167: Thou shall not neglect the fact that colors change according to their surroundings

Commentary Color is subjective and emotional. It is challenging to convince someone to like pink if they were repeatedly locked in a pink closet as a child. This makes color one of the most problematic elements designers use. Added to the subjective nature of color is the way we see color. First, we all experience color in our own way. Warm red will appear different to every person viewing it. To one person it looks orange, to another red. It is vital to be accommodating when dealing with color. Telling someone they are wrong about a color choice is to tell them they are a bad person. If these hurdles were not high enough, color changes according to its environment. What seems to be a soft yellow in the designer’s office can be an awful yellow-green under the client’s fluorescent light. The primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, are the most consistent in different surroundings. Complex colors, such as violet are more volatile and easily shift from blue to purple. When showing color options to a client, it is best to explain that color changes in different settings. SA