSE cyan, white high vs. low chroma; unnatural, disquieting element; alienation brown, green nature colours warm colourfulness Real (public) Ideal Real medium-close, close Close, very close (in relax) Medium (arguing) white and shades of gray aseptic, cold, low colourfulness Medium Mix eye-level eye-level The photographer bag. Adding MAGENTA to the photos. The hamster in the cage. Marked devices: Cyan is the meeting between Sy s two worlds the real (solitude) and the ideal (family love). The meeting is disquieting: since the beginning, it reveals that something frightening will happen. We re compelled to notice it; the more the story goes on, the more we notice it everywhere. Cyan reveals itself the main visual metaphor. Colour palette: 1. the shop 2. Yorkin s house. 2) MAKe A COLOUR PALeTTe FOR each environment Attendants should define at least three colour for each environment. 3) THe BRIeF Work with texts and frames from the shots; use the colour palette as reference. #4 Crucial questions Chroma vs Hue. 313