There's no doubt we live in a rapidly changing world. With momentous shifts occurring as cultures and borders blur, color and design are reflecting those changes. At the same time, these powerful crosscurrents have ignited a need for self-expression and embracing of one's identity and origins.

Our Color '09 Forecast is all about the trend toward unique, disparate colors and styles that define our place in the world, while connecting us to it.

In our forecast, we delve into this eclectic, multi-ethnic movement and how exotic design elements are cross-pollinating our planet — creating exciting new hybrids that are altering the status quo. We also examine how the concept of sustainability is influencing the next generation of designers and what it will take for new color design products to succeed in a more sensitively ecological future.

You can tell a high-quality paint from a thin, runny, lackluster one that looks bad going on and even worse in a few months. But what, exactly, are the four components that directly affect paint quality? We'll tell you — and you can tell your clients.

Also in this issue, we'll journey back to explore the origins and evolution of the most influential color systems: Newton, Goethe, Munsell and Itten all had theories and debates about color and I'm sure you do, too.

Finally, we'll explore the role color harmony plays in creating visual balance and why it's one of the fundamental principles of great design. We'll dissect several color theories and show why rapidly changing tastes make them a moving target.
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I would also like to mention that – as with every issue of specs+spaces – 5" x 8" chips of the featured color schemes in this issue are available for order at dunnedwards.com.

With that, let me personally express how delighted I am to present you this issue of specs+spaces.

Sincerely,

Sara McLean
Color Marketing Manager, Dunn-Edwards Corporation, Allied Member ASID

Dunn-Edwards 2009 Color Forecast represents a significant shift away from design's middle ground — that place where forces of conformity and compromise lead to general trends and fads that, while different enough in characteristics, still don't truly convey the uniqueness of the individuals who identify with them.

This shift is from design's predictable center to its eclectic extremes. Color choices will either be soft and pale, very dark and nocturnal, or full of natural chroma.

The centrifuge for this change is the individual's drive toward personal expression — that innate need to emote qualities and characteristics that make us uniquely us. It's about embracing the diversity — and the ambiguity — that comes from identifying with one side or group, while maintaining a personal identity and connection outside that group. It's about being alike, yet different. It's no longer either/or, it's and.

Sound confusing? Good! Now we're getting somewhere! Read on! High-resolution, (2.3 MB pdf) or Low-resolution (759 KB pdf).

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While many take today's color wheel and classification system for granted, their evolution is not only dynamic, but provides a glimpse into why and how we choose color. Whether based on RGB, RGV or CMYK, these tools are vital in determining which colors work together to best fit your vision.

The arrangement of colors around the color circle is often considered to be related to the physical aspects of color, as in the original color circle developed by Sir Isaac Newton. But Newton isn't the only one to create a color system, as many have tried to figure out the most accurate way to classify color.

Throughout the 1700s, artists and scientists worked to create a single color system, but finding one solution that fit everyone's needs was difficult. The classifying of primary colors varied by profession, as each had its own preferred method. In addition, color origin and material choice provided further points of disagreement.

Sir Isaac Newton generally gets the credit for creating the color circle; but, in reality, Finnish-born astronomer and priest Aron Sigfrid Forsius developed the first color circle in 1611. Unfortunately for Forsious, his version sat undiscovered in the Royal Library in Stockholm until the 20th century, and the kudos went to Newton.

For his system, Newton used a prism to demonstrate that white light consists of seven colors — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet — all the colors of the rainbow. He then joined the two ends of the spectrum together to demonstrate the natural progression of colors. In addition, he associated each color with a note on a musical scale, starting with red (the color with the lowest degree of refraction), immediately following D (the note with the lowest frequency). In doing so, Newton created the impression of a repeating cycle of pure colors, equivalent to a musical octave.

Newton's theory was in direct contrast to Aristotle's, which claimed that all color originates from black and white. In fact, Aristotle's concept was widely accepted as true until Newton proved that white could be created by mixing spectral colors and that black was associated with the absence of light.

