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Course name:
Visual Language & Grammer - Color

Course code: 


VLG 02

Learning hours:
2 hours 
Mentor to the course: 
Mr. Dharam
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Definition & Understanding

of Colour, Structure &
meaning
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Introduction
Understanding the properties of
colour both in print and on-screen
is essential when ascribing colour
values to elements of a design.
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Colour can be perceived both in

The meaning
of colors
Colour’s Colour’s
physiological cultural/ social
effect significance.
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The meaning
of colors
Colour’s Colour’s
physiological cultural/ social
effect significance.

Two of the six coloured drinks shown to the

participants from the UK and Taiwan in a study
by Shankar. The results of this cross-cultural
study demonstrated that exactly the physically
same food colour can evoke qualitatively
sensory different expectations as far as the
likely flavour of a drink might be in consumers
from different countries.

https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/ar-
ticles/10.1186/s13411-015-0031-3
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Colour is associated with various

emotional states: green with envy;
yellow with ecstasy; and blue with
grief.

Envy Ecstasy Grief

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Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.
 10

Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.
 11

Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance Colour can organise Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication and categorise nations as in the
and adding visual city, data, media etc. imbuing it with elements through the Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. use of a colour coding what it represents.
 12

Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.
 13

Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.
 14

Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.

The Olympic flag has a white

background, with five interlaced rings
in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green
and red. This design is symbolic; it
represents the five continents of the
world, united by Olympism, while the
six colours are those that appear on all
the national flags of the world at the
present time.
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Uses of Colour...

Colour is a means Colour can be used to Colour can enhance It can organise and Colour can help unite
of gaining attention aid navigation through visual communication categorise elements nations as in the
and adding visual city,data, media etc. imbuing it with through the use of a Olympic symbol and
dynamism. emotional value. colour coding system. what it represents.
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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

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Red Yellow Blue Orange Green Violent

Resourced: studiobinder.com
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The colour wheel

The colour wheel demonstrates the

organisation and inter-relationships of colours.
It consists primarily of 12 colours with black
representing the mixture of all colours.

Farbkreis by Johannes Itten (1961)

Farbkreis: a color wheel or color circle is an abstract illus-

trative organization of color hues around a circle, which
shows the relationships between primary colors, secondary
colors, tertiary colors etc
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Hue is another name for colour.

Colours can be grouped in three distinct types:

primary, secondary and tertiary.

Primary hues are red, yellow and blue.

Secondary hues are the equal mixtures between

pairs of primaries for example: red and yellow
gives orange; yellow and blue produces green;
and blue and red yields violet.

There are six tertiary hues are formed when

a primary colour is mixed with an adjacent
secondary colour.
There are six tertiary colours: red-orange,
orange-yellow, yellow-green, blue-green,
blue-violet, and red-violet.
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Red, yellow and blue are the staple colours used Red, green & blue are the additive primaries Magenta, yellow and cyan are known as
by artists they appear in the pigments of inks forming light & responsible for all the colours subtractive primaries. These colours
and paints. All other colours can be mixed from we see on screens. When all three are added (along with black) are used in four colour
these three. together in white light is formed. lithographic printing.

Hue/ Color

Blue Red

Yellow
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Hue/colour Saturation
Saturation describes the intensity of colour.
Pure unmixed colours have maximum intensity.
Adding black, grey or white to alter the colour
will reduce its intensity and create tones.

Tone: colour values

Adding white or black to lighten or darken a
colour creates tints and shades and alters the
colour’s tonal value.

Hue/colour Saturation
Low High
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Light

Hue/colour Saturation
Saturation describes the intensity of colour.
Pure unmixed colours have maximum intensity.
Adding black, grey or white to alter the colour
Tone: Hue/ will reduce its intensity and create tones.
colour values

Tone: colour values

Adding white or black to lighten or darken a
colour creates tints and shades and alters the
colour’s tonal value.

Dark
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Wilhelm Ostwald, German chemist

He developed instruments for measuring
Light colours, elaborated a sophisticated
classification of colours in order to derive
mathematical laws of harmony.

Hue/colour Saturation
Saturation describes the intensity of colour.
Pure unmixed colours have maximum intensity.
Adding black, grey or white to alter the colour
Tone: Hue/ will reduce its intensity and create tones.
colour values

Tone: colour values

Adding white or black to lighten or darken a
colour creates tints and shades and alters the
colour’s tonal value.

