Graphic Design Foundations: Color

Color is a fundamental element of our lives. Understanding how to use it for visual communication in a variety of contexts is essential for designers and artists. This course is about learning how to use color, not only to create more effective designs, but also to tell a story. Illustrator, professor, and author Mary Jane Begin explains how color intertwines with brand identity, how it affects the mood of a piece and directs the viewer's attention to areas of interest, and how it can connect images or create space between elements. She removes the mystery surrounding the color wheel and color relationships; shows how to layer, mix, and digitally alter color; and use light to integrate temperature, translucency, and contrast.

These lessons are applicable to a number of fields, including graphic design, photography, and illustration, and both traditional and digital media. Dive in and get a fresh look at color that is sure to revitalize your creativity and your work.

Learning objectives
Understanding why color is essential for you as an artist, designer, or human being
Storytelling with color
Understanding brand identity and color language
Reviewing the history of color usage, from print to digital
Working with the color wheel
Understanding value, saturation, and temperature
Seeing through color: opaque, translucent, and transparent
Creating contrast
Exploring depth of field
Seeing complementary relationships in light
Achieving harmony and discord in a palette
Understanding color blindness