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Scale & Proportion

Linda Ronstadt put out the album "Canciones de mi Padre'' which translates to "The Songs of my Father" or "My Father's Songs" to honor her Mexican heritage. The album is comprised of different traditional Mariachi music. Her album cover uses scale and proportion to transport the viewer to the world of Mariachi. Immediately, the eye is drawn into the bright large guitar. Using a human scale we can see how large the guitar is. Right above that, a man is wearing a sombrero. By having a large object, the eyes focus in on it and then leads directly to Linda Ronstadt. The proportion of the hat to the man is quite large which can be related back to the music. Mariachi is about celebrating life and feeling everything life has to offer. Furthermore, the flowers on the left bottom corner are relatively large to its surrounding. This again gives that feeling of being larger than life. Having such large objects with different geometry surrounding Ronstadt, helps to bring in focus to her. The flowers and guitar are rounder in shape while she is between rectangles. It makes the scene come together without being overly complicated. Overall, Linda Ronstadt effectively uses scale and proportion to bring out her roots and accentuate the beauty that is Mariachi.

Scale & Proportion Glossary

Scale: is the size of one object in relation to other objects in a design

● a certain relative or proportionate size or extent

● a standard of measurement or estimation

● point of reference by which to gauge or rate

Aspect Ratio: refers to the proportions of the height and width of an image. It defines its overall shape, and it is usually shown as W:H

Geometry: spheres, cubes, cylinders can be used to build more complex objects

Hierarchy: arranged according to importance or power

Human Scale: sets the stage for the story happening to human-sized characters

Proportions: the size of the parts compared to the whole; relativity

Ratio: a ratio tells us what proportions mean to each other; measuring one thing in terms of another

Relative: how objects appear in context with each other

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Emphasis

Mexican rock band Maná put out their album "Drama y Luz" with this image as their album cover. This album cover uses emphasis to draw in the audience. The contrast of the white wings against the black background puts all the attention on the bird and the band name. Having the bird's placement not directly in the center allows the focal point to be on the band's name and gives the overall feeling a dramatic sense. The album name on the bottom is a subordinate element. This demonstrates that the image of the bird and band name is memorable enough that once a person sees that, they will automatically know which album it is. It creates an iconic feeling. Maná effectively uses the different elements of emphasis to create a dramatic scene which works perfectly with their album.

Emphasis Glossary

Emphasis: something in a scene dominates. In other words, the designer gives visual priority to part of a scene in order to draw the eye there first

Contrast: in size, color, texture can make one thing stand out from the many things around it

Focal Point: the focal point demands attention, it is accentuated, contrasted

Isolation: feature a single element alone, away from other elements to create emphasis

One Element: eliminate everything else in the composition and the thing that’s left will grab the attention such as a bold title or symbol

Placement: position your most important design component in a place to grab attention, such as the center of a poster

Subordination: the focal point has the visual power while other elements of the scene are subordinate

Whole over Parts: sometimes we don’t want the eye to go somewhere specifically such as in an establishing shot at the beginning of a story. We want to show an overview of the environment before we jump into the story. We might look at a map with lots of details. The whole map is the important thing. When we select a place on the map to visit, then that spot becomes the focal point and the Emphasis shifts from the whole to the specific. Another example is that the whole game is more important than its levels

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Contrast

In 1997, Australian artist Kylie Minogue put out her album "Impossible Princess." The album cover deals heavily with contrast. Minogue is surrounded by heavily saturated colors and the background is completely black. This high contrast of really bright and saturated colors against a black background helps draw the focus on the artist. The circle of colors is asymmetrical as it cuts off on the right side. It feels like the view of Minogue is at an angle because of the asymmetrical cut which again creates a hyper focus on her. Her dress and her hair are also asymmetrical but the way she is sitting is symmetrical. It plays tricks on the eyes which forces the audience to really inspect every aspect of the art. Overall, the plays with high and low contrast make this album art something to look at and works with the aesthetic of the album in general.

