Customer Reviews

Color Index: Over 1100 Color Combinations, CMYK and RGB Formulas, for Print and Web Media

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book provides a designer with a fabulous resource for generating color schemes/combinations quickly and easily. In that respect, it inspires.

However, the author provides recipes (CMYK and RGB values) "checked for accuracy", never stating on what media those values may be valid. He then excuses himself by saying that "the potential for error exists". The implication that a set of CMYK values is in any way "accurate" beyond the inks and papers used for this particular publication is so, eh, mid-1990s. A true, but technically more challenging statement of the color values should have been made with device independent Lab values. Then anyone with Adobe Photoshop, for example, could reproduce the samples on his or her own media. This is, in fact, what Pantone does.

And aspiring web designers beware! The author clearly has little but old and second-hand knowledge of the facts of color on the web. He describes the anachronistic "browser safe" colors as if most computer users still had old 8-bit (256 color) monitors, and as if there was ever color consistency across them. In those bad old days we fought dithering (the "speckles") in solid fills by choosing from amongst the 216 colors Macs and PC monitors had in common.

Those days, except for some dusty intranets here and there, are gone. deceased. expired. However, neither then nor now could we count on consistency on our viewers' monitors--unless we can strongarm our audience into calibrating and profiling them.

These particular rants aside (the writer sighs benignly), the color examples are truly wonderful, useful, and inspiring.

In short, fabulous for samples, but not for accuracy of data.

I'd heard about this guide on websites devoted to scrapbooking, and when I finally tracked it down, I almost didn't buy it. I looked at it and thought, "What the heck?" It is pages and pages of color combinations, arranged according to color groupings, with suggested "moods," like "retro." So what? I thought.

However, my respect for the work of those who'd recommended it overcame my initial doubts. As a designer in paper arts, I tend to get into my color ruts, and choose the same basic color combos. "Color Index" has helped me break out of my rut in a couple of different ways.

Sometimes, when I just don't feel inspired, I'll simply sit down with the book and page through it, tabbing color combinations I find interesting or appealing. Later, when I'm working in my studio, I'll take a look at the tabbed combos for ideas I can use.

Other times, I may know of one color I want to use for a design, but am stuck for accents to use. I'll take the paper I've chosen, page through the combinations and take into consideration those "moods" as well. I've discovered many combinations of color I'd never have considered otherwise, like tan with deep burgundy, accented by bright turquoise. Sounds like a bizarre mix, but it worked for that project, which was eventually published by a major scrapbooking magazine.

The book isn't flashy like other design books, but I've found it to be a dependable while inspiring workhorse in my studio.

I have more reference books on design than, well... more than I care to count. These include a number on color - but most guides are really fixated on Pantone - which is odd considering that 4-color work is more common.

This book is always by my side. Its schemes are fantastic in cmyk, rbg and websafe. Its categories are much better than most of the color guides I've seen (and bought).

What's more - its size and sturdy plastic covers are great - and unlike almost every other design reference book I own - THE BINDING IS SEWN - so THE PAGES WON'T FALL OUT. There is nothing more infuriating than a good reference that falls apart before it even gets a good try. Everyone else who reviewed this book mentioned its many other fine points. But I have to add this one, particularly after the glue on one of my Robin William's books melted on a first read. This BOOK IS VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE. Worth every penny!

As a graphic designer, I already have a good sense of what colors go together. However, this indespensible little book can speed up the process of design. I can't tell you how many times I've picked it up, found the color scheme that worked with a certain project, and punched in the RGB or CMYK numbers that accompany each color scheme. The book is divided into color scheme "types" depending on the mood. For example, sections include Progressive, Muted, Browser Safe (useful for web design), etc. And at the price it's being sold for, can you go wrong? The other books in the series are great too, but this is the "must have" volume in the series. Hope that helps.

While I reserve the 5 stars for only the most amazing of books, 4 is a top notch rating! I would give a 4.5, but there are no half points. This book has a great binding with a vinyl cover and will last years on your desktop next to your dictionary and thesaurus. It's a mini-format which I like for reference manuals.

The author presents the color schemes well and they will help any designer. This would be a 5 star book if not for the fact that you can't lookup combinations by color code. I wanted to "add" to a website based on the primary color(s) and the only way to find this color in use was to sort through the pages to see if I could find it. And it would have been nice to have a mini-CD with this book, but that might be asking a bit much considering the price.

Fun, inspiring, portable, informative, usefull.

With over 1000 color combos grouped into minimally-versatile-titled chapters, concise brainstorming and color usage tips scattered around, and some carefully thought-out touches, this book is meant as a friendly companion who provides fuel for creativity to color users of all types as they explore color combinations for their specific projects, and it proved quite usefull to my design work. The color combos picked show that the author is a keen observer of color trends, as most of them can be applied handsomely to real work.

Obviously targeted towards beginners, it can provide ideeas even to experienced professionals. This is a book that pays out handsomely the more you spend time with it, as it mysteriously manages to benefically influence the color-centers in your brain :)

The book's strong points easily outweight it's few flaws -- color formula inaccuracy (you'll never get the right hues on your screen, use your eyes instead), some "useless" color-combos (meaning I can't figure out ANY style of project where they could be reasonably used), and obsolete info regarding color usage on the web. Some more information on color-theory is also a thing to be desired. Yeah, and don't expect to color like Raphael, Bruegel or Miro :) - even if the samples are provided, they look nothing like the real thing.

Although I feel I somewhat outgrew it and don't use it as often as before, this is one of the books I carry with me everyday at work.

This book is awesome! Finished the whole volume in just one day and had a beautiful splash screen done within minutes! I recommend this to any one involved in graphic design. My only gripe is that the colors on palettes for each chapters were not labeled with the corresponding CMYK and RGB values to allow the reader to pick colors while of course applying the color theories discussed, e.g., analogous, split complementary, triad, etc. I had to compare the colors of the palettes from the color swatches to get the color values. I could have rated this book five (5) stars if only the colors from the palettes were labeled.

I recently purchased this book and was somewhat dissapointed because I was not expecting a pocket size design book. Of course I should have read the dimensions of only 1.07 x 5.86 x 4.90. The color combinations are OK but they are too small, very difficult to use. I recommend looking for a bigger book were you can visually see the color combinations. After all, color design is not done on the road so there is no need for a pocket size book. I think the publisher was trying to save on printing costs.

this book is really a manual for me, i keep it with me at all times and just look at it sometimes, the colors provide inspiration, the combinations take me to other places, the make me think, they are a true inspiration and a great tool to find solutions when you're stock, take it from a Graphic design student, you'll love to have this book. For color theory not so good you might want to get something that covers color theory in detail, this is just an index as said on the tittle. but even if you know nothing about color at all, you will still find it amazingly useful!

As an up and coming Graphic Designer this book helps by taking a lot of the guess-work out of color theory. The layout is consistent and I have not run into any problems with the CMYK formulas looking different on paper. Highly recommended.