Dark

Hue/colour Saturation
Low High
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Complementary Split Complementary Analogous

Triad-three colours Square

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1

12 2

11 3

Complementary combination
10 A B C D E 4 -

saturation.
9 5

8 6

1C 7C 12C 6C 11C 5C 10C 4C 9C 3C 8C 2C

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1

12 2

11 3

10 A B C D E 4

the colour circle.

looks vibrant even when you use pale and

9 5
unsaturated colours.

8 6

12C 7C 2C 3C 8C 1C 4C 9C 2C 5C 10C 3C 6C 11C 4C 7C 12C 5C

12C 2C 7C 3C 1C 6C 4C 2C 9C 5C 3C 10C 6C 4C 11C 7C 5C 12C

7C
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1

12 2

11 3

10 A B C D E 4

color circle.

muted colors: yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-

9 5
green, green, blue-green.

8 6

12C 1C 2C 3C 4C 8C 7C 6C 9C 10C 11C 12C 1C 5C 4C 3C

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1

12 2

11 3

The triad — a combination of three colors

10 A B C D E 4 A Triad is a combination of 3 colors that are
equidistant from each other on the color circle.
It produces a high contrast effect while
preserving ’harmony.’ Such a composition
looks vibrant even when you use pale &
unsaturated colours.
9 5

8 6

11C 3C 7C 1C 5C 9C 10C 2C 6C 12C 4C 8C

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1

12 2

11 3

The tetrad — a combination of four colors

10 A B C D E 4 This is a scheme that includes one primary and
two complementary colors, plus an additional
color that highlights the accents. An example:
blue-green, blue-violet, orange-red, orange-
yellow.

9 5

8 6

accents colour: blue-green accents colour: blue-violet 7 accents colour: orange-red accents colour: orange-yellow

6C 4C 12C 10C
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1

12 2

11 3

The square
10 A B C D E 4 A combination of 4 colors that are equidistant
from each other on the color circle.
In this case, the colors differ from each other in
tone, but are also complementary.
This creates a dynamic, vivid, and playful effect.
An example: violet, orange-red, yellow,
9 5
blue-green.

8 6
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1

12 2

11 3

Colour temperature
10 A B C D E 4 Colours can be described as warm and cool.
Red, orange and yellow are warm colours
whereas blue and green are cool. Greys can
also be described in terms of warm and cool
depending on the tint of red or blue they
contain.
9 5

8 6

Warm colours Cool colours

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Investigating five graphic

designer’s work...
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Artists & designers attracted

by the visual language...

Saac Newton Johann Wolfgang Johannes Itten Josef Albers

- Mathematician Von Goethe - Painter - painter & teacher -US & German artist
- Writer at the Bauhaus.

appear to change vibrancy depending on the

colour surrounding it.
with the use of colour. Colours are conditional
Colours can also appear to advance and recede.
and depend on the surrounding environment
Red on yellow will appear to advance whereas
in which they are set. Particular pairings
dramatically alter the visual perception of both
the colour and the shape it defines. Colours
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Samples of the typographic hierarchy work by

From 1670 to 1672, Newton lectured on optics.

During this period he investigated the refraction
of light, demonstrating that the multicoloured
spectrum produced by a prism could be
recomposed into white light by a lens and a
second prism. He showed that colored light does
not change its properties. Newton noted that

Saac Newton
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(a) A circular sunbeam refracted through a prism

casts an oblong image. From this and other
experiments, Newton concluded that color was
Saac Newton an inherent quality of light, that each spectral
color had its own degree of refrangibility, and
that colors could be simple or compound.

(b) Newton’s colour circle. The sizes of the seven

sections are proportional to the intervals of the
diatonic musical scale. The areas of the circles
p, q, r, s, t, v, and x are proportional to the “
number of rays “ of each colour in the mixture.
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Listen to this harmony,

this is called cords
(D,F,A notes)

Harmony between See the colour

the colours contrast

cords
(D,F,A notes)
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a multi-talented individual. He explored diverse

creative paths. In addition to novels and plays, he

ranging subjects, and painting.

It was his experiences with the painting that led

to his ideas regarding color, which appeared in

Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Goethe disagreed with Newton. He refuted

the idea that colour was determined solely by
light and the color spectrum, instead arguing
that color was shaped by perception as well as
elements of light and darkness.

In these arguments, Goethe became one of

systematically explore color
Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer perceived and how they interact with other
colors.

theories were more art and philosophy than pure

science.
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer
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created via the visible light spectrum (where

white is the combination of all colors) versus
with pigments (where the more colors you mix
together, the darker a color you get).

In a way, it was pigments, or colors in paint,

that led to Goethe’s color experiments, so

those of Newton.
Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe
- Writer

light spectrum colour mix pigments colour mix

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Goethe’s Color Wheel & Views on Colors

Colour wheel as created by Goethe, 1809.

