Creating+Visuals

=Creating Visuals =

Color Methodology
On a theoretical level, the study of color is pure fascination and madness. If one were to evaluate many of the leading color theorists of the 20th century, color would become more complex than it first appears, rich in contrast and simulacra. As a vehicle of expression, color is remarkably resilient and effective, reaching the mind when words sometimes cannot. When married with design, color can communicate effectively as a singular vehicle. For instance, consider some of the most prominent art movements of the 20th century. As one follows the progression of color palette from Arts & Crafts to De Stijl to Constructivism to Futurism, each of these graphic movements has an identifiable color palette and mode of expression. Within the modern brand-engaging culture, it is necessary, almost mandatory, to consider basic branding tenets when developing a memorable graphic treatment or style. These nuances of color (hue and value) and shape define all of the prominent brands in our mental constructs. As new brands emerge, or are created, they are inevitably compared to the brands already in our sphere of knowledge, and defined in the "vocabulary" of those brands. This summary portrays the challenge of designing in the 21st century, and the valuable opportunity to create utilizing the rich metaphors our our brand-inundated culture.



Color in Practice
Within instruction, the rationale for color usage, standards, and application are vital to the proper organization of content and a positive learning outcome. Often, when creating a large-scale visual system for learning, color is an effective way to provide necessary differentiation of content while enhancing the final visual outcome. Over the past year, I have worked to develop a visual system for a large hotel chain's internal training materials. At the outset, the scale of the learning program was large and relatively unknown. By engaging the content early in the design phase, I was able to implement color keying at a very deep level of the learning program, effectively categorizing fifteen learning objectives into three consistently colored "categories." Because this color interaction was planned at the beginning of the training program and because the color interaction was simple and predictable, it was able to be rolled out across multiple modes of delivery, including DVD, e-learning, self led participant, and instructor led classroom materials. In addition, this approach was utilized throughout the development of job aids and supporting materials (learning maps, memory cards, instructional checklists, and the like).



Implications
Given the complexities of design in today's ad-driven marketplace, what implications exist for the visual or instructional designer? Certainly, as design tools have become more readily available (computers, entry-level desktop publishing software, internet access), the bar has been set at an idealistically high level. As testament to this growing divide between tools and qualified practitioners, the standard of design between the Apple, Coca-Cola, or Nike brands of the world is not primarily the availability of adequate tools; in many cases, the availability of tools has revealed the lack of training in most "sunday-afternoon" designers. The solution, however straight-forward, is training. Since the advent of WYSIWYG typography, the nuances of kerning, tracking, leading, and ligatures has gone unnoticed by the casual designer. The environmental effects of color, issues of contrast and hierarchy have been neglected. The middle of the 20th century saw an unprecedented interest in the study of color theory and its design implications, but this scholarship has been largely ignored in favor of cheap design. I am not suggesting that "mere mortals" should not, in fact, practice design; in counterpoint, the path to good design is by analyzing the trends and nuances present in the brands of the modern era. Ironically, these brands are already in your head, all you have to do is think.

Reference
Brown, A. & Green, T.D. (2006). The Essentials of Instructional Design: Connecting Fundamental Principles with Process and Practice. Upper Saddle River: NJ: Pearson.