Lesson # ___1__ Lesson Plan

Unit Title: Choosing Color for your documents

Lesson Title: The use of color In design choices.

Lesson Objective: The student will be given an introductory lesson in color

selection/management, and will use this lesson and it’s resources to choose a color
scheme for their design templates.

Enabling Objectives:
1. Color definitions.
2. Resources to help with color choices.

Preparation
Instructor Student
References: Assignments:
http://kuler.adobe.com/ Students will develop a color scheme to
http://www.easyrgb.com/index.html use for their graphic presentation
template.

Instructional Media:

Equipment and Tools:

Computer access to internet.
Ability to print out (in color) choices
made.

Introduction
Starting with this first lesson we will be learning the various methods used in the textile
printing industry to supply graphic presentations and their information to other
departments and manufacturers.
The first common elements in all presentation, styles, seasonal groups, technical packs,
etc. are color palettes. These color palettes are a critical part of the process and must be
conveyed clearly and as much information as possible.

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An introduction to color and its terms.

Color Harmony

har·mo·ny n. pl. har·mo·nies

A pleasing combination of elements in a whole

Complementary Colors
Complementary colors opposite each other provide high color contrast. If you stare
at a color then look away at a blank wall, you'll see an afterimage in the color's
complementary color.

Split-Complementary Colors
Split-Complementary colors are those on either side of the complementary color.
They contrast, but not as strongly as complementary colors.

Triad Colors
Triad color schemes use three colors equally spaced on the color wheel. To create
harmony in triad color schemes, select one hue as dominant and mix a little of it with
the other two.

Analogous Colors
Analogous colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. These colors share
enough common attributes that they can work well with each other. They provide
little contrast.

The Color Wheel

An important graphic tool for creating color combinations, the color wheel is a
circular arrangement of the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. It visually
illustrates color “temperature” — warm vs. cool — as vital psychological components
in delivering a specific color’s message. Colors are perceived as warm or cool
because of ancient and universal associations. Red, orange, and yellow are
associated with the warmth of fire and sun, while blue, green, and violet connect in
the mind’s eye with the coolness of the sea, sky, foliage, and outer space.

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By Leatrice Eiseman

Of all the forms of non-verbal communication, color is the most instantaneous

method of conveying messages and meanings. Before humans learned to appreciate
the aesthetics of color, there were far more practical aspects of communicating with
color. Our very survival depends on the ability to identify necessary objects or
warning signals whether they are animal, vegetable, or mineral, and color is an
integral part of the identification process.

Among other uses, color stimulates and works synergistically with all of the senses,
symbolizes abstract concepts and thoughts, expresses fantasy or wish fulfillment,
recalls another time or place, and produces an aesthetic or emotional response.

There is no better place to judge the effectiveness of color than in the marketplace
where it is a vital key in communicating a positive, enticing, and irresistible image to
a product. Often called the “silent salesperson,” color must immediately attract the
consumer’s eye, convey the message of what the product is all about, create a brand
identity, and most importantly, help to make the sale. At the very least (as on a web
page or in a print ad), it must create enough interest or curiosity to induce the
would-be buyer to find out more about the product (or service).

For truly effective marketing, package colors must satisfy a “wish fulfillment” or need
that the product promises to fulfill. For example: products offering sweet taste or
sweet scents should be featured in pink, peach, cream, or lavender, while the
promise of cool refreshment should be an icy blue, green, or blue-green. Each color
family conveys specific moods and associations that become part of the symbology
that is critical in marketing the product or company image.

Other sources for color Management.

http://kuler.adobe.com/
This is an excellent source for gathering and viewing color harmonies, sent in by all
types of designers. These can be downloaded and saved as themes.
This site bases its schemes on 5 colors, so combining 2 or more schemes may be
required depending on the scope of the project. This is a good starting point, for
those that need inspiration or are searching for a mood in their graphics.

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PRESENTATION
INFORMATION

http://www.easyrgb.com/index.html
This is another good source for color schemes. It bases more color to the core color
selected. Allowing you to use 2 or more core colors and finding Analogous colors
adjacent to each other on the color wheel. These colors share enough common
attributes that they can work well with each other.

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PRESENTATION
INFORMATION

Confining a color to a particular feature or usage will give greater emphasis to that
feature. Repeating a color too many times can create a distraction or dilution of
attention.

Designers in the industry approach the conveying of color in many different ways.
There seems to be no universal system, some offer extensive pantone standards
and others only supply swatches of material to work of from.
The better the designer is at conveying color to a trade standard such as the
pantone systems of color for inks, textiles (cotton) and other fabrics the easier it is
to be reproduced correctly.

Summary
The extensive use of colors needs to be carefully examined before starting into a project.
Choosing a color range, limiting the palette helps to control the final outcome and
convey an overall tone of the project. Starting into a project without first selecting colors
will only add to the time it will take to achieve the look or feel you are intending it to be.
Choose your color scheme first and then stay within that theme when you work through
the project. Manage your color first.

Student Activities
Using the resources provided the student will choose a color palette from which they
will use this scheme in their creation of a graphic presentation “Tech Pack.”