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COLOR THEORY PORTFOLIO JENNIFER LUIS
APPLICATIONS FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IND5325 | SUMMER 2015 INSTRUCTOR: DARCI PAPPANO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9
M10 M11 M12
INTRODUCTION OF SELF SPATIAL COLOR REACTION COLOR + THEORY COLOR + DESIGNERS COLOR + ENVIRONMENT COLOR + BALANCE COLOR + RHYTHM COLOR + EMPHASIS COLOR + PROPORTION + SCALE COLOR + UNITY + HARMONY COLOR + VARIETY
7 11 15 19 29 37 41 45 55
59 COLOR + CULTURE 67 CONCLUSION 75 REFERENCES 77
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M1
INTRODUCTION TO SELF
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My name is Jennifer Luis. I am Cuban and lived 8 years in Costa Rica before coming to Miami. I’m a student at Florida International University pursuing a major in the architecture field. I am currently working in the Government Documents section of the university’s library, as well as assisting an architect in the elaboration of construction drawings for remodeling of residences and businesses. Along with a partner, I am involved in organizing our university’s Eco-Couture Recycled Fashion Show. This has really become a huge interest in my life and as a consequence I actively work in designing and constructing pieces with unconventional materials as a way to test them and exercise creativity. Another interest of mine is that one of illustrating life situations as they happen. I never kept a diary as a little girl, but I think that now as an adult one could say my illustrations are just that. As it would be expected, I suppose, I enjoy drawing and sketching- I’ve always been inclined to adding some type of hand drawn element as part of my design board because I strongly believe that they can be quite attractive and enriching to a presentation.
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FASHION
INTERESTS ARCHITECTURE
ILLUSTRATION
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SPATIAL COLOR REACTION
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THE SPATIAL USE OF COLOR IN EARLY MODERNISM
This article speaks about the influence of color in early modernism and starts by defining to the reader what such word meant; it describes Modernism as evoking an “image of white, cubic, abstract buildings” without the historic style of the past. Klinkhammer tells us how the print media of the time was of great influence in portraying early modernism as antipolychrome, which was one of the ‘major misunderstandings of Early Modernism’ because the most important figures of the movement “used color as an inherent means of space-designing” in their own way.
Taut is recognized to have introduced polychrome architecture in the early twenties be-
cause of his previous relation with painting, which translates into the Gardencity Falkenberg located near Berlin. This project is seen from a social point of view and it was the “first housing development” that had a strong use of polychromy in its exterior. Such use of color in the housing helped break the monotony of the houses and added a rhythm to it. Taut’s work was cohesive in the use of elements that had the same color in order to demonstrate a “collective identity” of the whole.
When Le Corbusier first started to use color as a space designing element was when
writing his Polychromie Architecturale. He believed in that polychromy had to be regulated and that it “consisted of colors that [possessed] constructional qualities and can be called architectural colors.” His first use of polychrome architecture was in in Villa La Roche, where he uses color to modify the space keeping in mind the goals of “Polychromie architecturale,” which are: camouflage, to create tension and ambiance and to create space. 12
It was a Dutch group founded by Theo van Doesburg, who believed in a “radical reduc-
tion of color to abstract basic elements” in which the ultimate goal was for art to “follow only its own ‘objective’ rules.” Van Doesburg’s answer in reference to the relation of form and color is that “architecture is a constructional closed plastic” while “modern painting is an open plastic.” He stated that because both were so different in their own nature they could be “[linked harmoniously.” The main colors they used were the three primary colors, and white, black and gray. As Klinkhammer says, the De Stijl left the Schroeder house as their “built manifesto” because it shows what they believed in.
