M a r i s h a M c A u l i f f e
some object really is , we could claim that our color sensations are , in a sense , influenced by a lifetime of visual experiences ” ( Rossotti , 1993 . p . 91 ).
Ever since colour has been used to adorn and decorate , many have tried to find an organisational system that could concretely state how colour is to be used correctly . As Sivik ( 1975 ) assets : “ There is not , nor will there ever be , any general results from research that will make it possible to say what color or colors should be used in any set of circumstances ”. Since science has been unable to find such rules , others have invented them . As Sloane ( n . d .) states : “ Well into the twentieth century , many seekers appeared to believe that the arts , especially music and the visual arts , could not be considered genuinely respectable unless laws could be found that explained them and defined their purposes . If color harmony and other forms of beauty could be shown to have a rational basis , the arts would be revealed as more than just aesthetic . They would assume a position among the verities , an expression of natural law ” ( Sloane , 1993 , p . 271 )
Although there are colour attributes and certain ‘ formulae ’ in developing colour schemes , many struggle with its ‘ lawlessness ’, wanting firm rules that can hold down this slippery and subjective phenomenon . At first , colour can be firmly packaged into the ‘ safe ’ category through the determinate attributes of colour . These are measured by various instruments and include hue , value , and chroma , warm and cool , light and dark , and brilliant and dull . However , even with this , the mystery and the mechanics of colour are tightly entwined . Humans seldom see a single hue in isolation , completely independent from the influence of other colours or other external factors , such as light source , surface of the object , and surrounding objects . Then the indeterminate attributes ( the qualities of colour – our response ) remind us again that colour cannot be measured . These attributes come from our intuitive experiences , providing a sense of mystery and expressed through poetic language . Essentially , what makes the concept of colour so ‘ lawless ’ is colour perception , psychological influences and symbolic factors . In other words , human response to colour depends on who we are and what culture we are influenced by .
In architecture and design education - particularly since the Modernist period - colour is considered somewhat mysterious and anarchistic , and in architecture and design practice , colour design is often left to the end stages of the design process . As such , the reason for colour choices in the design profession are rarely questioned . As Minah ( 2008 ) states : “ Colour is considered secondary to building form and structure , reflecting attitudes held by many design professionals since the Renaissance . Critics in architectural reviews often refer to colour decisions as ‘ difficult ’ to discuss rationally , representing personal views that are inconsequential ” ( Minah , 2008 , p . 245 ).
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