24 HOURS
yellow-orange throughout the day
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“In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.” —hans hofmann 2
Introducing Yellow-Orange
Index
Monochromatic Study............................................ 4 Color Schemes.......................................................... 6 Color Inspiration.................................................... 18
24 Hours Yellow-Orange in the Day and Night................22 9 AM..........................................................................24 11 AM.........................................................................28 1 PM........................................................................... 32 3 PM...........................................................................36 5 PM..........................................................................38 7 PM...........................................................................42 9 PM......................................................................... 44 11 PM......................................................................... 48 1 AM........................................................................... 52 3 AM..........................................................................54 5 AM..........................................................................58 7 AM......................................................................... 60
24 Hours In Use Appetizing................................................................66 Environment........................................................... 68 Texture......................................................................70 Color Contrasts...................................................... 77 Pattern Study..........................................................78 Transparency Study...............................................86 Credits.......................................................................92
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Tetrad
yellow-orange, blue-green, red-violet
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Complementary
yellow-orange and blue-violet
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Split Complementary
yellow-orange, blue, violet
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Analogous
top: warm; bottom: cool
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Analogous Studies
tints, tones, and shades
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Tints, tones, and shades are all variations of a pure color, known as a hue. Tints have white added; tones have white and black (grey) added and are also called pastels; shades have black added. Though a few examples are shown here, this is not
at all the full range of tints, tones, and shades: the proportion matters. For instance, a tint with equal parts pure pigment and white will not be as light as one with two parts white to one part pigment, etc.
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Neutrals
derived from complementary colors
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Accented Analogous
surrounding colors and complement
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Color Inspiration
yellow-orange in the world
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The tints, tones, and shades change, but the hue is the same: yelloworange can be seen all throughout the day. It is just as much of a fit 12 hours from high noon; it is a distinct aura of the night as clearly as it is fit for the daytime. When most people think of the night, they think of blacks, blues, purples—bold, deep tones that capture the darkness of the evening. There are some moments, though, where another hue dominates the sky: yellow-orange sneaks in during sunset, dusk, dawn, and sunrise. It sets a thick haze over the atmosphere, filling the air with a distinct glow. Other times, it gleams from a light: the warmth of an incandescent bulb will tint any photographs justslightly-too-warm. Headlights on a car will twinkle at a distance but become blinding up close or at high speed. Through a window, the lights become distorted orbs and reflect back to us as cheap imitations of the sun from the previous day. 24
The reflections of light can be just as dramatic a view, especially in the rain. The light bounces back from the surface with a harsh glare in the center and a gentle glow covering the rest of the view. Sometimes light radiates from the sun itself, but not just midday. It spreads a gentle blanket of warmth over the horizon and slips between the branches of trees, showing a complex graphic silhouette to anyone who cares to look. Evenings may be saturated with the hue, but at dusk, there is a lingering haze. Yellow-orange is 24 Hours, an everyday color with new, darker connotations.
CMYK: 0/33/100/0
ColorAid: YO-HUE
RGB: 251/178/31
Pantone: PMS 109
Hexadecimal: #FBB21F
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9 AM At the start of the traditional workday, everything outside has a pleasant glow. The concrete floors, metal rails, and wooden benches of aboveground subway trains feature tones of yellow-orange... and that’s to say nothing of the platform’s bright safety warning line. The overall color is friendly but still subdued at 9 AM. The neutrals found here can be used in warm, comfortable spaces; they’re familiar colors to interior decorators.
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Concrete & Metal
tetrad scheme
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11 AM By 11:00, the sun is getting close to its peak period in the day. It radiates a soft yellow-orange haze over all surfaces, while the brightest spots in the reflection are nearly white. Depending on which way a window is facing, light shining through can be blinding or gentle; these changes can be seen in the saturation of yelloworange on everything it touches.
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Transit
yellow-orange during the commute
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1 PM When the sky is without clouds, everything outside is bright. There is a distinct contrast between the tones of colors in the shadows and sun; some colors are unadulterated from the shadows and others become richer, bolder shades. This is a time for color metamorphosis. There is a time-dependent object that can be found in the early afternoon: a school bus, coated in a you-can’t-miss-it, full-chroma value of yellow-orange, that becomes a bright part of the outer landscape.
