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Colour and Contrast review – Paddy Byfield

Upon reflection, reading ‘contrast and colour’ greatly widened my idea of colour in relation to social divides, whereas previously I had viewed it within a primarily aesthetic sense. I found the links that Ruben Pater makes between the use of colour in relation to colonialism, military messaging and the distribution of wealth the most profound. I was previously aware of the link between wealth and the colour blue (ultramarine to be specific), given its context as one of the rarest and most desirable pigments to seek out; I was not however aware that blue is the colour that is “most liked by all nations”, I found this interesting as there was then a distinct parallel between wealth and imaging of those in power. You only have to look at the main colonial powers of the last two centuries: France, The Unites States and Britain for example, and see blue plays a predominant role in all three’s visual identity. This is then contrasted with the USSR and China’s bold reds, marking a distinct difference between west and east, communist vs capitalist etc. Another point that stayed with me was from the sub-section “drop food, not bombs.”. It tells of the America’s use of an acidic, chemical yellow to drop food rations during the war in Afghanistan; this same use of yellow was also used to paint cluster bombs, a quick and ruthless explosive that can destroy entire communities in seconds. I found this blunder telling of the west’s lack of care and overall hack-handed method by which the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan were handled. In reading the chapter, I have gained knowledge on the immense importance of colour in relation to identity and messaging, specifically the communication of a nation's history and intentions. Moving forward, I plan to consider colour much more in relation to how I want my work to be received, both in process and the way it is presented, whether that be through my workflow or final outcomes. As a designer, I often tend to focus on what compliments lettering or aesthetics, rather than the purpose of the colours I have chosen; this is something I intend to reflect on as I develop my practice.

Colour & contrast - a review

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