A Book of Colors (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Blue is the color of summer skies and cool mountain streams..." (more)
Key Phrases: saxon blue, color coordinations

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A Book of Colors is your guide to discovering, understanding, and using color. Until now, books of color have catered to the specialist. Here at last is a volume for both novice and professional.
By arranging color combinations into mood categories-such as "Fresh," "Urbane," "Alluring," "Dynamic," and the like - A Book of Colors penetrates the barriers that have traditionally kept such information in the domain of the trained technician and artist. Precise analytical commentary allows you to understand how color works and then to exploit fully each of the color schemes in the book or to create your own.
A second section presents eighteen major color tones in varied combinations. By extending the principles outlined in the first section, you can shape a personal color palette to fit any need.
Ad men, designers, and artists have long utilized the power of color. Here is a concise reference that fully explains the essence of color's meaning and force. More than 1,200 color combinations are keys to making color work for you at home, in the office, and at play. Whether used for work or pleasure, for dress or redecorating, A Book of Colors provides easy-to-use information for the designer, businessman, and homeowner.

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (February 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870118005
• ISBN-13: 978-0870118005
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #560,792 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for all designers using colour!, January 20, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This is a fantastic resource for anyone designing in colour. I do mostly online design and use this book every day. It is a specialised colour combination scale based on research done by the author.

Pick a base colour and see its combinations, what they mean to most people and where they are typically used. Awesome stuff!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tiny gem of a book., June 9, 1998

By	David W. Smith (Silicon Valley) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book and its companion, "Color Image Scale," are excellent sources of palette ideas for web work. (If you buy one, buy both.) As an amateur designer, I found their treatment of the emotional impact of color groupings to be enlightening and thought inspiring. On the down side, they don't provide CMYK or RGB values--a minor inconvenience.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for graphic artists, architects and designers, July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This book was recommended to me by a friend who designs rugs and is an architect as well. I bought it for my own use as an interior designer and to help me with paint colors and overall color scheming. It is a great device for getting a feel from your client of what colors he/she prefers. It's a wonderful gift for people in the trade.