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School Daze This triad uses two soft tints of blue and a yellow-orange neutral, but the red and bright yellow-orange add life to the palette. Here, the light is natural, not artificial.
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24 Hours
Brakelights
Atmosphere
Whiteout
Bricks & Mortar
CMYK: 0/33/100/0
CMYK: 68/71/24/6
CMYK: 4/0/88/0
CMYK: 0/33/100/0
CMYK: 32/73/90/28
RGB: 251/178/31
RGB: 102/89/134
RGB: 254/241/50
RGB: 251/178/31
RGB: 139/74/43
Hexadecimal: #FBB21F
Hexadecimal: #665986
Hexadecimal: #FEF132
Hexadecimal: #FBB21F
Hexadecimal: #8B4A2B
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3 PM When the sky isn’t cloudy, everything outside is bright. There is contrast between the tones of colors in the shadows and sun; some colors are unadulterated from the shadows and others become richer, bolder shades. This is a time for color metamorphosis. There is a time-dependent object that can be found in the early afternoon: a school bus, coated in a you-can’t-miss-it, full-chroma value of yellow-orange, that becomes a bright part of the outer landscape.
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5 PM At the end of the average workday, those in major metropolitan areas are in for a treat: rush hour. In the heart of Manhattan, there are sometimes more taxis on the road than cars. Their bright yellow-orange stands out—unless they’re surrounded by equally-vibrant colors, like all the signage and advertisements in Times Square. Here, the analogous reds and yellows fight for consumers’ attention.
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Times Square, NYC
tetrad scheme
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7 PM Towards the end of a sunset, the world is covered in a warm haze of gold. The sun is still in the bottom of the sky, but many people in buildings turn on artificial lights because that horizon glow isn’t strong enough. City lights twinkle, but the sun-cast glimmer of light on the ground below fades from a high-chroma yelloworange to a deeper, greyer brown.
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9 PM Artificial lights create the night’s ambiance. Fluorescent bulbs give off a yellowed, warm glow that spreads through the air. On rainy nights, everything turns gold as the bulbs reflect in shallow puddles, dispersing the color even further across the ground. There are near-white colors near the centers of the lights and heavy shadows where they don’t reach; a large gamut of yellow-orange can be seen.
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Light Up My Life This color triad will get noticed: the highly saturated colors have a strong contrast with the dark Sleeping Streets.
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Sleeping Streets
Dewdrop
24 Hours
Everglow
Umbrella
CMYK: 69/66/69/81
CMYK: 70/0/29/0
CMYK: 4/0/88/0
CMYK: 0/91/97/0
CMYK: 93/55/37/15
RGB: 24/21/16
RGB: 0/197/196
RGB: 254/241/50
RGB: 253/54/28
RGB: 7/94/120
Hexadecimal: #17140F
Hexadecimal: #00C5C4
Hexadecimal: #FEF132
Hexadecimal: #FD361C
Hexadecimal: #075E78
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11 PM The day may be over for most, but the night is still young for many others. Yellow-orange is a popular color of nightlife, gracing everything from neon or fluorescent bar signs to the hue of some of the beverages. At this time of day, yellow-orange is just as common indoors as it is outside. For would-be patrons of a bar, the warm lights are a sign that the night will be a good one.
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Shaken, Not Stirred
analogous scheme
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1 AM People walking home at this hour can see a yellow-orange film cast over street signs and the concrete and asphalt below their feet. This isn’t the bright yellow-orange of the day, though; this is a dustier, quieter tone that takes the backseat to the red, yellow, and green of stoplights. Even the white pictogram signaling safe crossing at street intersections is more noticeable—though not as much as the yellow-orange caution hand commanding people not to walk.
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3 AM Streetlamps and security lights are suspended in the air like glowing orbs. Unless the moon is terribly bright, these are the only sources of light at 3 AM. Yellow-orange is not very saturated at this hour; instead, lower-chroma browns coat the ground. On a foggy night, the color permeates through the sky, a heavy haze filling the air.
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Wishing Star These analogous neutrals have different color temperatures. While those on the left appear to be greens, they’re actually formed by adding black to yellow-orange.