Contrast Glossary

Contrast: refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a composition so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama

Contrast: creates variety within a unit, draws the eye to a focal point, creates a sense of adventure or mystery. Contrast is a unifier. Value contrast is when a character or object has a strong darks and lights compared to the scene around it. Size contrast is a gigantic space cruiser compared to much smaller fighters

Asymmetrical: balance is a dynamic compositional strategy in which each side of the axis are distinctly different yet belong to the same story

High Contrast: is strong dissimilarity such as black letters on a white background. The high contrast setting is an accessibility feature built into interfaces to assist people with vision impairment. In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view. Because the human visual system is more sensitive to contrast than absolute luminance, we can perceive the world similarly regardless of the huge changes in illumination over the day or from place to place

Low Contrast: means a minimum of contrast between light and dark, so that the image is either predominantly dark or predominantly light

Symmetrical: is a form of balance in which both sides of the axis are the same, a mirror image of each other, creating stability and formality. In visual storytelling the symmetrical formal balance is often contrasted with the dynamic action of asymmetrical configurations. For example, the formal balance and discipline on the Death Star in Star Wars is contrasted with the diversity of the different rebel cells and militias from across the galaxy. The dynamic contrasting rhythms and visuals of the dark side contrasted with the Jedi and rebel alliance has kept the franchise going for decades

Contrasting Camera Angles: part of your story is how you show as well as how you tell. The camera is your audience’s view of your story and should be well planned to reveal the story in the most effective way possible

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Rhythm

Hungarian artists Middlemist Red put out a music video for their song "Illuminair." Throughout the song and the album art, they play around with rhythm. In the beginning of the song, the synthesizer's legato helps the listener become fully immersed in the music. The legato can also be seen in the album cover. The lines are smooth and drawn out like waves. They work together to achieve the feeling of calmness. The bass line also repeats which makes it easier to listen and it helps the listener understand what's happening. The bass line changes during the verses but repeats again during the chorus. This helps to make the song memorable. There is an alternating rhythm from the verses to the chorus. The verse is calm and it narrates a story then the audience feels the change of the music going back to the chorus which enhances the storyline. The rhythm makes this song catchy and worthwhile to listen to.

Rhythm Glossary

Rhythm: is caused by patterns in movement. Rhythm organizes units into patterns. Rhythm is created through repetition, alternation, and progression

Alternating Rhythm: is a form of repetition and is predictable. Alternating rhythm can create tension

Audio Rhythm: sounds that create patterns such breathing or shooting rounds of ammo

Conceptual Rhythm: intensifies, moves along, or calms the story. Conceptual rhythm coordinates visual and audio rhythm with the pace of your story

Contrasting Rhythms: are two or more sounds or motions at obviously different tempos

Legato: means music in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes or a smooth flowing motion

Polyrhythmic patterns: use of simultaneous contrasting rhythms

Progressive Rhythm: is a pattern that changes over time to more or less intensity. Progressive rhythm makes us feel that. something is in an evolving state of change

Repeating: the same thing again and again gives us a feeling of predictability

Rhythm and Motion: when a motion repeats, speeds up, slows down it creates a rhythm

Staccato: derives from the Italian verb staccare, meaning "to detach," and can now describe anything - not just sounds - made, done, or happening in an abrupt or disjointed way

Visual Rhythm: when motifs such as lines or shapes repeat visual rhythm forms

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Unity

Chinese artist Lay Zhang put out his title track "Lit" which deals a lot with unity. I will be analyzing this particular scene from the music video. The most prominent technique used is contrast. There are strong darks in front of him but behind Lay, there is a bright yellow are red background with fans. There is also a bright light shining from the top left corner on him. These contrasts bring the viewer's eyes directly to him. He becomes the focal point even though his proximity to the camera is farther away. The proximity connects the all the elements together. The black triangles, him wearing black, and the black writing on the fans behind him all create a unifying scene. There is also visual unity with the repeating black triangles. They are put in a formation that looks almost endless. It makes it feel like he has an army or people watching him. Overall, his use of Unity in this music video makes it feel more like a movie. It also does a good job on making sure that he is the focal point throughout the entire thing.

