This post is about the way colours affect perception of design. When I primarily took photographs of wildflowers I liked to posterise them. One of my ‘go to’ methods was changing colours to see how it changed the look of the image. This was mainly to play with ideas for fabric designing. In fabric design, having a choice of colours is important. These three Tea-Tree colourways have such different impact, even when the design is exactly the same.

In fabric designing circles, the term ‘colourway’ is used to describe the same design in different colours.

I’ve loaded the version with the green background onto Redbubble and I own a tote bag with this design. The bright colours mean it is noticed. The design brings smiles. Invariably, someone comments on it and we chat about where the design came from.

Yellow-Green, Red and Purple Colourway

In the yellow-green colourway, the vividness of the background takes prominence. As a person who absolutely loves yellow-green, the colour alone makes me happy. The Tea-Tree flower is almost secondary, appearing almost as a silhouette. The stem connecting the flowers is not so obvious. This lends the design a disembodied look as well.

Purple, Red and Orange Colourway

The Tea-tree flower is much more abstract in the colourway with the purple background. Even though I have not changed any of the elements, the distortion of the flower is even more prominent. When the flower is picked out in bright colours against a dark background, it seems more dynamic. The red, orange and mustard colours create shapes that don’t really resemble a flower. Not unless you look closely. There is a sense of movement and even human-like forms.

Brown, White and Pink Colourway

The Tea-tree flowers are visible in the colourway with the brown background. It’s possible to see the sun highlighting the petals and the pink bud in the background. The viewer’s focus is on the foreground. Despite the angular edges, the forms are obviously organic.

Which Colourway Calls to You?

I came back to this design recently. Originally, it was created in 2014. I look at the three images above and think “How would it look if I changed the colours again?” Maybe a deep red background with muted flower colours?

All of us perceive colour differently, and have different responses to specific colours. If you’re willing to share, I would love to hear your colour preferences and how your colours make you feel. There is so much material about colour theory published, I’m not going to link to anything here.

The 100 Days of Art Project

I’m well into the second half of my 100 Days of Art Project. It has been a great way of examining my art process and ideas which inspire me. It’s also interesting to see which topics resonate with others.

If you’d like to read more posts in this series, you can see them here.

If you’d like to share your thoughts, there is space to comment below. I’d love to hear from you.