Make Sound Color Choices Now in an updated Fourth Edition, Understanding Color helps you connect the dots between your emotional, intuitive responses to color and the theories that explain them. From this authoritative and easy-to-follow resource, you'll learn how to use color more comfortably, creatively, and effectively than ever before. Take your work to the next level by exploring how different light sources affect color rendition, how placement changes color, how to avoid costly color mistakes, and how to resolve the color problems that frequently confront design professionals. This edition is full of powerful new features that reflect the latest issues in color and design, including: * Expanded and revised content in nearly 35% of the book. * Coverage of a broad range of design disciplines. * Ideas from the major color theorists that reinforce content, rather than emphasizing what is correct or incorrect. * Discussion of color created by traditional media and digital design, and the issues that arise when design moves from one medium to another. * Innovative coverage of color marketing issues. * Helpful tips for using color in the working environment. * An online workbook with valuable exercises that reinforce color concepts. Understanding Color, Fourth Edition is an unparalleled source of authoritative information and practical solutions for students and professionals in all fields of design.

Table of Contents:
Dedication Acknowledgments Preface Contents Chapter 1 An Introduction to Color Study The Experience of Color 2 Color Awareness 4 The Uses of Color 7 Color-Order Systems 8 Color Study 12 Chapter 2 A Little Light on the Subject Light 18 Additive Color: Mixing Light 20 Lamps 22 Lighting Level 25 Vision 26 The Illuminant Mode of Vision 27 The Object Mode of Vision 27 Subtractive Color: Colorants 28 Lamps and Color Rendition 31 Metamerism and Matching 32 Modifying Light: Surface 33 Transparent, Opaque, and Translucent 36 Iridescence 36 Luminosity 37 Indirect Light, Indirect Color 37 Modifying Light: Filters 38 Chapter 3 The Human Element The Sensation of Color 44 Threshold 46 Intervals 46 The Perception of Color 49 Physiology: Responding to Light 50 Healing and Color 53 Synaesthesia 54 Psychology: Responding to Light 54 Naming Colors 55 Color as Language: From Name to Meaning 57 Impressional Color 61 Color as Words Alone 61 Chapter 4 The Vocabulary of Color Hue 69 The Artists Spectrum 71 Primary, Secondary, and Intermediate Colors 72 Saturated Color 72 Other Spectrums, Other Primaries 73 Chromatic Scales 74 Cool and Warm Colors 74 Analogous Colors 75 Complementary Colors 76 Tertiary Colors: Chromatic Neutrals 77 Black, White, Gray 78 Value 79 Value and Image 79 Transposing Image 81 Pure Hues and Value 82 Tints and Shades 83 Monochromatic Value Scales 84 Comparing Value in Different Hues 86 Saturation 87 Saturation: Diluting Pure Hues with Gray 87 Saturation: Diluting Pure Hues with the Complement 88 Tone 90 Chapter 5 The Instability of Colors The Instability of Colors 94 Color Composition 95 Ground and Carried Colors 96 Placement and Color Change 97 Equilibrium 98 Simultaneous Contrast 99 Afterimage and Contrast Reversal 101 Complementary Contrast 102 Ground Subtraction 104 Color and Area: Small, Medium, Large 107 Chapter 6 Illusion and Impression Optical Illusions 112 Color Illusions 113 The Illusion of Depth 113 Spatial Effects of Colors 116 Transparence Illusion 118 Fluting 121 Vibration 122 Vanishing Boundaries 123 Luminosity 124 Bezold Effect 125 Optical Mixes 126 Chapter 7 Color Theory: A Brief History Setting the Stage 132 The Beginnings of Color Theory 133 Color and Controversy 136 The Scientific Model: Color Gets Organized 138 Color by Numbers 142 A New Perspective 145 Chapter 8 Color Harmony In Search of Beauty 150 Intervals and Harmony 152 Hue and Harmony 153 Value and Harmony 154 Saturation and Harmony 156 Major and Minor Themes 158 Some Harmonious Conclusions 159 On Beyond Harmony: Dissonant Colors 160 High-Impact Color 161 The X-tra Factor: Surface and Harmony 162 Chapter 9 Tools of the Trade It s the Real Thing: Color in Product and Print 168 Design Media 171 Artists Media 172 Subtractive Mixing 174 Tinting Strength 176 Color Printing 177 Chapter 10 The Medium of Light Then and Now 187 Images of Light 187 Lost in Translation 189 The Screen Display 192 Color Management 195 Color Display Modes 197 Presentation: Screen and Print 200 Color on the Web 202 Web Color Coding 204 Emerging Media 208 Chapter 11 The Business of Color The Color Industries 213 Producing Color 213 Color Sampling 214 Color Forecasting 215 Color and Product Identity 217 Palettes, Color Cycles, and History 219 Traditional Colors 221 Influences on Palettes 223 Glossary 230 Bibliography 246 Index 252 Online Workbook (www.wiley.com/go/understandingcolor4e)