Unity Glossary

Unity: is an entity that is a systematic whole. A fusion or union of parts in harmony to create a oneness

Alignment: a common axis creates relationship, the line up creates meaning. Alignment in games can help you find your way on the map or aim true with your weapon. Alignment of troops or vessels indicates organizational strength

Beat Boards: are used to illustrate major story points before the rest of the storyboard is completed. Beat boards are a series of single drawings that depict key focal points in a scene. Beat Boards can be compared to a children's book illustration because an individual picture shows a complex story. Beat boards can serve in art direction to indicate how the shot is staged and show color strategies, using shapes and colors, but are not detailed sketches

Composition: is the arrangement of visual elements within a shot. The three basic shot compositions in filmmaking are long-shot, medium-shot, and close-up

Conceptual Unity: a palm tree, an ocean beach, and a beer unify around the concept of 'vacation'

Contrast: creates variety within a unit, draws the eye to a focal point, creates drama. Contrast is a unifier . Contrast is when a character or object has a strong darks and lights compared to the scene around it. Size contrast is a gigantic space cruiser compared to much smaller fighters

Proximity: closer distances connect elements and far apart elements create separation and sometimes magnetism

Repetition: things that look alike relate to each other. Shapes or colors that recur in the image create rhythm and recognizable situations.

Unifying Strategies: Designers manipulate contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity to create visual unity and to pull a story along

Visual Unity: is a group of repeating or similar elements that create balance or form a structure

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Point

Point has different meanings in terms of design. Sunmi managed to effectively use different forms of point in her music video "Tail." She uses red (as clothes or makeup) to make sure she is the focal point of the video. Using such a vibrant color against cool tones draws attention to her and the audience is totally captivated by her appearance. It could also be the representation of her being a predator searching for her next prey as this music video plays with ideas of the animal kingdom. Sunmi reaches the point of no return when she becomes a cat and is out for the blood of her murderer. This point of no return fits the atmosphere because the music has a dangerous feel to it and the colors are dark and foreboding. The point of this video was to show two sides: one that is sharp and dangerous and one that is loving and has a generous heart. Sunmi wanted to have this "tail" tell both sides of the story because in the animal kingdom, animals use their tails to describe how they are feeling. With using these different techniques, Sunmi made a music video that will be talked about for years to come.

Point Glossary

Point: is the smallest visual component

Pixel: is a recently invented groovy word. The word "pixel" was first published in 1965 by Frederic C. Billingsley of Jet Propulsion Laboratory to describe the picture elements of video images from space probes to the Moon and Mars. A pixel is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display

Focal Point: is the feature of a design or work of art that is the most interesting or important or the most strongly emphasized

The Point: is what a player will tell a friend about the game if they like it

The point: is the mission or a moving target

The Point of No Return (PNR or PONR): is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a calculated point during a continuous action (such as in aviation). A particular irreversible action (such as setting off an explosion or signing a contract) can be a point of no return

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Pattern & Texture

Pattern and Texture set the tone for a design. Exo's 2014 release "Overdose" uses pattern and texture to captivate their audience. The beginning of the music video plays around with different textures- some of them being tactile and some being visual. Two members deal with physical sand and two different members play with a wall that has a water-like texture. They are trapped inside of a maze which could resemble their mind as the song is about being so engrossed in love that they need a doctor. With using these different textures, they give context to how in shambles their mind truly is. It is endless and everywhere like sand and the water is drowning them. One of the key visual features is the radial balanced pattern. This radial balanced pattern is the perfect example of a maze. By having them consistently throughout the video, the viewer is reminded that they are trapped in a labyrinth that is their mind. We are transported to their world and feel trapped with them. Their formations are also based on this pattern which only enhances the feeling of imprisonment. The radial balanced patterns are formatted in a grid-like structure. This creates a sense of balance and unity which is pleasing to the eye. The viewer has something to constantly watch and they will feel inclined to rewatch in case they had missed something. The group is also dressed in alternating patterns. Some are in white suits and some are in black suits in the beginning of the video. This is a representation of how they are on a high when their love is good and pure but once the love becomes too much, they become intoxicated and crazy. Overall, the use of pattern and texture only enhanced the experience that was Overdose making it one of their greatest successes.