The
Bauhaus was founded by architect Walter Gropius in 1919 and it was seen as a “melting pot” of all the previous movements already talked about in regards to polychrome architecture and there were “three phases of wall painting” that emerged from the institution. It first was under the direction of Oskar Schlemmer and Johannes Itten, then Wassily Kandinsky which he applied artistic wall paintings directly to the architecture, and later under Hinner Scheper, the wallpainting turned into being a more functional way of designing without the decoration. Before all this there had been a school under the Bauhaus director of the wall painting shop Alfred Arndt, and he used color as “a tool of space organization, to subdivide and classify the space” seen in the example of the house Auerbach. In conclusion, through this article one can understand more in depth how color has played a role in the development of different movements and how each movement targeted the issue with color and how to use it. Color was used as a way of changing a social perspective or as simply a way of defining a space without taking into account the social element. It was very educational learning more of how the color influences the interior of the spaces, just as much as the outside and how the manipulation of such colors in different spaces can come to evoke a different perception of the space.
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COLOR + THEORY
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Assignment consisted of reading Chapter 1: Color + Theory to learn the basics about color and relationships.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS - Color theory is the study of principle to understand color. - The human eye can see colored light in the “visible spectrum.� - The two basic types of color mixing are additive color and subtractive color. - Additive color comes from combining the three primaries of light (red, blue, and green). - Subtractive color are formed by combining the three primary pigments of red, blue, and yellow). - Reflection, diffraction and refracion are the properties of light. - Chromatic colors are all colors except black white and gray. - Achromatic colors are black, white and gray.
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REFLECTION
DIFFRACTION
REFRACTION
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COLOR + DESIGNERS
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STEVEN HOLL Born in 1947; American architect and watecolorist. His practice, Steven
Holl Architects, is based in New York. Graduated from the University of Washington, and studied architecture in Rome in 1970. In 1976 attended graduate school in London and later went to New York City to establish his firm. Holl teaches in Columbia University since 1981. Holl’s architecture has undergone a shift in emphasis from typology to phenomenological approach. AWARDS:
Alvar Aalto Medal, BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, AIA Gold Medal
NOTABLE BUILDINGS:
Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum in Helsinki, Simmon’s Hall of MIT, Pratt Institute Higgings Hall in Brooklyn, NY.
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CHAPEL OF ST. IGNATIUS
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Architect:
Steven Holl (Steven Holl Architects)
“...A GATHERING OF DIFFERENT LIGHTS.”
Client:
The Seattle University Program:
Jesuit chapel for the campus Location:
Seattle University, Seattle Washington, United States Completed:1997
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“The design concept of the chapel reflects influences and concepts
from The Spiritual Exercises, which Ignatius wrote as a guidebook for teaching... a person through an extensive process of personal prayer and discernment. Which helps the person to discern among various interior lights and darknesses.” That was the main inspiration for Holl’s design concept, a constant shifting of interior movements.
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The different areas of the chapel are divided in the seven
vessels of light which invite the worshippers into deeper engagements with the sacred. To the right one can see how the spaces are divided and which light corresponds to each specific area.
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The chapel solid forms are being transformed because of the positioning of the windows and
the light that comes in. An example of this is seen in the Alaskan cedar doors of the main entrance to the chapel that contains seven large glass discs that have been set at different angles into the doors.
They represent that the doors are always open, “granting power to see through conventional barriers.� During the day the doors glow because of the sunlight refracting off them, and during the night the doors transmit light outward through the discs.
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“Light
passes into the chapel through several openings that demarcate interior spaces corresponding to particular moments or aspects of worship.�
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A baffle is constructed opposite the large window of
each “bottle of light.” Each of the baffles is back painted in a bright color; only the reflected color can be seen from within the chapel. This colored light pulses with life when a cloud passes over the sun. Each bottle combines the reflected color with a colored lens of the complementary color.
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oll consider’s the chapel’s seventh vessel of light to be the bell tower because it a ”beckons all people into a sense of pilgrimage or sacred procession.” The tower is surrounded by a grass referred as “thinking field” and a reflection pool. These are important to the chapel since they serve as sites for prayer and reflection.
T
he concept of this project, the “Seven Bottles of Light in a Stone Box” is quite interesting and educational to learn how Steven Holl used it into the completed product that is the chapel. All of the ideas worked so perfectly to create a harmony in the areas with the colors shining through the chapel. The use of natural light to illuminate the interiors and the use of artificial light for the chapel to be a beacon during the night time gives the project a lot more importance and beauty. Steven Holl truly paid attention to the details and studied Ignatius and his books because the concept and his beliefs are reflected through the entire building.
