Colors are everywhere. From our favorite shoes and clothes to the wonders of nature and outer space. Color is a power because it directly influences everything around us. Color creates, changes, and reveals the mood of a painting and its artist. All colors are beautiful if used with utter patience and emotions.
Today, it was the beginning of our third project, Essence of Color. It was a day of exploring and observing a color.
Pre Task: Looking at your immediate environment
Every student was assigned a color. My assigned color was blue. We had to collect a minimum of 25 physical objects that are associated with the color assigned to us. We had to collect objects from our immediate environment with a variety of tones, tints, and shades.
This is the link to my pre-task activity: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Vkmh3WCguENJt8Kf6YAthJNA43wFUjvtoothpast
I have categorized the objects as follows:
Character: Doraemon
Cleaning Agents: toothpaste, surf excel, rin
Lifestyle: Nivea cream, parachute oil, deodorant
Sanitary and safety: sanitizer, surgical mask, crocin
Stationary: book cover, cell, watercolor box, pens
Miscellaneous: chocolate packaging, Nestea sipper. reebok box, sanitary napkins, pan card cover, 50 rupees note
While searching for these objects, I noticed that most of the blue objects were available in my washroom. Most of them were cleaning agents. But I tried to collect a variety of objects.
Day 1: Observing and exploring color
The first task of our day was color extraction. For this activity, we had to create 10 color swatches in our journal by identifying the hues and tonal variations from the selected 25 objects of the assigned color.
These are my following color swatches:
Today, the day was unexpectedly fun. Discovering different shades of blue was a bit overwhelming. Watercolor turned out to be a really pleasurable medium for me. At the end of the day, I actually started liking the blue color. It felt like a single hue there is so much to the beauty and a lot to uncover.
LEARNING MANTRAS
I have learned a lot from my faculties.
We should always be mindful of what we are doing.
We should always inquire about the things we are doubtful about.
We should observe our surroundings carefully.
Day 2: Probing into what is observed and explored
Our today’s agenda was to continue to work on the color directory, but with further inquiry. We had to complete 25 explorations. Along with that, we had to think about the symbolism and feelings/emotions that we associate with each color extraction. It could be a happy feeling or a sad feeling. These can be personal as well as those that are universally accepted.
I have noted my inquiries and observations next to each color extraction.
Reflection
Today, our task was the same as yesterday but the only difference was the Inquiry. In today’s task, I have learned that how we need to inspect as well as question everything that is around us. For example, why is the packaging blue in color? or why this particular color is used?
I really enjoy the classes of this project because of the discussions that happen every day. I personally feel that discussions are a really important part of the design process. On the online platform, it's difficult to interact with everyone. The discussions are really interesting and informative. I get to learn a lot from my peers. Sometimes my peer opinions are completely different from mine.
Today, we had a discussion on a documentary that was uploaded by our faculties. The documentary mainly talked about the colors and their wide spectrum. A small part of the documentary struck me that 'every color evokes a particular feeling or message. But every person had different perspectives for a single color.'
For some people, the yellow color depicts happiness whereas for some people yellow makes them sick. We can understand the meaning and psychology of color but the challenging part is the placement of the color. It’s challenging to place the color in such a manner so that it will evoke the same feeling and emotion for everyone. The placement of colors is really important. It should create a feeling of familiarity but at the same time, people should wonder how they have created this? How is this possible?
A recent example struck my mind. It is the rebranding of Vodafone and the Idea merger. The meaning and symbolism behind the logo are meaningful. The selection of colors is appropriate. Along with that, the logo is also short and simple. But the correct placement is missing. Because of the inappropriate placement of colors, the logo is less appreciable and less attractive.
Therefore, understanding color is really important. A single right and wrong placement can make all the difference.
Day 3: Exploring color Associations
Our day 3 task was an extension of Task-2 done on Day-2 where we have noted various associations of symbolism, feelings, emotions, etc. with our color. At the beginning of the day, we were divided into groups according to the specific color that we were assigned. We had to work collaboratively to categorize and list the various associations with our assigned color.
After working in a group and completing the categorization. We were instructed to do mind mapping of the assigned color individually. We had to find the reasons for the associations and answers to your questions that we have categorized and added to the mind-map. We made our mind maps on the Miro app.
After completing the mind map, we were again divided into different groups of 3 members. We had to review each other’s work and give constructive feedback. I was able to improve a lot because of this discussion.