Pattern & Texture Glossary

Pattern: is an arrangement, configuration, array, formation, guide, matrix of repeated forms. Patterns create rhythm and can be used to predict and organize design elements such as using a grid

Alternating Pattern: means to occur in succession, such as day alternating with night

Chiaroscuro: is a technique of painting or drawing using a predictable sequence of light and shade to achieve a three-dimensional quality. From the wayback machine: [1680–90; < Italian, =chiaro bright (< Latin clārus) + oscuro dark (< Latin obscūrus)]

Collage: is a technique of an art production, primarily used in the visual arts, where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole

Gradient: is continuous change, darkening, lightening, increasing or decreasing color saturation. A gradient is created when two or more different colors are layered to paint one element while gradually fading between the hues or values

Grid: means a rectangular system of coordinates used in locating the principal elements of a plan

Progressive Patterns: create active change, momentum by shifting in a direction, increasing, escalating, or accelerating

Radial Balanced Patterns: are based on a circle with its design extending from its center

Texture: of something is the way that it feels when you touch it, how smooth or rough it is

Tactile Textures: are physical, touchable textures that you can actually feel on your skin in the real world

Texture Mapping: is a process in which a two-dimensional surface, a texture map, is wrapped around a three-dimensional object. When wrapped, the 3-D object acquires a visual surface texture. Texture maps create high frequency detail, surface texture, or color information on a computer-generated graphic or 3D model

Visual Texture: is an illusion of texture. Pixels or traditional drawing and painting media can be manipulated to give the impression of texture, while the surface actually remains smooth and flat. The texture on an ancient wall, a vehicle, or a creature's scaly or slimy skin increases the immersiveness of a game. Texture artist is a career path. Texture artists are close observers as they collect, organize, and use textures to create believable surfaces

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Motion

Motion gives the intricate details that tells a story. Epik High used motion in their music video "Love Drunk" to help convey a story about loneliness. The strongest technique used is the 180-Degree Rule. The camera shows both of them in fighting position ready to engage in battle. It then pans to the mentor then to the main character, IU. With using this, it sets up the scene for what is to come. That scene also shows anticipated action. They are on the verge of a battle that the audience is heavily awaiting. The entire video long, the audience is waiting for this big fight between them and in this moment the tension is at its highest. The use of anticipated action takes the viewer on a roller coaster of emotions. I am particularly fond of this because in the next scene she winds up killing her mentor which only heightens emotions more. It goes with the lyrics and overall feeling of the video. In the scenes prior, IU attempts to fight her mentor but it avails to nothing. This scene uses motion blur to show the fight interaction between them. It gives a feeling of old movie fights and makes it more dramatic especially for it being a music video. This music video feels more like a short film which helps convey their message of wanting to escape badly but once finally freed, realizing that they're lonelier and sadder than before. Overall, the use of motion gets the audience to feel things and ultimately made it one of my favorite releases of 2019.

