Iris29 Feature

Identity represents the essence of an individual’s personality. In design, colour choices can reveal a designer’s unique identity.

Colours have a powerful impact and possess creative expression. They can excite the eye and create emotions when they are seen in design artefacts. Visual communication designers are attracted to certain colours because of their influences. Colour choice expresses what the designer feels. “What influences your colour choice as a designer?” shows the results of a survey, that I conducted with Mount Royal College students. The students were asked to create a four-colour combination palette of their choice that reflects their identities. They were also asked to answer the question, “What influenced your colour choice from the palette you created from a design point of view?” The results of the survey indicate that the identity of each student is reflected by the influences that affect his or her colour decision.

The colour palettes that the participants created show different variations of colour intensity, hue, tone, and saturation: bright colours which are stimulating, lively, and calm; natural tones which symbolize the urban environment and activity; and expressive colours which are distinctive and personalized. The colour visuals are numbered 1-24 to reference the answers from the survey.