Using Color Well Document Design By Dr. Jennifer Bowie

Rules # 1: Use color to communicate not decorate! Keep it simple Be consistent

When to use? To make documents look better To improve the effectives of documents To communicate

Terms to know Grayscale: The different shades of gray a printer can make. Hue: The name of a color, such as green. Value: How light or dark a color is. Chroma: How bright the color is. Screen: How much of a color is used. For example, if you screen a hue of blue at 20%, the color will look paler, since it is only at 20%. The full hue would be at 100%. By screening colors, you can multiple shades of one hue. RGB: System for mixing colors to create other colors. Used by televisions and computer monitors. Uses red, green, and blue as primary colors. CYMK: System for mixing colors to create other colors. Commonly used by printing services. Uses cyan, yellow, magenta, and black as primary colors. From PWO

Spot Color Using a second color (with the 1 st often black) Easy effect and cheap way of improving design Rules of thumb: –Can mix spot color with white and black for shades (lighter and darker) –Do not over use (think of it like bold) –Can replace black with another color and have a normal color and a spot color for more colorful designs.

Tips: Use colored paper to add color Colors vary from screen to printer and from printer to printer Since 1% of women and 8% of men have issues with distinguishing some color (color blindness), use more then color to separate items (even light vs dark would work) Consider cultural conations and color meanings

History of color Color has always been part of the human existence, playing an important role in the life of humans. Early humans learned to eat food based on its color--ripe, not ripe, poisonous, healing. “Ancient cultures thought of color as symbolically divine." (Sidelinger, 1) –yellow, in ancient times, represented the mind to primitive man, the sun and the sun god Ra to Egyptians, the goddess Athena and air to Grecians, and honor to Indians. (Sidelinger, 78-79) Connotations of colors change over time. –in ancient times Greece and Zunis green represented water. Today blue represents water. (Sidelinger, 80)

Color & Sex Differences According to Natalia Khouw there are sex differences in color preferences & taste: –“Blue stands out for men much more than for women. –Men prefer blue to red, women red to blue. –Men prefer orange to yellow, women yellow to orange” –Women have more diverse color tastes than men –Women in India and England could consistency list more colors than men Info & quotes on this page from “color my world” by Molly E. Holzschlag colormyworld.php colormyworld.php

International connotations of color Red: –West: courage and love –China: happiness and good fortune (preferred for wedding gowns) –US flag: blood –French Flag: military color & coat of arms –US: “Stop” signs & lights Yellow: –China: imperial color, revered –US: people’s least favorite color but a happy color –France: jealousy

International connotations of color Green: –Positive (US): growth, clean, fresh, environmental –Negative (US): mold, nausea, and jealousy –Historic Europe: fertility (wedding gown color in 15 th century) –US: “Go” green lights Blue: –Positive (US): serenity, the sky, infinity –Negative (US): sadness (feeling blue) –US Flag: valor of US, particularly soldiers –French Flag: military color & coat of arms –“Safe” in almost every culture (Morton)

International connotations of color Purple: –Historical West: royalty, mourning –France: religion, sacredness –US: magic, lavishness, homosexuality –Catholic Europe: death and crucifixion –Middle East: prostitution –Cultural “unsafe” color Pink: –East India: feminine color –US: baby girls get pink, innocence, sweetness, soft, gentleness –Japan: pastels are neither masculine nor feminine –France: homosexuality

International connotations of color Black: –West: mourning, death –France: unknown, death, night, work White: –East: mourning, death –West: purity (color of bridal gowns) –US Flag: bandages to staunch the flow of blood –France: monarchy, royalty

Use color wisely & well Remember: communicate not decorate Sources:

Cool Links to find out more! Connotations-and-Perceived- Meanings&id=4510http://ezinearticles.com/?Colors:-Their- Connotations-and-Perceived- Meanings&id= colormyworld.phphttp:// colormyworld.php