Something Old. Something new. Something Borrowed That’s Not True About Blue
May 2nd, 2012 § 3 Comments
May 2, 2012
I hope my readers will forgive my taking a moment to vent. I love that there is more information available on the web concerning color psychology, when it is properly vetted and accurate. But I really dislike the propagation of information that is based on old information and urban legends. For example, the following article appeared on a graphic design website . It is attractively done and I am certain that these people mean well, are interested in educating others and are trying to show the importance of color, so please read the following copy and look for my comments at the end.
{BLUE} The color of peace and tranquility. It’s been stated that people are more productive in blue rooms. Although, be careful. It can cause feelings of sadness…we don’t want to cause people to have “A case of the Monday’s”. While blue can calm people, it can also decrease your appetite. People typically stay away from blue foods (aside from blueberries and plums)…blue is usually an indication that something has spoiled or is poisonous. If you want to eat less, eat off of a blue plate.
{FUN BLUE FACT}: In Columbia, Blue is associated with soap. Yep, soap. Can’t get more random than that!
Leatrice Eiseman says:
Love that you are promoting the use of color and helping to educate people about it, but sorry–there are no definitive studies about blue suppressing appetite. As matter of fact, blue china and dinnerware is a big seller all over the world, cobalt blue glasses and glass plates are very popular (think Williams Sonoma and Mexican glassware) so you would think there would lots of thin people as a result, whereas people are getting fatter, especially in U.S. That is an urban legend, especially when blue berry flavors are mixed in smoothies, drinks and with yogurts. There are blue potatoes now, blue corn chips, blue m&ms, blue sweet enticements on cakes and pastries. My advice is not to pick up on the old urban legends without checking more recent and credible info. I have written seven books on color, have three websites and a blog and am always looking at more current info to update the old legends that simply are no longer true.
One more point; as I point out in my books, not all blues speak of serenity. There are electric blues,that, just as the name implies, speak of excitement and high energy.
Enroll Today!
April 19th, 2012 § 2 Comments
April 19, 2012
Dear Color Lover,
My next 4-Day Color/Design class will be held from July 12 through July 15, 2012 in Washington State. I hope you will join us for this exciting training program that will enable you to expand your career (as well as your thinking) into more lucrative and creative color consulting areas.
We are located on Bainbridge Island, a half-hour ferry ride across Puget Sound from Seattle, WA. For now you will need to know that you fly into SEA-TAC International Airport, take a cab or shuttle into Seattle and then take a gorgeous ferry boat ride across the Sound.
A much more detailed information letter will be sent to those of you who register for the class, but if you have any questions or need additional information in order to decide if you would like to attend, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you!
leiseman@nwlink.com
206-842-4456 (Ph)
206-842-6498 (Fax)
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Taiwan Colored Glasses and Bikes
April 12th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
April 12, 2012
We recently returned from Taiwan where I did a color training program for Giant Bikes. They were marvelous hosts and their design teams outstanding in the presentations they did in their workshops. The design director is Edward Chiang and when I had first met him I told him that I thought he had a very famous family name, as in the name of Chiang Kai-Shek, Taiwan’s venerated former political leader. Edward informed me that this was his great-grandfather and that his great grandmother was the famous Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
Many of you will know the Giant brand. They build sturdy and handsome bikes that are sold internationally, so they were most interested in international trends and the psychology of lifestyle in making color decisions. Another specific interest involved their Liv line for women and it too is a quality product.
Liv/giant Avail Inspire – News | Giant Bicycles | United States.
They are very thoughtful and conscientious about their color choices and it was a real delight to work with them. While in Taichung, we also got to see James Soames of Subkarma, co-owner of a fabulous branding company we have worked with in the past. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to connect with his alter-ego and partner, brother Tony Soames, but I had just seen them at the International Housewares Show in Chicago where I do a keynote every year and had asked them to join me on the podium the next day to discuss cultural differences (or similarities) between Asian markets and U.S.
http://www.subkarma.com/lan_en/index.php
As always, we were gifted with some wonderful goodies (that is such a lovely Asian tradition) including a beautiful glass piece from an amazing glass artist name Loretta H. Yang.
Click the image for a link to her spectacular work that truly glows with color.
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What Colors Will Make Me Look Sexy?
March 1st, 2012 § Leave a Comment
March 1, 2012
I wrote in a previous post about a woman’s response to men in red shirts titled Why He’s So Hot where I noted that “Red is a very expressive colour, ” adding that it represents passion, love and sex. Plus, wearing this sensual hue can add a subtle flush to skin tone.”
Today, in the Huffington Post there is an article about women in red titled Red Dress Effect where they share a study out of the University of Rochester in New York state that says “Red dresses muddle men’s minds….” Color studies always fascinate me and this one got me thinking about a question I was asked many years ago, “What colors will make me look sexy?”
Below is my response from The Color Answer Book.
What one person finds appealing, another may not. However, the color that shows up most frequently on color word association tests as the sexiest shade is a vibrant Lipstick Red. It’s a sexual signal that many animals and birds use to attract the opposite sex and, interestingly, humans do as well. They flush and blush, turning red with embarrassment or sexual energy. They use cosmetic enhancements like reddish lips, nails (fingers and toes), and cheeks.
It is the color that most represents sensuality in many cultures as it is often used symbolically to broadcast availability or preparation for marriage and mating rites. The use of red as a sexual signal by primitive tribes for body painting and dyes ultimately translated to a more sophisticated use of sensuous red in modern day makeup and clothing.