Motion Glossary

Motion: is action, reaction, energy, what’s happening, gestures, dynamics, mobility, exertion, labor, and progress through space

180-Degree Rule: is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. By keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary axis between two characters, the first character is always framed right of the second character. Moving the camera over the axis is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round

Anticipated Action: a dramatic action frozen in time, the tension mounts, we feel anticipation

Camera Motion: arrows are standard cues, a simple and recognizable way to show motion or progression in a storyboard

Kinesthetic Empathy: a player’s actual movement when responding to action in a game

Line of Action: is an artistic concept, an invisible line that captures the thrust and vitality of the movement. The line of action can be drawn by artists as the first element to capture or exaggerate the pose

Motion Blur: when your eyes or objects are in motion, the image will suffer from motion blur, resulting in an inability to resolve details. To cope with this, humans generally alternate between saccades (quick eye movements) and fixation (focusing on a single point)

Optical Movement: is an optical illusion. Although the image is not moving, it appears to move

Stillness: is calm, quiet, inaction, and peace. Stillness is the opposite of motion. It can be used to contrast with motion

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Space & Depth

Space and depth can tell a story on its own. It gives background to what is happening. Monsta X utilized space to their advantage in their music video "Hero." One of the major components in this video is atmospheric perspective. As the background goes on, the values become brighter and it creates a unique effect overlooking the city. There is also use of size relationships. The camera goes in and out of the boys dancing to show them full size and then how they compare to the helicopter landing and the city in general. It gives that feeling that they are heroes. The use of the foreground, middleground, and background also plays a fun role in this video. In the second image, the boys are seen to be middleground which is an interesting choice. It does not take away from the focus of them but instead enhances it when the next scene they become the foreground. It is an interesting dynamic. As some videos use a lot of lighting and effects, this video mainly dealt with space which made it unique and interesting to watch.

Space & Depth Glossary

Space: is an area, expanse, territory, distance or range

Atmospheric Perspective: value contrast and color saturation decrease with distance

Diagonal shapes: pull the eye in a direction to create the illusion of depth

Elliptical Perspective: provides visual clues to the location of curved surfaces in space

Foreground, Middleground, & Background: the 3 treatments of objects in space support design to achieve depth

Foreshortening: is when an object's dimensions appear shorter when angled toward the viewer. At the same time the part coming toward the viewer is enlarged

Linear Perspective: is a system used by artists in which the relative size, shape, and position of objects are determined by drawn or imagined lines converging at a point on the horizon

Overlapping: is when part of one object is obscured by another object. The obscuring object appears to be in front

S-Curve or Winding Path: in an image of a landscape, S-curve or winding path will draw the eye of the viewer into a perceived distance

Size Relationships: objects appear smaller as their distance from the observer increases

Transparency or Opacity: is when we feel like we can see objects through a glassy, gauzy, smoky, or dusty layer. The transparent/opacity adjustment affects the saturation and color of objects to give a feel of depth

Vertical Position: places objects higher up in the composition to appear further away

Volume: is the amount, expanse, extent, magnitude, size, aggregate, bulk, dimensions, or mass of an object

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Shape

Kpop artist Zico put out an animated video for his song "Yes or No." The use of shapes is very prominent in this video and helps to make it memorable. In the first image, the viewer is drawn in with the use of positive and negative shapes. Animated Zico is the focal point while the mannequins and black background are the negative space. They create a pathway that directs the viewer's eye directly to the artist. With this focal point, it also gives a silhouette of the artist that could be distinguished throughout the rest of the video. Later on in the video, they use distortion on a house. This gives the feeling that he lives in a different world, one where anything goes. Rectilinear shapes are used on the window sills which gives it a sense of realism in this fantasy world. The use of shapes and vibrant colors help make this video one to remember.

Shape Glossary

Shape: is the external form or appearance characteristic of someone or something; the outline of an area or figure

Abstract: means no recognizable objects

Biomorphic: is a free-form pattern or design with a shape suggestive of a living organism

Curvilinear Shapes: shapes that are s-curves

Distortion: is exaggeration, contortion, reform, slant, twist, or warp in ways that depart from reality

Idealism: asserts that the physical world is less important than the mind or the spirit which shapes and animates it

Non-objective shapes: have no object as a reference and no recognizable subject matter

Positive and Negative Shapes: Positive space is the subject, focal point, or areas of high interest in any composition. Negative space is the area around the areas of interest. All compositions balance positive and negative space

