Color Selection Considerations

Color can play a role in whether signs contrast or harmonize with the sign environment. For those projects where navigation decisions must be quickly and easily made, such as transportation facilities, a goal may be to make the signs stand out from their surrounding environment so that they can be easily distinguished, read, and acted upon. In such cases, color can be one of the most obvious factors to set the sign program apart from its surrounding environment. For other projects, a goal may be to make the sign program blend in more closely with its setting, which can be achieved through the use of sign colors that harmonize with the environmental setting. In general, depending on the overall color palette of a given sign environment, bright, saturated colors can enliven and stand out from the environment, and neutral, more subtle colors can blend with or recede from the environment.

Color can also play roles in augmenting the meaning of sign messages and in distinguishing sign messages from one another. Obvious ways color can augment the meaning of a message is when the color red is used for warning or emergency messages, and yellow is used for attention-getting messages. Color can be used for either the message graphics themselves (the figure) or the message background (the ground). Sometimes color is used in other graphic elements such as squares, bars, or circles to augment or distinguish sign messages.

Color Coding

The use of color to communicate the meaning in sign graphics leads to the topic of color coding, which will be discussed briefly here. Color-coding links to a given message with a given color to reinforce the message and to distinguish it from other messages. For color-coding to be effective in signage, a message and color must be linked, because color by itself is too ambiguous to communicate a specific message clearly.

One of the few instances where color alone communicates a clear message is with traffic signals, but that’s because the driving population worldwide has been trained over time to stop on red and go on green. Yet even this clear-cut response doesn’t translate to uses of red and green in signage. For example, in many countries, green is used for exit sign graphics because of its association with the concept of go, as in “Go out.” Red is used for exit sign graphics because of its association with danger, warning, and emergency, regardless of it seeming illogic that red is also associated with the concept of stop, as in “Do not proceed through this exit.” There are two points here: first, the meanings associated with colours are learned and, second, that those meanings vary with geographical location and culture.

At the top, the rich cash their stock, while the worker toils at the assembly line (centre) and the unemployed (below) are kept in check by the military. The ‘little man’ drawn by Arntz here returns in the visual statistics as the Isotype pictogram of the unemployed with his bent head.

To see more Arntz’ work see gerdarntz.org

Non-written visual language is an important part of my project. Signs and wayfinding must accomodate people of many languages. Icons and symbols are so important in environmental graphics. We rely on these signifiers everyday, they’re simplicity is often overlooked. Can you imagine a world with no signs?..

When does graphic design originate??? Or who invented it? From my study of the subject, graphic design or VISUAL COMMUNICATION has been around for thousands of years…some of the most historical remnants still visible today are cave paintings and the ancient egyptian hiroglyphics. I particularly love the hiroglyphics; they resemble modern pictograms in a way. It has been increasingly important for me to learn more about the history of communication for the benefit of my project. Creating visuals whether it be for a public space, a retail outlet or an art campaign is all about communicating a message. Signs also play an important part in navigating the viewer to another location of to take action, ie an ad campaign.

Above: Painting by Paul Klee, a cubist painter; his work reflects his childlike behaviour. He also taught at the Bauhaus school with Kadinsky and Bayer. I bloody love all the shapes.

HERBERT BAYER: One of the founders of the Bauhaus movement. The above is an invitation he designed for one of Kadinskys exhibition and a photo-montage.

The above work is by RODCHENKO, a russian constructivist. I admire his use of people and life in his work. They make a real social statement.

Latley I have been spending a lot of time taking more notice of road signs. They are a major part of wayfinding and contribute to environmental graphic design. It’s clear to see that road signs in general are based on simple recognizable geometrical forms and bold colours…. known characteristics of the bauhaus movement. I find it interesting that a simple white line on a road has so much control over people…. I know I will take much inspiration from environmental graphic design for use in my project; men enjoy driving, wayfinding and navigating, they understand and relate to environmental information. Perhaps retail graphics could incorporate a more male friendly wayfinding system.

http://exartispublishers.com/tg_preview_07_30_07.pdf

Over the Easter break I felt the need to free myself up a little and started with some mark making using poster paint, bits of paper and newspaper. I want my project to have a bauhaus feel about it that utilises strong colour, shape and form; something I feel that retail spaces are lacking.