Something Old. Something new. Something Borrowed That’s Not True About Blue

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 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)

Happy 140th Birthday, Mondrian!

March 7, 2012

“Art is not made for anybody and is, at the same time, for everybody.”-Piet Mondrian

 

Back in 2010 I wrote a blog about Mondrian. At that time there seemed to be a resurgence of products that were inspired by his wonderfully expressive art. Today is the 140th birthday of Piet Mondrian and one that I think is worth celebrating.

 

Here is an excerpt of what I feel to be the reason behind our attraction to Mondrian.

 

We are drawn to the simplicity of the primary palette because it taps into our inner child. The basic shapes and colors together are pleasing without being overly complex.

Happy 140th Birthday, Piet Mondrian!.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 13, 2012

One of my colleagues and former students, Debora House, is a gifted colorist and a remarkable artist, who lives in Sweden. Every year she send us her unconventional and creative Valentines. I want to share this year’s creation with you.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Explore San Francisco’s ColorFest

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.

Marimekko Inked

August 23, 2011

In September’s issue of Dwell, Katja Lindroos takes an inside look at the Marimekko factory in Finland and we get a peek at the color process and steps they take in creating their signature fabrics.

The writer states ”A visit to Marimekko’s 43,000-square-foot factory in Helsinki reveals that its printing process and emphasis on big, bold patterns—which continue to bring the company great success—have changed little over the years.”

  

Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/helsinki-ink.html#ixzz1Vs1YbznU

Sharen Davis Colorful Stylist On The Help

August 16, 2011

Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help is an honest dialogue of what it meant to be the “help” for well-to-do families in rural Mississippi in the 60s. This film is rich both in character and in color.

From a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter comes some color insight from Sharen Davis, costume designer for the film.

“It was tricky because everyone thinks of Mad Men. But that’s about an upper-class Manhattan lifestyle, and this focuses on young women in the South-most of them getting married and having babies…

…I looked at copies of Vogue from the 1960s for inspiration, but it was too sophisticated, so I ended up getting my ideas from Seventeen magazine. It still had that innocent girlie look and lollipop color.”

 

Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan played by Emma Stone, in “straight skirts and subtle prints” is career oriented and her look is a bit different from the other women.

Her longtime friend Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the Southern belle who wears “bright colors and bold prints because she always has to be seen,” while the outsider of the group is Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain) the bombshell. “Celia’s clothes are more fitted and feminine. She does her best to look like Marilyn Monroe.”

Style For Hire

August 12, 2011

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in New York City where I participated in the Style For Hire workshop with Stacy London where I spoke about color theory based on my More Alive With Color concept.

Style for Hire is a group of fashion stylists who are trained and certified by Stacy, her partner Cindy and their team. Stacy is best known as the “honest-beacuse-she-loves-ya TV stylist” of the What Not To Wear duo.

 

Style For Hire stylists are “helping people with unique bodies, tastes, and budgets develop their own sense of style; learn how to dress their body-type; and maximize the investment they make in their wardrobe.”

Dirty Yellow Walls Are The Perfect Pick-Me-Up

August 8, 2011

Someone from Portland, OR had written in about why bright yellow hadn’t worked on her walls. I suggested some thoughts that should be considered no matter where you live in the world, but especially in areas with dull winter days.

Having written seven books on color (soon to be eight and nine) I can tell you that there are many factors in why a color didn’t work for you. First, too much intensity of yellow on all four walls causes a “bounce back” in light reflection–so it is overkill. You should should go for a softer more chamois-type yellow, what in the paint industry is called “dirtying” a color. It still brings the illusion of sunlight, important in the northwest where I live as well. I have yellow throughout the main portion of my home, but it is a color especially formulated for our “neck of the woods” so that it isn’t a shocking blast, but a liveable, nurturing warming hue so necessary for our gray winter days, especially for anyone with SAD syndrome. People come into the home and constantly remark on the warmth and light it conveys.

Forget the ridiculous stories about bright yellow causing aggression or making babies cry more–that was never scientifically proven and is an urban legend, started by a color charlatan who loved to say outrageous things to get attention. It is all in the value and intensity of the color–not just the hue.

Comic Book Colors Then And Now

August 1, 2011

In the 2012 Pantone View Home + Interiors you will find a color palette based on The Comics.

“Cartoons come to life in this effervescent palette called The Comics. Funny paper hues pop off the page in whimsical ways that bring a smile and create the need to take some time to play. Ominous phantom black provides the backdrop for sulphuric yellow and fiery red. A flash of green provokes a strong blue while an inky cyan plays up to the honeysuckle and primrose…”

  

 

This is a far stretch from the comic color palette of long ago. Which comes as no shock with all of the advances in computer technology. Gerry Giovinco gives a thoughtful rationale in his series entitled The Comic Company: True Colors – Part 3. Gerry writes “Color in comic books had a specific look for fifty years prior to the 1980′s. Flat color was the norm and part of the charm of the comic books that I grew up reading. There was just something about that limited palette and those pronounced dots that seemed to define the medium as much as the words and pictures that they illuminated. Others agreed and focused on this idiom when referencing comic art in pop culture.”

Ed Piskor was so inspired by this story that he created a digital palette in Photoshop for those of you who are interested in recreating these colors for your personal projects. Click the image below to go to Ed’s site for more information on Ed and this palette.