Realism or Naturalism: attempts to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality or exotic or supernatural elements

Rectilinear Shapes: is a boxy shape made with straight lines

Representational: means objects that players can name. The object represents something from the real world, or something that has the verisimilitude of realism

Silhouette: is a profile or shape that is easy to identify

Squash and Stretch: are shapes profiles that emphasize motion

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Value

Value is an important aspect to the success of design. Kpop group SuperM used value to create different effects in their music video "Tiger Inside." The first use of value can be seen in the opening sequence as they use value as emphasis. Here it is use to distinguish the members who are dark from the light background. The way the members are grouped up with the use of value can resemble that of an animal. The dark values give it a foreboding feel as they are about to release their inner tiger. They also use value and space as seen in the second image. They want to create dimension. By using highlights and light values on the members, they create an abyss of a background. This helps narrate the idea of not being pigeon-holed and allowing oneself to break free. Overall, their play with value got across their message to be free and let your inner self shine.

Value Glossary

Value in design: is lightness or darkness on a scale of white to black

Chiaroscuro: (English: kee-AR-ə-SKOOR-oh, - SKEWR-, Italian:; Italian for "light-dark") is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark with bold contrasts affecting a whole composition

Light and dark: Every element in your design has a value from 1% black (almost white) to 100% black

Value as emphasis: happens when a strong contrast in value draws attention to itself

Value and space: Designers use dark and light values to create the illusion of light as it falls on objects. Value is used to create the illusion of highlights and shadows. Highlights and shadows combine to create the illusion of a light source. The pattern of light and dark can create dimension, volume, and mass

Value patterns: appear regularly in the world, in human-made design, and even in abstract ideas such as stories

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Line

In 2014, Kpop group 2NE1 put out a futuristic music video called “Come Back Home” where they included a storyboard after the video came out. Several types of lines are used in these images to help convey the story. In the first image, motion lines are used to show one of the members destroying a power box. She wants to get rid of the technology that is causing love to drift apart. In the second image, contour lines are used to distinguish the girl from the rest of the background. This is a great contrast because it shows that humans are not as concrete and rigid as technology. In the remaining two images, they use diagonal lines and lines as value. They use the diagonal lines to show the depth of the city and how large the screen is in comparison. The lines as value give that strong aura of the screen. This goes back to the message of the video that technology consumes society. Overall, the use of lines in this music video helps convey a compelling message.

Line Glossary

Lines: have both a direction and a length. Line means a mark, streak, stroke, slash, path, stripe, border, contour, striation, course, route, and track. Curved, bent, thick, wide, broken, vertical, horizontal, burred, or freehand, lines delineate shapes, forms, and spaces, volumes, edges, movement and patterns. Not only that – lines create both 2D and 3D objects and figures

Contour lines: indicate the edge around an object or the changes in volume within an object. Contour lines dramatize changes of plane within the form

Diagonal Lines: are useful to draw the eye into a composition such as toward the vanishing points. Three common types of diagonals are 1) actual diagonal lines 2) objects placed diagonally in a scene 3) a diagonal line created by the viewpoint

Dutch Tilt: (known as a dutch angle, canted angle, or oblique angle) is a type of camera shot that has a noticeable tilt on the camera’s “x-axis.”

Explicit Lines: means clear, direct, and obvious

Gesture Lines: capture motion, such as in an action pose when gesture drawings are used in storyboards

Implied Lines: in 3-D scenes a line in a scene that is not physically there but is suggested by points in the art. Implied lines suggest the edges of an object or planes within an object. The line may be broken such as a dotted line, it may be defined by value, color, or texture, or it may not be visible at all. With implied lines, our brain interprets that a line exists

Line As Value: has a long history. Artists have used line drawings to create value, or shading, and to achieve the impression of volume

Line Of Action/Motion: is an imaginary line that extends through the main action of the figure

Line quality: is the espressive essence of lines. Varying the line quality makes objects appear more 3-dimensional and exciting. Range in line quality heightens descriptive and suggestive potential

