An Eye for Color

by Olga Gutiérrez de la Roza

Developed by the Design Leader for Global Retail Hair at Procter & Gamble, An Eye for Color teaches readers how to develop their color sense. The book presents a unique, easy-to-follow system that the author developed to create effective color patterns, which differentiates it from the standard index-style books on the market that provide color combinations without placing those combinations in context. An Eye for Color shows how to build your own color index by "dissecting" a gorgeous selection of works used by master painters, graphic designers, fashion and furniture designers and craftsmen—all selected for their exceptional use of color. In addition, the book's compact design and irresistibly chunky format will make it useful and attractive to designers, artists, students, professionals, or anyone trying to find attractive color combinations. An Eye for Color is organized into chapters by color. In every spread, the author first presents the work of a designer or painter. Second, she breaks down the color palette of the work, providing color squares on the page in both RGB and CMYK configurations. Text accompanying each chosen image contains information on the artist's inspiration for his use of color and interprets it. The text also describes the technical, emotional and artistic qualities of the work. The third step is for the reader to replicate the color swatches with Pantone chips or a Photoshop print out and place them onto a rolodex card which would then become the basis for their own inspiration file. Perforated sheets at the beginning of each chapter will enable readers to immediately start building their rolodexes based on the examples shown in the book.

Genres: Reference, Art, Design

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look for simplicity, because in it the great ideas will persevere.

The author states that his aim in presenting the color palettes that artists and designers use in their work is to help readers develop their own color perception. In addition to the works of the artists, important views on their understanding of art and design are also conveyed. Separate sections are created for 11 colors (white, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, gray, black) in the book, and at the beginning of each section, a short explanation of that color is provided, followed by the artists' works and the color palettes of those works and the artist's art/design approach. Works of graphic designers, web designers, interior architects, industrial designers, photographers, fashion designers, etc. from many different creative industry stakeholders are included. It is very enjoyable to read, inspiring in the design phase, and can be a good start for those who want to find their way.