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COLOR + ENVIRONMENT
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Assignment consisted watching a movie in order to analyze its color palette and how it influenced the film.
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AMELIE
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COLOR
ABOUT
The story of Amélie is the one of a young woman who is living in Paris
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struggling with discovering herself and eventually finds love along the way. One day she finds a box with memories of a child and decides to give it to the man it belongs to. After seeing how happy it made the man, and how that caused him to reflect on his life and take action to change it for the better, Amélie then decides to become a “regular do-gooder” and help people around her change their lives for the better.
The director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet decided to work primarily with warmer colors such as different hues of yellow and reds; the use of green is also evident. The film employs of Digital Intermediate, which is a process that permits the manipulation of colors to emphasize parts of the film through the use of color filters.
YELLOW/GOLDEN Warmth, Happiness
This color in the opening scene showing Paris gives
it a whimsical, dreamy quality to the film. It is used in various moments throughout the movie to portray those moments and it is in the closing scene to show in a visual manner how Amelie found love and everything got resolved.
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GREEN Hope, Nature
It is a great color to create contrast to the warmer
ones. It produces calmness and assures the viewer that everything will be alright for AmÊlie. The director paid close attention to the character’s wardrobe since green, as well as red, was always part of her clothes. In the second image the gree in her clothes give the scene a calmness and brings hope, especially since she is with her father and teaches him to go and travel just like he wanted and not dwell at home in the thoughts of his wife’s death.
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RED Love, Passion, Energy
Predominant color in the film, it was used in scenes
such as the ones on the right, and in clothing items of the characters. It symbolizes the passion that AmĂŠlie has and how she finds love. It was used to show her mood in the movie.
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M6
COLOR + BALANCE
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Assignment consisted of reading Chapter 3: Color + Balance to learn how different hues related to one another.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS - Balance is the relationship of different hues to one another when each is perceived to be equal in weight. - Value contrast, hue balance, intensity, and size of color area are the types of color balance. - Symmetry, asymmetry, and radial balance are the types of spatial balance. - Symmetry: arangement of element of the same shape that are equally balanced on an axis. - Asymmetry: elements of equal color weight with varying shape and size on either side of an axis. - Radial Balance: equal rotation of elements around central axis.
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SYMMETRY
ASYMMETRY
RADIAL BALANCE
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DOMINANT
SECONDARY
SECONDARY
ACCENT 1
ACCENT 2
DOMINANT
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EXERCISING 60-30-10 RULE This was a fun exercise that let us take charge of the decision proces of designing a room. The use of the 60-30-10 rule of design made it a lot easier to work with. The rule states that 60% of the room must be dominant, 30% secondary and 10% accent colors. I chose the palette on the left to work with and tried to recreate it on the image to the right. I think it is a calm room, serious, elegant, but yet it has some excitement depicted on the couches and the frame that rests on the wall.
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M7
COLOR + RHYTHM
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Assignment consisted of reading Chapter 4: Color + Rhythm to learn about rhythm and how its design can affect the user.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS - Rhythm is a natural evolutionary trait in nature, , the repetition, recurrence, or sequencing of something, and a progression of shape and size. - Repetition: systematic orderly succession of identical design elements along a defined path in space. - Alternation: two distinctly different design elements are repeated in sequence. - Progression: repetition of similar elements with a continuous change. - Continuation: the placement of one or more colors to create a continuous movement of the eye through a space. - Radiation: concentric color arrangement to create visual movement.
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ALTERNATION
CONTINUATION
RADIATION
PROGRESSION
REPETITION
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COLOR + EMPHASIS
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ABOUT
The Limited is an iconic fashion retailer that offers high-quality,
private-label apparel designed to help the modern woman succeed.
It was founded in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio. Since then the store has served
generations of women with an array of trend-right American styles. The Limited was the foundation brand for Limited Brands, Inc., and remained part of that enterprise until August 2007 when it was acquired by the investment firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
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THE LIMITED
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The store has a clearly identifiable contrast of mainly black and
white. The store front depicts this very clearly in its use of a white exterior with black frames emphasizing the display windows, which in the interior translate to shelves and frames that emphasize the clothing items. Once one enters, the color red pops out in various sections of the store to create an accent and draw attention to the items; in the case of the picture of the right, the red brings the attention to the end of the store where the cashiers are located, making it easy for customers to find it.
