Grade 11 Consumer Studies - Design Elements & Principles - Summary

CONSUMER STUDIES
- Grade 11 -



DESIGN ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES
- Colour as a Design Element -



COLOUR AS A DESIGN DESIGN ELEMENTS & APPLICATION OF DESIGN
ELEMENT PRINCIPLES ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES

 Colour Terminology  Design Elements  Choosing Clothing
 Properties  Line, Shape, Form  Designing Interior Spaces
 Classification  Space, Texture, Colour
 Characteristics  Design Principles
 Proportion, Balance
 The Colour Wheel
 Rhythm
 Colour Combinations
 Emphasis, Harmony



INTRODUCTION
White light seems to have no colour. However, it is made up of a combination of 7 different
coloured rays. These are Rainbow Colours (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)
We perceive the colour of an object when white light shines on its surface. The object reflects some
colour and absorbs others. It is the rejected rays of light or wavelengths that are picked up by the
eye. Each wavelength forms a different colour
Colour is an element or property of light. Spectral colours produced by a beam of white light as it
passes through a prism Over 10 million colours identified on the colour spectrum


IMPORTANT COLOUR TERMINOLOGY
 Hue: Another word for colour
 Value: The lightness or darkness of the colour
 Tint: When white is added to a hue
 Shade: When black is added to a hue
 Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a colour
 Complementary Colour: The colour that is directly opposite the colour on the colour wheel
 Chroma: Chroma refers to the purity or intensity of a colour
 Tone: It is created by adding grey to a colour
 Neutral colours: Black, White, Grey and Brown (Often used as Background Colour)

,PROPERTIES OF COLOUR:
VALUE
 Characteristic of Colour
 Value: Lightness or Darkness of Colour
 Lightness or Darkness is created through Tints and Shadows
 Tints: Made by adding White
 Shades: Made by adding Black


INTENSITY OF COLOUR
 Intensity or Chroma refers to the Purity of a Colour
 Highest Intensity = Brightest and Purest
 To Lower Intensity = Add Grey or the Complement of that Hue


CLASSIFICATION OF COLOUR:
PRIMARY COLOURS
 Red, Blue, Yellow
 Cannot be made by combining colours


SECONDARY COLOURS
 Two Primary Colours Combined
 Purple = Blue + Red
 Orange = Red + Yellow
 Green = Blue + Yellow


TERTIARY COLOURS
 Intermediate colours
 Combining a primary colour and a secondary colour
 They are named after the two colours used.
 The name of the primary colour used is always used first when naming the colour.
 Yellow-orange, yellow-green
 Blue-green, blue-purple
 Red-purple, red-orange

, WARM COLOURS
 Red and Yellow side of Colour Wheel
 Action Colours, Feel Happy and Excited
 Objects appear Closer and Larger
 Makes room feel Smaller


COOL COLOURS
 Blue and the colours near blue are seen as cool colours
 Relaxing Colours
 Make things seem Further Away and Smaller
 Makes room feel Larger


COLOUR SYSTEMS/THEORIES:
1. Brewster (Prang System)
2. Munsell System
3. Ostwald System


BREWSTER (PRANG SYSTEM)
 Standard Colour Wheel
 Based on 3 Primary, 3 Secondary and 6 Tertiary Hues
 12 Colours


MUNSELL SYSTEM
 Hue = H
 100 Colours
 Black Value (0) Purest White Value (10)
 Chromatic Colours: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple
 The Fraction: Top Number (Value) Bottom Number (Chroma)
 Describes and Analyses Colour in terms of Hue, Value and Chroma


OSTWALD SYSTEM
 24 Hues, 28 Variations (672 Hues and 8 Neutrals)
 The Configuration is a 3D Double Cone
 Pure White Tops and Black at the bottom
THE COLOUR WHEEL