Firstly, in some cases, I felt like my reason is complete and self-explanatory but my group members advised me to explore it further as it is not complete or difficult to understand. Along with that, through these discussions, I got to understand the other point of view of the other person which I was lacking earlier.
It was a thrilling and long day for me. Completely shifting digitally was a bit overwhelming at first but gradually I got a hang of it. With the help of Gauravi ma’am and under her constant supervision I was able to complete my task. Towards the end, I was really satisfied with the result.
Sources:
Day 4: Understanding different dimensions of color specific to its context
COLOR IN 72 MM
When we see a color in a film, what we see is no accident — filmmakers carefully compose each frame and make color decisions that affect our experience of watching, even if we don't realize it. Filmmakers increase the depth of a scene with the help of colors.
Color simplifies complex stories and also tells a character’s journey or emotion. I learned all of this today when our faculties showed us a video in which a cinematographer took us through the journey of colors that they use in a movie. He talked about movies such as Joker, Hangover, Paul, and Garden State. Each of these films uses a camera, lighting, and color to create something evocative and important.
The link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th9pG9Q6Kuo&t=12s
In today’s activity, we had to select a movie of our own choice to identify and discuss the impact of our assigned color on a particular scene & movie. Afterward, we had to make a presentation on a particular scene.
I have selected the movie twilight:
I find twilight's cinematography spectacular. I have watched this movie infinite times but it is still one of my favorites. And it's still well alive in my memory. It was a fascinating love story between a teenager and a vampire.
When one thinks of vampires, the color palette automatically shifts to black. This, of course, would be valid for the typical vampires we all grew up hearing stories about. We know, the kind that sleeps in coffins, don’t go out during the day, get burned by the sun and all that stuff.
But in this movie, the vampires weren’t exactly those kinds. From, the first scene itself, they made it clear that Cullens ( Vampire tribe) were different. And their outfits were designed keeping exactly that in mind! They wanted to get away from the evil vibe, instead portray them as the civilized, stylish, and harmless that they were. Therefore, they have used tints and tones of blue for their clothing.
There are a few more things that I noticed while watching this scene:
In this scene, the male protagonist is revealing himself but the female protagonist is feeling a sense of trust and security which is beautifully depicted with blue color.
This is my favorite scene. Even though this scene is completely dominated by the blue hue, we can also see traces of green and brown color. Making everything come to life was surely a tough challenge. The colors of the scenery are beautifully blended with each other. The green color is in perfect proportion with the blue tints and tones.
There was an evident progression in Bella’s (female protagonist) style. Initially, she used to wear green or browns in order to make her stand out from everybody else. And then, throughout the movie, as she becomes closer with Edward (male protagonist), there is a clear shift in her wardrobe-she subtly begins wearing pieces that complement Edward’s(male protagonist) color palette, which includes different tints and shades of blues.
All in one, every single character manages to blend into the physical space they are in, while still maintaining the characteristics that would force them to stand out. The blue found to better accentuate their pale skin.
After doing this activity, I saw Twilight from a completely different perspective. I started noticing the well-orchestrated and beautifully executed visual journey. The color coordination was consistent throughout the entire movie and never created any unpleasant combination or arrangement. The blue color was the most dominant color in the movie and it was quite fascinating to see how it was used perfectly in different scenes.
Day 6: Reflection
We have performed a series of tasks in these 5 days. I have learned a lot with the help of my faculties, peers, and with the help of my mistakes.
On our first day, it was riveting for me to deal with watercolor medium and explore a number of swatches. I had a hard time dealing with my patience at some points. After doing a couple of swatches hurriedly, I quickly realized that I messed up. But the exploration of these helped me to contact with so many different colors. While writing annotations of the color swatches, I had difficulty associating color swatches with the objects. I realized that I need to observe things and their packaging mindfully.
As we proceeded further, I learned the tool of inquiry. The inquiry was a really interesting part because it helped me to bridge the gap between the learning and the application part. I felt like it was a one-step towards being a designer. I still find it bizarre that how a hue of blue opened an arena with endless information. The more I question myself, the more I experienced the reasons and I kept on moving deeper. It was a fascinating turning point for me. With help of this activity, I learned the importance of observation. I won't be able to think anything or question anything if I won't follow the first step of observation.