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Twilight
Dusky Skies
Glimmer
Drawn in Fog
Rainy Haze
CMYK: 68/59/60/44
CMYK: 46/40/74/14
CMYK: 14/9/53/0
CMYK: 24/29/62/1
CMYK: 51/66/76/58
RGB: 66/68/67
RGB: 134/127/84
RGB: 222/214/143
RGB: 198/173/118
RGB: 73/51/37
Hexadecimal: #414342
Hexadecimal: #867F54
Hexadecimal: #DED68F
Hexadecimal: #C6AD76
Hexadecimal: #493325
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5 AM The late-night crowd may be sleeping in, but some early risers are already starting their days at 5 AM. It is still dark outside, but yellow-orange streams from the windows of those that are getting ready for work or school. The intensity varies: with little to no shade on bulbs inside, there are harsh white lights; with even a simple obstruction, the light is diffused into soft yellow-oranges. A fog on the glass can also influence the tones.
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7 AM The day is finally bright again. On an urban landscape, the sun reflects brightly against all of the buildings’ glassy windows; the color of the reflection changes depending upon the window’s coating, but most commonly, it is a vivid yellow-orange, full of vibrancy and hope for the day. This is a new start, a fresh beginning, with all the dynamic energy of yellow and orange bundled into one brightly-hued day.
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Urban Outfitters
analogous scheme
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Appetizing
yellow-orange as an edible color
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Environment
yellow-orange as a color of nature
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Natural Textures
yellow-orange found in everyday life
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Shimmer Textures
use as an accent to draw attention
Yellow-orange is a popular hue for all sorts of things in nature: everything from tree bark to crunchy leaves, messy puddles of mud, sand blowing down the beach, or even natural items brought indoors, such as in wooden furniture or wall trimmings. For 24 Hours, though, the textures should deal with light. Creases in paper play with shadows as lights bounce off in every direction from glass and metal. As light is reflected,
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it casts glares and shadows on the material underneath, resulting in bold, tactile textures that are best in small doses for emphasis. For textures that make more use of opacity than reflections, the textures may be used at a larger scale. Without the harsh glints and gleams of bright lights, it is easier to appreciate the subtle shifts in tones; tiny imperfections in the textures only add character and depth.
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Texture: Opacity
use in larger spaces for ambiance
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Color Contrasts
hue, light:dark, and saturation
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Pattern Study
inspired by light and yellow-orange
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These pattern designs are inspired by yellow-orange’s interaction with light. The pictoral pattern is inspired by silhouettes and the various layers of depth that they cause. This is an adaptive pattern: so long as the colors are not too dissimilar, it is equally as appropriate for small and large spaces.
The second pattern (this time, a freeform design) plays with gradients and overlapping. Applied colors blend together to create an intricate, rich pattern; however, it is best with limited, similar colors if it is going to be used on a large scale, such as walls.
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Transparency Study
exploring how colors work together
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Credits Color Inspiration: Rain Boots http://nestr.deviantart.com/art/ February-197854631 Color Inspiration: Hallway http://www.flickr.com/photos/ mockstar/62013988
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Palette: Times Square Traffic Blur http://www.flickr.com/photos/ idletype/982233704
Color Inspiration: Nails http://4.bp.blogspot.com/ _VuXCMe11R7I/TJFbodTbl3I/ AAAAAAAAA8Q/fR_YkIgzTKA/ s1600/IMG_2944.jpg
Pattern: Wall with Shelving Unit https://handonhip.files.wordpress. com/2011/02/dscf8840.jpg
Color Inspiration: Dress http://www.trudysprom.com/ images/Flirt-Prom-Dress-P2402s.jpg
Pattern: White Shoes http://www.adidas-womens.com http://www.adidas-mens.com
Palette: Many School Buses http://www.flickr.com/photos/ wheany/2233392126
Color Contrasts: Bulb http://blog.onet.pl/_d/sz/2669962/ 3d_0007.jpg 95
in conclusion
about this book
Color is all around us, but there are times when it goes unappreciated. There is beauty in the way that light affects the constancy color, the way that a color can be so different and unexpected in a new environment.
Made by Stephy Miehle. Created for Michelle Hinebrook’s Color Workshop class at the Pratt Institute’s Manhattan campus in the spring of 2011.
Yellow-orange may not always be tangerine-bright, but it surrounds us— if only people would notice its tints, shades, and tones.
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