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CONTRAST OF HUE
The store has a clearly identifiable contrast of mainly black
and white. The store front depicts this very clearly in its use of a white exterior with black frames emphasizing the display windows, which in the interior translate to shelves and frames that emphasize the clothing items. Once one enters, the color red pops out in various sections of the store to create an accent and draw attention to the items; in the case of the picture of the right, the red brings the attention to the end of the store where the cashiers are located, making it easy for customers to find it.
CONTRAST OF VALUE
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A clear design feature is the back wall of the store that has the
sign of it, The Limited. There is no feature like this one anywhere else in the store and because of that it makes a great contrast with the overall design and in a simple way draws the viewer in. In the image of the right there is highlighted a black threshold that I found to be a good design feature because it was clear where it made the transition from one section of the store to the other.
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CONTRAST OF A DESIGN FEATURE
In this particular section of the store there was an obvious con-
trast of texture in the use of materials, in the left image we can see how the center of the wall is occupied by a large square of wood panel that have shelves to show the products; the wood panels contrast with the white of the walls and ceiling, as well as with the previously analyzed feature of the black frames. In the right image is an example of the change of floors from one section to the other with the threshold black wooden flooring in the middle.
CONTRAST OF TEXTURE
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The focal point of The Limited is the display of its products in an
efficient manner so they can catch the attention of those passing by to then enter and shop in the store. The Limited accomplishes this in a very elegant way and with a simple style, easy enough for the viewer to digest and take it all in. As in the points discussed before, it is clear that the goal is to showcase the products and this is why they frame them and highlight them with a varied use of materials and design strategies.
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FOCAL POINT
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M9
COLOR + PROPORTION + SCALE COLOR + UNITY + HARMONY
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Assignment consisted of reading Chapter 6: Color + Proportion + Scale and Chapter 7: Color + Unity + Harmony to learn about making right design decisions while taking into account proportion and scale and maintaining a harmonious design.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS - Proportion is concerned with the relative size of space and scale is concerned with the relationships of various parts. - Scale involves the size of a shape in relation to a given known, usually the body. - Golden section: the ratio between the smaller and larger parts is the same as the ration of the larger part to the whole. - Fibonacci sequence: a sequence of numbers where each successive number is the sum of the two previous numbers. - Color contrast and spatial volume must work together to create the intended effects for the spaces purposes and its users. - Grids are helpful in expressing the proportions of a color palette. - Colors have a visual weight: white is light and black is heavy. - Unity can be defined as the repetition of color to achieve a unified whole. - Color is the personality of a design element.
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GOLDEN SECTION
FIBONACCI SEQUENCE LE MODULOR
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COLOR + VARIETY
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Assignment consisted of visiting a hotel in order to document and analyze elements of design in it.
Variety is a principle of design that is concerned with the combination of one or more color elements that use line, shape, texture, and/or pattern to create diversity and contrast in an interior space.
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THE EPIC
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COLOR + LINE The design of the hotel has a very strong design on verticality, it is present since the moment one steps foot on the building. Such design strategy of using this linear elements work perfectly to make the space feel bigger, adding to its elegance and grandeur. These elements are seen in many spaces on the lobby, the columns, the wall design, the floor and even the doors; it is not overwhelming to the person since it was done in a clean manner.
COLOR + SHAPE The design of the lobby and entire space is mostly linear as it was previously discussed, however there are two curved walls that intersect each other and add strength to the overall design. They both reflect the design of the residences of the higher floors of the building.
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LOBBY
COLOR + TEXTURE The color palette chosen for the interior is beiges, dark browns and whites with an accent of orange-gold that was used in the lighting mainly. The image shows the two curved elements which have different materials; the larger curved wall is of a light stone which makes the room appear larger as it curves, and the other are dark wooden panels to bring hierarchy to the entrance directed by the larger curve as well as to point the lobby underneath (not pictured).