Do you wear red to entice the opposite sex? Does wearing red make you feel empowered?
For more on the psychology of color you might be interested in Color: Messages and Meanings.
Red Dress Effect: Women In Red Deemed Open To Sexual Advances, Study Of Men Shows.
Milky Way White Like Snow Falling On Cedars In The Late Day
January 19th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
January 19, 2012
In my book Color: Messages and Meanings, I discuss color families and the messages they are sending. In color studies white is described as pure and pristine. As in the utter quiet of falling show, white expresses silence and the almost total lack of sound. It is a conciliatory color which is why the following study of the Milky Way is so fascinating.
In the article from BBCnews.com, Jeffrey Newman of the University of Pittsburgh elaborates on the importance of color to astronomers.
Astronomers have discovered that it is called the Milky Way for a reason. The actual color is white. Specifically a white “like spring snow at an hour after sunrise or before sunset.”
Jeffrey Newman states that; “For astronomers, one of the most important parameters is actually the colour of the galaxy.”
It isn’t just important to astronomers, it is important to color lovers too!
Click the link at the bottom for more.
BBC News – Astronomers weigh in on Milky Way’s true colours.
Own A Color, Save A Life
December 2nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
December 2, 2011
I think this is a brilliant idea. Color does, indeed, have a powerful presence in our lives. What a wonderful way to support a very worthwhile charity. What color will you pick?
We Are Coming To California
November 7th, 2011 § 4 Comments
November 7, 2011
Dear Color Lover,
Lee’s 4-Day Color/Design class will be held in January 2012 in the Los Angeles area of California. We have set those dates which will be Thursday through Sunday, January 26-29, 2012. We hope you will join us for this exciting training program that will enable you to expand your career (as well as your thinking) into more lucrative and creative color consulting areas. This class will be held in Burbank, California at the Marriott Residence Inn Burbank/Downtown. This Marriott hotel is one of their Residence Inns, so there are small kitchenettes in the rooms. The Marriott has given us a group rate of $129 per night for the class which includes a breakfast buffet. The hotel is very near to the Burbank (Bob Hope) airport.
Lee accepts a maximum of 20 people in the class and registration is on a first come, first served basis.
Required reading prior to class: Leatrice Eiseman’s latest book, “Color: Messages & Meanings, a Pantone Color Resource” will be required reading for the course. It can be purchased through Lee’s own website,www.colorexpert.com, or through www.amazon.com, or ordered from your local bookstore.
If you have any questions or need additional information in order to decide if you would like to attend, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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Red: The Emblem Of Social Responsibility
November 2nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
November 2, 2011
I was asked to speak at a conference on the color Red. I think you might enjoy this event— there are quite a few speakers each bringing their own perspective to the color. In my presentation Keith Recker and I will be sharing excerpts and images of the color RED throughout the 20th Century from the new book Pantone® The 20th Century in Color. I hope to see you there.
From Dior to Valentino, from Yves Saint Laurent to Lanvin, red is an expression of joy, of jubilation, of passion. In the hands of others it is—among many other things—the color of authority, of courage, and of liturgy. It is also a pre-eminent color of body ornament: red lipstick and nail polish are never out of style.
The 13th Annual New York Fashion Conference, RED, will explore the innumerable facets of this color without peer. We will consider the history of this color, and that of the materials from which it has been derived, as well as its symbolism, both as a color in and of itself and integral to patterns such as paisley and tartan. Vintage is a lens through we study this vibrant hue and the important roles it has played at all times and in all cultures; we trace these roles as well as their evolution over time. Not least, we explore the legacies of Diana Vreeland and others, for whom red was not just a color, but a signature.
Bill Buxton Appreciates History
September 6th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
September 6, 2011
Design History Appreciated
by Bill Buxton
Back in 1926, Kodak launched the third generation of its all-black Vest Pocket camera line, the Series III. It sold well, but the company wanted to expand the market and make the camera appeal to women as well as men. To help with this, Kodak turned to designer Walter Dorwin Teague. His concept was to release essentially the same camera but in five distinct and different colors packaged in color-matched satin-lined boxes. This version of the camera was released in April 1928 under the name Vanity Kodak.
1928 Vanity Kodak ad
In 2003, Apple Computer launched the third generation of its all-white MP3 music player, the iPod. It sold well, but the company wanted to expand the market and make the iPod appeal to women as well as men. To help with this, Apple turned to its lead designer, Jonathan Ive. His concept was to release a smaller version of its MP3 player in five distinct and different colors. This version of the iPod was released in January 2004 under the name iPod Mini.
2004 iPod Mini ad
One started from black, the other from white. The strategies were the same, the numbers the same and the colors the same.
Walter Dorwin Teague was Chuck Berry to Jonathan Ive’s Keith Richards. It was a matter of respect and inspiration, not plagiarism or copying. It was also an act that increases, rather than diminishes, the respect due to Ive, since designers are measured by who they quote in their designs, how and when.
Explore San Francisco’s ColorFest
August 26th, 2011 § 1 Comment
August 26, 2011
My son Ben frequently sends me interesting articles on color from his neck of the woods in San Francisco. I thought it was a good time to share this as this exhibit will be ending on September 5th. If you have an interest in color and are looking to have a fun day out with the family go and check out Exploratorium’s Colorfest.
Colorfest includes “everything from the physics and perception of color to the use of natural ingredients to make dyes.”
If you have gone to this exhibit please share your thoughts and experiences here.
Exploratoriums ColorFest sheds light on color.