Written in the wheel are the properties Goethe
associated with certain colours.

Goethe created his version of a colour wheel

and arranged the colors according to what he
called their natural order. He also explored the
impact of colors on emotions and attributed
different qualities to certain colors.

Red - Beautiful

Orange - Noble
Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe Yellow - Good
- Writer
Green - Useful

Blue - Common

Violet - Unnecessary
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Red - gravity, dignity

& attractiveness/
beauty.

Johann Wolfgang
Von Goethe Blue - powerful Yellow - nearest to
- Writer the light- bright &
but in a negative
way- creating a cold exciting. It stood for

impression. good.
 70

, which

at creating an accurate system for numerically

- Painter
 71

Hue. Inside the wheel, the notation for Munsell

Hue can also be seen.

Colour
Notation
5 Primary Hue
5R-Red
5P-Purple
5B-Blue
5G-Green
5Y-Yellow

- Painter
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Hue. Inside the wheel, the notation for Munsell

Hue can also be seen.

Colour
Notation
5 Primary Hue
5R-Red
5P-Purple
5B-Blue
5G-Green
5Y-Yellow

5 Secondary Hue
5RP-Red+Purple
5PB-Purple+Blue
5BG-Blue+Green
5GY-Green+Yellow
- Painter 5YR-Yellow+Red
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Hue. Inside the wheel, the notation for Munsell

Hue can also be seen.

Colour
Notation
5 Primary Hue
5R-Red
5P-Purple
5B-Blue
5G-Green
5Y-Yellow

5 Secondary Hue
5RP-Red+Purple
5PB-Purple+Blue
5BG-Blue+Green
5GY-Green+Yellow
- Painter 5YR-Yellow+Red
10 Tertiary Hue-Pure Hue
10R-Red
10P-Purple
10B-Blue
10G-Green
10Y-Yellow
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Hue. Inside the wheel, the notation for Munsell

Hue can also be seen.

Colour
Notation
5 Primary Hue
5R-Red
5P-Purple
5B-Blue
5G-Green
5Y-Yellow

5 Secondary Hue
5RP-Red+Purple
5PB-Purple+Blue
5BG-Blue+Green
5GY-Green+Yellow
- Painter 5YR-Yellow+Red
10 Tertiary Hue-Pure Hue
10R-Red
10P-Purple
10B-Blue
10G-Green
10Y-Yellow
10 Tertiary Hue-Mix Hue
10RP-Red+Purple
10PB-Purple+Blue
10BG-Blue+Green
10GY-Green+Yellow
10YR-Yellow+Red
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Hue. Inside the wheel, the notation for Munsell

Hue can also be seen.

Colour
Notation
5 Primary Hue
5R-Red
5P-Purple
5B-Blue
5G-Green
5Y-Yellow

5 Secondary Hue
5RP-Red+Purple
5PB-Purple+Blue
5BG-Blue+Green
5GY-Green+Yellow
- Painter 5YR-Yellow+Red
10 Tertiary Hue-Pure Hue
10R-Red
10P-Purple
10B-Blue
10G-Green
10Y-Yellow
10 Tertiary Hue-Mix Hue
10RP-Red+Purple
10PB-Purple+Blue
10BG-Blue+Green
10GY-Green+Yellow
10YR-Yellow+Red
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Munsell color theory

Munsell realised in his study of colours that the

need for an organised way of defining colours.
He wanted to create a system that had a
meaningful symbol (code) of colour, rather than
just colour names. He noticed colour names
were’misleading’.

Therefore, he used a unique invention

for measurements to organise
This device measured

measurements of different colours and to help

define how the colour changes.

- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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- Painter
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Johannes Itten was a Swiss expressionist painter,

designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated
with the Bauhaus (Staatliche Bauhaus) school.

which describes these ideas as a furthering of

Adolf Hölzel’s color wheel.

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 107

Itten’s Vorkurs or foundations course at

the Bauhaus pioneered techniques that
remain central to art school teaching
today, including the encouragement of
self-expression and experimentation with
materials and techniques.

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 108

Twelve Step Colour Wheel

Itten organized his colour wheel using primary,

secondary and tertiary arrangements.

a radius outside the first circle is another circle,

divided into twelve equal sectors.

Once the user can visualize all of the 12 hues,

tones can be easily found. Itten believed it was a
waste of time for colourists to practice making
24 or 100-hue color circles.

