When you enter a room , see someone walking toward you on the street , or look up at a billboard while stuck in a traffic jam, the first thing you notice is color. The yellow walls in a child’s room make you smile, the red of a woman’s coat catches your eye, the orange background of an advertisement grabs your attention.
As Walt Disney so aptly put it, we live in a “wonderful world of color.” Color combinations can dazzle or charm. In the bird kingdom, a male peacock’s stunning plumage of iridescent blues and greens quickens the heartbeat of potential mates. Tiffany’s signature blue box can have the same effect of humans.
Color is also egalitarian. We can all use and enjoy a wide spectrum of colors in our lives, no matter what our income level or profession. As legendary interior designer David Hicks once said, “Color can achieve more in people’s lives than any other element and at the least expense”. It’s hard to believe that white was not only the best-selling bedding color at one time, but the only color. In a society that prizes individualism, we now take great joy in choosing color schemes for our sheets, homes, clothes and cars.
But everyone needs a little help. That’s where the experts come in. Consumers of all products are looking for guidance in choosing color palettes that will harmonize with their live. While many decisions about colors are emotional, based on immediate visceral reactions, coming up with inventive combinations of hues is a more practiced art. Most people are unaware of the science of color, which starts with the twelve-segment color wheel as a road map to effective combinations. Direct opposites on the wheel are complementary. Adjacent colors clash. Warm colors appear to come forward. Cool colors recede.
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