COLOR + PATTERN The lines on the floor of the lobby are a very strong element and at the same time, even though very present, they are not overwhelming and unite the overall design. The direct views to the lobby, to the gathering seating areas that are nearby, and to the lounge.
LOBBY
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COLOR + LINE The design of the lounge is very curvilinear which makes the space a fluid environment and allows for people’s sight to wander throghout the entire room.
COLOR + SHAPE The room’s primarily shapes are curvilinear elements, such as the bar and the opening of it on the second floor, as well as the curved chairs that in a way cover the person and keeps them in that place. These curved elements are of great constant with the vertical movement that occurs in circulation from the first floor to the second, and vice versa.
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LILT LOUNGE
COLOR + TEXTURE The lounge is formed mainly by the colors pink, purple, white and gray which makes the space somewhat of a relax and calm environment, as well as fun. The most notable use of texture is the white columns which have been cladded with a rough material, however because of the color it doesn’t overwhelm the room and keeps the peace in the space.
COLOR + PATTERN The area has a lot of patterns but these work together so harmoniously that they do not overwhelm our experience in the room. There is a pattern on the edge of the mezzanine, around the bar, and under the stairs. They all are different but do not clash with each other.
LILT LOUNGE
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COLOR + CULTURE
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CUBA
ISRAEL
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The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different factors and influences.
The island is a meeting point of European, African, Chinese, and continental North American Cultures. Also, the Cuban Revolution of 1959 affected the culture in a great manner.
The music of Cuba, instruments and dances, are mostly of European and Af-
rican origin. One of the most known rhythmic fusions in Cuban music is the son. Others are the habanera, guaracha, and the danzón. In sports, baseball is the most popular sport in Cuba. The traditional Cuban food is a mixture of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. The most popular are black beans, rice and meat. Cuba’s religion has changed over the years, a part of Cubans are Catholic, but the country is primarily of Christian belief.
The island is a great tourism industry that provides over 3 million arrivals
per year. This because of its favorable climate, beaches and colonial architecture and distinct cultural history. The resort town of Varadero in the province of Matanzas is one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean.
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CUBA
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The Land of Israel is one of the several names given to this area of indefinite
geographical extension in the Southern Levant. The Jewish religious belief is that the area is a God-given inheritance of the Jewish people, and can be found in the books of Genesis and Exodus.
Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of the State of Israel, howev-
er, there are over 83 languages spoken in the country. The classical music in Israel has been very present since the 1930s. The Hora and dances incorporating the Yemenite step are traditional folk dances of Israel.
Israel has the highest number of museums per capital in the world that welcome millions of visitors annually. Jerusalem’s Israel Museum has a special pavilion showcasing the Dead Sea scrolls and a large collection of Jewish religious art, Israeli art, sculptures and Old Masters paintings.
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ISRAEL
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CONCLUSION
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This course has been a very enriching experience where I
have learned valuable lessons in regards to color and interior design that I expect to use in the design classes and years to come. It was a lot of important and useful information condensed in six short weeks. One could only hope the course was longer to have more time to study and be able of visiting more places to understand how color plays a part in every aspect of design.
The modules of this course that I believe taught me the most
were the ones that put into practice what we had learned. For example when we were asked to watch a movie and to go to a hotel and analyze its interior. Sometimes one is so involved in the routine of daily life and take color and design for granted, I am glad this course pulled me back to pay more attention to those moments.
Thank you for the journey.
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CONCLUSION
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Pages 12-13 Klinkhammer, Barbara. “The Spatial Use of Color in Early Modernism.�
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Steven Holl, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Holl Holl, Steven. The Chapel of St. Ignatius. Princenton Architectural Press, New York. 1999 Minner, Kelly. AD Classics: Chapel of St. Ignatius/Steven Holl Architects. March 2011 http://www.archdaily.com/115855/ad-classics-chapel-of-st-ignatius-steven-holl-architects
M8 www.thelimited.com
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https://www.wikipedia.org/ Color + Design: Transforming Interior Space by Ron Reed
REFERENCES
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