As Newton had done to Aristotle, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe countered Newton's theories with his 1810 book, "Theory of Colours." While Newton viewed color as a physical entity related to light, Goethe proposed that color has nothing to do with science or mathematics and that perception is also based upon the object itself, the lighting and how our brains process information. In his study of color, Goethe noticed that blue evokes a feeling of coolness, while yellow has a sense of warmth. Goethe created his version of the color wheel to demonstrate the psychological effect of each color. He divided all the colors into two groups — the plus side (from red through orange to yellow) and the minus side (from green through violet to blue). Colors of the plus side produce excitement and cheerfulness, and colors of the minus side are associated with weakness and unsettled feelings. Based on nature, this more romantic and poetic theory made color an experience, rather than a matter of physics.

In the early 1900s, European painter and teacher Albert H. Munsell embarked on a quest to rationally classify color. His solution was revealed in his 1905 book, "A Color Notation," which was the cornerstone for what we know today as the Munsell Color System. Within this system, color relationships are based on three color dimensions: Hue, Value and Chroma. Hue distinguishes color families, Value differentiates light and dark, and Chroma defines color saturation. In his three dimensional system, Value is a vertical scale of neutrals and grays, with Hue as the horizontal Equator representing the band of color families, and the gradations of saturation (i.e., Chroma) moving horizontally outward from the center. Munsell's revolutionary system assigned a 0 to 10 numeric value to each of these dimensions, bringing order and consistency to color design. Because of Munsell's work, we have a consistent, systematic process for specifying color.

Around the mid-1900s, Swiss color and art theorist Johannes Itten, who was teaching at the School of Applied Arts in Weimar, Germany (also known as the "Bauhaus"), developed a modified color wheel based on "color chords." This theory was based on a primary triad consisting of red, yellow and blue, along with 12 varying hues.

Itten's color wheel recognized the subjective feelings associated with color, as well as the psychological and emotional values of colors. Itten's theory also regarded color from every angle — philosophic, religious, psychic and physical. For example, rooms painted yellow are often considered happy or energetic, while spaces painted blue tend to feel cold or tranquil.

In his book, "The Art of Color," Itten outlines the details of his theory, which remains strongly influential for artists and designers to this day. He wrote, "Color is life, for a world without color seems dead. As a flame produces light, light produces color. As intonation lends color to the spoken word, color lends spiritually realized sound to form."

Throughout time, color theory and the color wheel have undergone a great metamorphosis, and the systems today are the result of centuries of work. Putting these systems into practice, today's designers have varied backgrounds with color theories and color systems. In addition, some have fine arts experience and design education, which provide great exposure to each of these systems.

Many designers rely on paint companies, as these relationships tend to be the initial foray — other than formal schooling — into color training. In the end, you and your client want the best outcome so, regardless of which system you favor, instinct and experience play a vital role in harnessing the power and beauty of color.

For a more in-depth look at the history of color theory, we highly recommend Sarah Lowengard's "The Creation of Color in Eighteenth-Century Europe" (Columbia University Press, 2008).

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In color design, harmonious colors create a visual balance that pleases the eye, while non-harmonious colors can emit a boring or chaotic characteristic. In this article, we'll explore why it's important to achieve harmony in color design. We'll also review some popular color harmony theories and meet some key influencers for this school of design.

The goal in creating color harmony is to strike a pleasing balance between monotony and over-stimulation, which can be achieved by using basic principles and adherence to one of several accepted theories of color harmony.

As you may know, the basis for exploring color harmony is the color wheel, a time-tested reference tool for defining color arrangements and relationships. Traditional explorations of harmony were based on Pythagorean number symbolism and specific color scales. Since the Renaissance, themes evolved to include changes in chroma and lightness within the same hue, neighboring colors and opposing colors.

While numerous contemporary theories of color harmony have been developed over the years, little has changed in regard to the basic principles of combining color. Here, we'll look at four commonly accepted color harmony theories.

Analogous colors exist side-by-side on a 12-part color wheel. Because of the close relationship between these colors, they are considered harmonious colors. An example of analogous colors would be yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Van Gogh's famous "Sunflowers" is a good illustration of how analogous colors can create harmony.

