Designing with Colour I and Designing with Colour II are two courses that I developed which focused on theories about colour and evidence-based colour strategies for application in applied design, interior design and the built environment. These two courses intermingled key colour theories with practical exercises and topics include:
- Colour theories relevant to applied design and the built environment
- Exploring the dimensions of colour: hue, saturation/chroma and tonal value
- Human visual perception and how this impacts colour application
- The role of colour and contrast in Environmental Visual Literacy and the relevance to applied design, interior design and the built environment
- Gestalt theories of perception and how to harness these to improve colour application
- Applying colour/contrast to attract/divert attention, encourage engagement, support orientation and wayfinding in applied design and the built environment
- Key colour strategies covered in the courses include Analogous and Contrasting Colour, Chords and Keys, Achromatic colour schemes, Disruptive colour, ‘New Neutrals’ colour schemes, Colour Discords
Designing with Colour I and Designing with Colour II are TEQSA-compliant 12-week university courses delivered through the Faculty of Architecture, Design & Planning at the University of Sydney from early 2011 onwards. I have also delivered the courses through seminars annually since 2011.