Afterward, we worked with the color complexities in filmmaking. This turned out to be one of my favorite activities. I am a cinephile but I never saw a film from a different perspective. Some movies just stay with us forever. It's hard to forget their cinematography. Sometimes, the reliability factor is so high that it keeps us hooked up on screens for hours. Many times, we tend to replay our favorite scenes but I never realized why I did this? Yes, the story might be interesting but color impacts our lives in minimal ways. Every color generates a unique feeling and emotions if it is used wisely.
Lastly, we did the exploration of a hue on different mediums. It was quite engaging because the outcome was unknown. We explored, we experimented, we discovered and we questioned. With this activity, I learned the skill of experimentation. Rather than making assumptions, we should approach it with a hit and trial method.
While concluding, I think all the activities that we performed in these five days were wonderfully synchronized with each other. Towards the end of the project, it was encouraging how we did not stay in the confined circle of our peers and faculties. We appreciated other people's opinions with the help of surveys. We got the chance of accepting and understanding their perspectives as well.
These six days were enigmatic yet enlightening in several ways. I worked on various new digital platforms which were quite overwhelming for me at first. Along with that, through this project, I understood the importance of brainstorming with each other.
Day 5: Explorations
Recognizing colors and identifying the correct medium is really important. We should be aware and informed of which type of color do I need to use on a particular surface for painting or writing anything. Therefore, on the fifth day of our project, we explored colors on various mediums and densities.
Our today's task was to observe and interpret color differences based on their interactions and applications. We collected pieces of different materials such as paper, metal, glass, etc. to explore the response of color and color medium on them. I have used blue water paint.
Material and Surfaces
Steel Glass:
o It takes approximately 10 mins to dry completely.
o There was less consistency probably because the steel is not an absorbent surface.
o Color was looking dull and dark.
Choose Board:
o It dries in 2-3 mins.
o Color was easily and evenly spreading.
o Color was looking bright and beautiful.
o Choksi board is a partially absorbing material.
OHP sheet:
o The material was the same as the steel glass.
Light Sources
Color change depends upon the type of light we’re using. I have used OHP (Over Head Projector) sheet for the experiment. I got an insight that how colors behave when contacted with different light sources.
Natural Light: Artificial Light: Orange Light:
o Color was looking bright o Darker o Since OHP sheet is
and beautiful. o Strokes were transparent therefore
prominent. there was a change
in the color of blue.
Other colors
I have combined blue with different colors to see that how it communicates. It was interesting to notice blue with other combinations of colors.
Light green color: The blue color was popping out.
Red color: The blue color was getting blended with the red color. They both had the same impact.
Dark green color: The dark green was visibly dominant.
Brown color: The blue color was complimenting the brown color really well.
Observation: After doing this experiment, I noticed that Blue was clearly visible and attractive with lighter shades and extremely darker shades whereas it was getting blended with almost the same color pigments.
Density of pigment
The texture of the blue color kept on changing as I was increasing the amount of water.
More grainy
Roughness
SURVEY
In the second half of our day, we conducted a survey among varying age groups to understand our assigned color from another individual’s perspective because everyone perceives colors differently. The results of the survey turned out quite interesting. It was exciting to directly contact people and know their views instead of relying on secondary sources.
These were the following questions and their responses:
For this question, the response was quite evident. Among the fourteen people who answered my survey, most of them have chosen male. This shows that gender’s influence on color choices is quite prominent in our society.
According to me, blue color’s association with boys is somehow ingrained in our minds since childhood because all the cartoon character that boys associate themselves with were majorly in blue color. Whereas, the cartoon characters favored by girls such as Minnie and Barbie are always in pink color.
All the tints and tones were equally liked by the people. But the light blue color was selected slightly more than other colors probably because blue is a cool color that reflects a feeling of calmness and peace for a person.
For this question, the response was quite evident. The blue color reminds most of the people of nature and also cleaning agents. People associate blue color with nature because of their memories with sea, sky and their surroundings.
From this question, I understood that primary colors are mostly associated with superheroes because at that time many printing presses didn’t have much of the choice in color except for the primary. In this question, the response was quite anticipated. Most people associate blue with calmness, freshness, and happiness because of its properties of cool color. Blue is also the color of the sky and oceans and people can easily associate it.
I included this question in my survey to notice that what kind of color scheme people notice the most in a particular movie. According to the response, I interpreted that people notice monochromatic color schemes the most. Along with that, people notice the color more if it’s associated with the protagonist or antagonist in the film.