Complementary colors are any two colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel that, when combined, create maximum contrast and stability. Examples include red with green or red/purple with yellow/green. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is perhaps one of the most famous historical proponents of complementary colors.

The natural theory of color harmony ignores logical rules and color wheel references and is based on the principle that "nature knows best," and that nature, via its evolutionary state and organic basis, offers the best guidelines for ideal color harmony expression.

Exploring how color behaves in relation to other colors and shapes is the basis for another school. This theory examines the relationship of the values, saturation and warmth or coolness of color and how these elements can cause noticeable differences in color perception. In addition to von Goethe, there are a number of historical influencers regarding the development of color theories.

William Ostwald based his color theory on order, while Albert Munsell proposed that balance between five basic hues was the key to creating color harmony. Johannes Itten believed that colors would harmonize based on arrangements in particular shapes, and Eugene Chevreul believed that opposing complementary colors will brighten and non-complementary colors will appear contaminated.

By now, it should be apparent that no single color theory seems to be complete or universally accepted. All have been criticized in some form or another. Conventional wisdom says that it's impossible to separate color from design, and that fashion and personal preference are primary influences of color harmony.

The important thing is that you develop a theory of color design that works and makes sense to you. Study them all. Take what resonates with you from each one. Expand and build your own approach and color sensibilities. There are no hard-and-fast rules you must follow – so here's a chance to create a few of your own.

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Dunn-Edwards is known for manufacturing high-quality paints but what, exactly, does "high quality" mean? To distinguish superior paint, you have to go back to the basics, as paint properties determine overall quality.

There are four basic components to paint: pigments, binders, liquid and additives. The amount and properties of each have a direct effect on the quality of the paint.

Pigments provide color and hiding power. Two types of pigments are prime and reinforcing. The highest quality prime pigment is titanium dioxide, which is a white pigment that ensures good hide. Colored pigments can either be organic, which typically produce vibrant colors, or inorganic, usually used for more earthy hues. Reinforcing pigments are also known as "extenders" or "fillers" and they modify paint properties, such as gloss and flow, as well as reduce the cost of paint formulation. As a general rule, paints with more prime pigments than reinforcing pigments tend to be higher quality.

Binders, also called "resins," hold or "bind" the pigment together, providing adhesion and sheen. In addition, binders give paint greater durability. Oil paints typically contain a drying or modified oil, called alkyds, as their binders, while latex paint is formulated with different types of polymers. Of the two, latex paints using acrylic binders last longer, provide superior color and gloss retention and are more eco-friendly.

Liquid — such as water, mineral spirits, alcohol or keytones — makes it possible to apply the paint to a surface. While it evaporates during the drying process, it provides desired consistency and improves paint flow and leveling (i.e., the ability of a paint to dry to a smooth, consistent finish).

All paints contain additives. But higher-quality paints contain a higher volume of additives that add to performance. These ingredients, such as biocides and dispersing agents, provide specific paint benefits, including greater mildew resistance and color retention.

In addition, there are various paint grades and types and levels of ingredients, which help provide different application properties. For example, the more solids in a paint (i.e., binder, pigments and additives that adhere to a wall) the thicker the paint and, therefore, the better the coverage. A low-quality paint consists of approximately 30 percent solids, whereas a high-quality paint contains about 40 percent solids. Some other criteria related to paint quality and its desired properties are listed in the table below.

	Application and Appearance Properties		Interior Paint Properties		Exterior Paint Properties
	Color		Stain resistance		Color retention
	Hiding		Scrub resistance		Mildew resistance
	Flow and leveling		Lack of yellowing		Blister resistance
	Level of sheen gloss		Resistance to alkali		Dirt resistance
	Spattering tendancy		Burnish resistance		Resistance to peeling
	Foaming tendency		Block resistance		Alkali resistance

All of these factors have a role in paint quality. The better the paint, the more time is saved in the initial painting and in recoating. And, because much of the cost involved in painting is labor, it makes sense to invest in a top-quality paint. Therefore, be sure to take a little extra time when selecting paint to ensure that your vision stays vibrant longer and your clients remain happy.

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