Color for Designers: Exploration, Theory, & Application
Richard Mehl
Lessons
Day 1
1Why Study Color?
20:52 2Natural Awareness of Color & Playing
21:25 3Colors and Their Relationships
38:42 4Color Contrast of the Color Wheel
19:59 5Hands On Color Grids
44:31 6Color Illusion in Practice
13:10 7Interaction of Color Practice - Part 1
08:47Interaction of Color Practice - Part 2
18:27 9Illusion of Transparency
16:39 10Hands On Free Study Experiment
26:43 11Color in Action: Designer Pablo Delcan
26:37Day 2
12Color in Design: Tangrams
18:01 13Hands On: Tangrams
18:11 14Hands On: Leaf Composition
22:53 15Expression of Color & Opposites - Part 1
23:55 16Expression of Color & Opposites - Part 2
28:23 17Learning from the Masters
25:01 18Hands On: Cut Paper Illusion
27:04 19Everyday Found Color 2
32:02 20Colors in Nature with Rachel Gregg
42:39Class Description
AFTER THIS CLASS YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:
- Effectively select and apply color to enhance your design projects
- Utilize color theory language to justify your design decisions
- Expand beyond preconceptions and your comfort zone in working with color
ABOUT RICHARD’S CLASS:
Our response to color comes from the place in our brain where trust, loyalty, behavior, and decision occur – every successful project relies on a designer making smart choices about color.
In Color for Designers: Exploration, Theory, & Application, Richard Mehl will give you a foundational understanding of color theory principles and demonstrate how to apply them. Richard has studied alongside design legends Paul Rand, Bradbury Thompson and Herbert Matter; in this class he’ll share insights gleaned from 12 years of teaching and writing about color in design.
Richard takes an accessible approach to the serious study of color theory for designers. You’ll be exposed to a relevant series of ideas and skills by exploring a range of analog and digital projects.
- Color terminology and meaning
- How to view color in context
- Contrast grids and color illusion
- Tips for creating a harmonious color palette
In Color for Designers: Exploration, Theory, & Application you’ll develop a new awareness and sensitivity to color that will bolster your confidence in your personal and professional design work.
WHO THIS CLASS IS FOR:
This class is for designers and color aficionados of all levels working across various media, ranging from floral design to user experience design. It is also an appropriate refresher in color theory for experienced designers.
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Richard Mehl has taught two-dimensional design, color theory and typography at the School of Visual Arts for over 12 years. His students have gone on to become successful, award-winning designers and art directors for prestigious design studios, including Bloomberg, New York Magazine, Pentagram, The Guardian, The New York Times and Sagmeister & Walsh. Mehl received an MFA in graphic design from Yale School of Art, where he studied with graphic design legends Paul Rand, Bradbury Thompson and Herbert Matter, design educators Alvin Eisenman and Inge Druckrey, type designer Matthew Carter, and information design expert Edward Tufte. He is the author of Playing with Color: 50 Graphic Experiments for Exploring Color Design Principles (©2013 Rockport Publishers). Mehl lives with his family – wife Alicia and Sheldon the Pug – and carries on a graphic design practice in Chelsea, New York.
Class Materials
bonus material with purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Nabha
The course was great. Richard was a very good teacher, appreciating the students’ work and helping them expand and improve on it. I learned from that alone. I feel more confident in choosing colors, and hope to bring a greater sense of fun to my design work. Thanks again.
PETE
How wonderful to have such an experienced, thoughtful teacher, who takes educating others so seriously. The depth and breadth of his teaching skill is matched by his knowledge of the subject. I studied art in school, own some of the color books he recommends, and learned far more than I thought possible. And he does it all in such a kind, affirming, supportive way. What a calm guide. How lucky are we to have access to a class with him!
Joe Loffredo
I was concerned that I wouldn't like watching everyone work, but I found that it was the best part! It allowed you to see Richard's lessons being put into action by the various students, each of which is talented in their own right. And Richard is great. Knowledgeable, intelligent, and supportive, he's got the attributes a great teacher should have. I'm a painter, not a designer, but the class really helped me a lot. When I go back to the canvas, it will be with a much deeper understanding of color, and how colors interact with each other.
Student Work
Related Classes
Fundamentals