Line weight: refers to the thickness or thinness of a line

Lost And Found Lines: When a line fades out and then restarts further along the edge it is called a lost and found line

Psychic lines: are invisible. Psychic lines form between characters or between a gun and a target, or a hand pointing in a direction. There is no real line yet we feel a line. Eyes looking in a direction, especially characters looking at each other create a psychic line

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Color

Kpop group NCT U played around with color heavily in their debut music video "The 7th Sense." One of the major components used in this video is the stark contrast of warm and cool colors. In the beginning of the video, they are set in a warm red atmosphere. Later on, they are put in cool cyan color. Their chorus starts with "Open your eyes" which they are doing by having the extreme contrast of warm and cool. The special use of this complementary dyad (red and cyan) truly keeps the audience engaged as there is something exciting and new to see on the screen. Additionally, each member is given their own palette to help recognize and remember the separate members. As their debut, the use of extreme color changes and saturation helps make this a memorable entrance.

Color Glossary

Visible Light Spectrum: the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view

Color Psychology: the study of the effect that colors have on emotions, behaviors, and feelings of people

Color Systems: classify color and analyze their effects

Additive Color System: used for colors of light such as light emitted from computers, phone screens, and projectors. Red, green, and bue are the primary colors

Subtractive Color Systems: used for pigments such as ink, dye, and paint. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the primary colors

Change in Color: use color to separate the foreground, midground, and background planes to create the illusion of depth

Color Wheel/Color Circle: arranges a pattern of hues around a circle

Local Color: is the natural color of an object unmodified by adding unrealistic light and shadow or any other distortion

Palette: is the range of colors used in a particular composition or by any person who uses color such as an artist, house painter or interior decorator

Properties of Color: hue, saturation, and brightness

Hue: the named color around the color circle such as red, orange, green,yellow, violet, and blue

Saturation: the intensity or purity of a hue

Brightness: the perceived intensity of light coming from a source such as a screen

Symbolism of Color: the use of color as a symbol in various cultures

12 Color Strategies:

1. Monochromatic means variations of a single hue such as a light blue and a dark blue or a greenish aqua blue and a lavender blue

2. Achromatic color strategy integrates variations of black, white, gray, and a full range of neutrals

3. Full Spectrum Strategy represents the full circle of spectral colors by incorporating at least five of the base hues

4. In the Achromatic/Chromatic Mix strategy Achromatic colors dominate the composition with a chromatic hue accent

5. Warm/Cool: Contrasting ‘temperatures’ of warm & cool. Cool colors appear on the green/blue/violet side of the color wheel. The colors on the red/orange/yellow side of the color wheel are called warm. Emphasis is on the contrast between warm and cool achromatics: brown - gold (warm), grays - silver (cool)

6. Saturation Similarities/Saturation Contrast

● Saturation Similarities : Hues may vary in this strategy, but all colors must have the same or very similar saturations

● Saturation Contrast : Hues may vary but all colors must have significant contrast of saturation

7. Value Similarities/Value Contrast

● Value Similarities: Hues may vary in this strategy, but all colors have the same or very close values

● Value Contrast : Black (or dark desaturated hues) contrast with white (or very desaturated tints of hues). The Value Contrast strategy demonstrates strong distinction of value with the strongest example being between black and white

8. Complementary Dyad creates a strong hue contrast. Complementary hues are located directly opposite each other on the color circle

9. Split Complementary strategies are based on two complements. To create a split complementary color strategy select one hue and contrast it with the hues on either side of its complement, such as Red & Yellow Green/BlueGreen

10. A Tetrad strategy uses four equilateral hues from the color circle, such as Red, Orange, Green, Blue

11. A Triad strategy uses three equilaterally balanced hues from the color circle, such as primary, secondary, or tertiary

12. Analogous strategies collect 2 or 3 neighboring hues on the color circle

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Welcome!

Hi, I’m Dana and I will be exploring the elements and principles of design