Design and Color Theory: As Seen in my Bedroom

One of the most comprehensive books on color theory which I have read so far is Josef Albers’ “Interaction of Color.” One concept I found particularly interesting was the difference between hues and their values. And, since I am typing this in my bedroom, I found the perfect demonstration of his theories right behind me on my bed.

I bought my comforter at Target. It was many of the back-to-school collections, but I preferred this one the most. Now, in this color picture, the difference of the hues, the colors, stand out, particularly the yellow square:

It is interesting to note that in this juxtaposition of colors, the yellow is the one to best stand out, though the teal (second row, on the right), and the darker blue (top row, left square), are equally vibrant individually but practically disappear on the field of blue. They are so like in hue to the base color that their difference is nearly imperceptible, especially with the chocolate brown dividing the colors up. I’m sure that if the colors were placed side-by-side without such dark boarders, their differences could be immediately seen:

Placed side-by-side, the three blues clearly form a cool to warm spectrum. It is only because the yellow is so vividly different that the blues fade into a common color. On the other hand, though the yellow is so bright in color, a black and white version of the image reveals something rather interesting:

In black and white, we can see that the values of these yellows and blues are nearly the same. It is this similarity of value that allows the colors to harmonize so well, it explains why that spot of yellow is an interesting statement yet not completely overbearing. Relative to their values, they match and because of this, the focus of the overall pattern can return to the grid formed by their lighter shades to the chocolate brown.

My comforter has a simple style, but one designed with color theory in mind. To market to college students, Target created a look that was both bold yet harmonized, with varying colors but a common theme. It’s design for the masses, an example of the sort of design thinking which permeates unnoticed into society.