Customer Reviews

Designer's Color Manual: The Complete Guide to Color Theory and Application

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

 

 

I bought this book because I don't have an arts background, but am starting to expand my efforts in the field of graphic design. This book is laid out in a superb format. Each sub topic spans only a single double page, and there are plenty of pictures and captions to illustrate and reinforce the points raised.

The subject area is broad, and many different aspects of colour are covered ranging from the history and perception of colour to issues such as colour blindness right though to some common Photoshop techniques for colour correction.

As I sat holding this pleasantly heavy book in my hand it occured to me that I felt as if I was being drawn back into my childhood, staring with fascination into those "how things work" encyclopedia-style books with cut-out cross-sections of machines and other interesting tidbits. Do you remember how you could just keep looking at those types of books time and time and again, and just look at the pictures and captions if you wanted to?

This is a book that I feel I could put on my coffee table rather than my reference bookshelf, but that by no means that it is not useful as a reference, at least for me. If you are looking for detailed examination of something specific then you may want to choose a different book, but if you want to get a broad overview and awareness of something we are surrounded by all the time (colour!), then I think this is an excellent choice.

A book dedicated to colors really can't afford making a major mistake as found on page 26 where Cyan is described as the mixture of Red and Blue. Not only in words, but also in a colorful RGB model. (Cyan is a mixture of Green and Blue). I just bought this book to get a clear introduction into (the theory of) colors and this mistake confused me a lot. I thank the Spirit for Wikipedia :).
Anyway, I still recommend this book because it tries to explore allmost every aspect of colors and I like the design !!
Jan Hoogesteijn, Amsterdam Netherlands

Color is the foundation of successful design, and so many designer's guides focus on the finer art of using color effectively. Tom Fraser and Adam Banks' Designer's Color Manual brings together key basic concepts of color theory for a title which focuses on the marriage between theory and application. From color psychology and the underlying effects of color on mental state and observational arts to color in craft and the social environment, introductory concepts evolve into easy step-by-step techniques for using color in a design environment. Add over 1,000 color images and you have a winning text in Designer's Color Manual.

This book had been recommended for a graphic design class but it was too text based. I found some other books on color that dealt with the subject more effectively with less a technical/abstract approach. The abstract method of explaining color scientifically that this author used did not reach me so much. I found myself trying to translate his meanings in my head. Books that explain color in terms of psychological and emotional effects make a lot more sense to me and quickly get at the impact of color on an intuitional level...where it actually hits the audience.

This book is pretty neat. Very detailed--it's thick with plenty of material and it makes a nice reference book. If you're a beginner to color theory (like me) this book will help you ease into it.

text book is as anticipated, being used for college class, arrived quicker than expected, excellent condition

Seller was great! I received the book very quick :) The book was helpful with my Color Theory class.

The product was as described and it was fine, but it took over a month to ship, which is ridiculous. The project I needed it for was done and turned in by the time I actually received the book.