He questioned for example if anyone could

visualise colour No. 82 of a 100-Hue circle?
Johannes Itten He emphasized, “unless our color name
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus. corresponds to precises ideas no useful
discussion of colour is possible”. To discover
all possible harmonies, one must catalogue all
possible instances of order in the colour solid.
 109

Colour contrast

Johannes Itten was one of the first people to

1. The contrast 2. The contrast
of saturation of light and dark define and identify strategies for successful
color combinations. Through his research he
devised seven methodologies for coordinating
colors utilizing the hue’s contrasting properties.
These contrasts add other variations with
respect to the intensity of the respective hues;
i.e. contrasts may be obtained due to light,
3. The contrast 4. The contrast
of extension of complement moderate, or dark value.

1. The contrast of saturation

2. The contrast of light and dark

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher 3. The contrast of extension
at the Bauhaus.
5. Simultaneous 6. The contrast
contrast of hue 4. The contrast of complements

5. Simultaneous contrast

6. The contrast of hue

7. The contrast of warm and cool

7. The contrast
of warm and cool
 110

1. The contrast 2. The contrast

of saturation of light and dark

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 111

3. The contrast 4. The contrast

of extension of complement

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 112

5. Simultaneous 6. The contrast

contrast of hue

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 113

7. The contrast
of warm and cool

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
 114

Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher
at the Bauhaus.
Colours seasons experiments with his students their peers were expressing. “I have never yet
found anyone who failed to identify each or any
Itten continued to carry out interesting
season correctly… this convinces me that above
experiments with his students. He asked them
individual taste, there is a high judgment in
to depict the four seasons using whatever
man… one which… overrules mere sentimental
colors they wanted.
prejudice.
To his surprise all the students used completely
different sets of colors from each other but
everyone could easily depict which seasons
 115

Yellow Based Blue Based Spring

Warm colour Cool colour
with luminous colors, particularly yellow,
- Springs - Summers
& Autumns & Winters

Summer
active”, with clear primary colors, such as
red, royal blue, emerald green, and violet
and magenta, all of which have subtle blue
undertones.

Autumn
salmon, avocado green, mustard, brick red and
Johannes Itten
- painter & teacher beige. Autumn leaves, campfires, pumpkins, and
at the Bauhaus.
all of nature reflect perfectly the colors of the
autumn palette

Winter
cool colors, such as slate blue, winter white,
charcoal, mauve, burgundy, and an endless
variety of pastels and icy colors. Winter’s colors
are like a snow-scape: ice, muted, subtly greyed,
and very subdued.
 116

Josef Albers was instrumental in bringing the

systems of European modernism, particularly

His legacy as a teacher of artists, as well as his

extensive theoretical work proposing that colour,
rather than form, is the primary medium of
pictorial language,
development of modern art in the United States
during the 1950s and 1960s.
Josef Albers
-US & German artist
 117

Josef Albers
-US & German artist

Interaction of Color date and profoundly influenced art education

provided the most comprehensive analysis

of the function and perception of colour to
 118

Josef Albers
-US & German artist
Homage to the Square

produced from 1949 until his death, used a

single geometric shape to systematically
explore the vast range of visual effects that
could be achieved through colour and spatial
relationships alone.
 119

Josef Albers
-US & German artist

Monochromatic and linear

As in his earlier monochromatic and linear

studies, this series explores the potential
of static two-dimensional media to invoke
dynamic three-dimensional space.
 120

“Hearing music depends on the recognition

of the in-between of the tones, of their placing

related to changing neighbors and

changing conditions.”

In his first 1963 art text,

Josef Albers “Interaction of Color”, Albers
-US & German artist
associated the relationship of
colors in a work of art to that
of music,
 121

Josef Albers
-US & German artist

Albers’s relationship to
music, musical imagery, and
sonic phenomena.
 122

Josef Albers
-US & German artist

Sonic Albers

While he is recognized for his experimental

investigations of color, spatial form, and visual
experience, Albers often found analogies to and
inspiration for his work in the compositional and
structural qualities of music.
 123

Josef Albers
-US & German artist
 124

Josef Albers
-US & German artist
 125

Saac Newton
- Mathematician
 126

Saac Newton Johann Wolfgang

- Mathematician Von Goethe
- Writer
 127

Saac Newton Johann Wolfgang

- Mathematician Von Goethe - Painter
- Writer
 128

Saac Newton Johann Wolfgang Johannes Itten

- Mathematician Von Goethe - Painter - painter & teacher
- Writer at the Bauhaus.
 129

Saac Newton Johann Wolfgang Johannes Itten Josef Albers

- Mathematician Von Goethe - Painter - painter & teacher -US & German artist
- Writer at the Bauhaus.