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Some notes about color and design - F. Danziger

Point #1- A successful design is one which achieves its purpose.
There is no such thing as "good" or "bad" design, in this sense. A symmetrical design may look boring and static on its own, but to achieve a sense of stability and dignity- it may be the best choice.
We do not design in a vacuum. Form (of desgin) follows function (what the image or design, is supposed to "do/say." We may be "saying" for example- "I love nature" - or "I am worried about threats to nature." These two "messages" would use different design ideas.
To a large extent, we are guided in this by our "instincts." We study color and design to sharpen and inform our instincts, not to repress or replace them. There is empirical knowledge which can help us achieve our goals.
One of the first things to understand is the relationship of color. Isaac Newton was the first person to create a "color wheel," and it reveals that, like a piano keyboard, there are "chords" of color, which are either dissonant or consonant, visually.


The 12 element wheel is on the left, and the chords and scales are on the right. You can purchase an inexpensive wheel at art supply stores which will explain and define all of these terms. My purpose here, is to simply show that these things exist, and that artists routinely use them in their work. We don't choose colors randomly- or because we "like' them. We choose them to do or "say" what we want.

We also use color and texture to create space. The chart at left shows that: