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COLOURS
AND MEDIA
IN EDUCATION

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“ Colour affects our life.
Colour is physical … we see it.
Colour communicates … we receive
information from the language of
colour.
Colour is emotional ... it
evokes our feelings ”

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1. The most powerful element in
graphic design and visual
communication
2. They mean many things to many
people
3. Hence, teachers must be sensitive
and knowledgeable in their
application of colours in visuals
COLOURS

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“ .. Colour is five times as expensive
as black and white but twenty times
as effective. Even if oversimplified
the fact remains. Colour costs more
in effort and money but normally far
more than makes up for this in
effectiveness ”.
Peter Osborne, Ian Tonks & Chris Morrel

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1. For example, green has a variety of
meanings
2. It can be perceived as :-
• Violent and exciting
• Alert, envy, disease and decay
• Calm, peace and tranquility
• Nature, growth, surrounding and
healthy lifestyle
• Islam – faith, eternity

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“ .. Colour should be something
special to a design. Introducing
colour for colour’s sake is a crutch,
which should not be used to
support a failing design ”.
Alan Peckolick

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COLOUR WHEEL HARMONY

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5 FACTORS IN
CHOOSING
COLOURS
FOR
VISUALS

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• Green - Islamic colour
• Yellow - Royalty, honour
• Red - Prosperity
• White - Purity, cool & refreshing, calm,
light, fine, truthfulness, honesty,
perserverance
• Black - Death, mourning, grief, sadness,
depth, regret, occultism
• Purple - Spiritual meaning for some people
1. CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS
MEANINGS

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CULTURAL MEANINGS

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CULTURAL MEANINGS

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CULTURAL MEANINGS

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CULTURAL MEANINGS

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• Red - Blood, horror, danger,
revolution, anger, fire, bravery,
power, conflict, energy, fierce, bold
• Orange - Poisons, lethal chemicals,
explosives, road hazards
• Black & Yellow - Toxic fumes,
poisons, radiation risks
2. UNIVERSAL MEANINGS OF
COLOURS

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• Green - Countryside, field sports &
outdoor activities, freshness,
goodness
• Blue - Fresh, cool, refreshing,
hygienic, clean, water, sky,
wellness, honesty, lasting, hope
• Yellow - Positive, enthusiasm,
happiness, joyful
2. UNIVERSAL MEANINGS OF
COLOURS

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• Purple - Ceremony, grapes,
sophistication, pomp, feminine
• Brown - Harvests, plentiful & prosperity,
soil, dried trunks & leaves, dilemma,
disappointment, depression
• Gold, Silver, Metallic - signify opulence,
sophistication, quality ( Sophisticated
colours )
• Violet - Depression
2. UNIVERSAL MEANINGS OF
COLOURS

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1.Refers to the psychological effects of
colours on people
2.Its vibrancy ( brightness ), volume ( soft, pale,
recessive colours ) and temperature ( warm,
cool colours ).
3.Colour chart can be divided into 2 categories
4.2 categories are :-
• Warm Colours – signify action or response
• Cool Colours – signify background,
status quo, cool
3. COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

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WARM & COOL COLOURS

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Warm Colours ( Exciting, Dominant,
Aggressive Colours )
1. Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Pink
2. Images appear leaping, nearer or
approaching towards audience
3. Attention getters and gives powerful
impact to visuals
4. Useful for highlighting, focusing and
emphasis of facts in visuals
3 . COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY3 . COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

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GRAPHIC ELEMENTS, STAND OUT

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WHITE BACKGROUND – SENSE OF SPACE

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Cool Colours ( Passive, Soft, Pale,
Safe,
Non - Exciting Colours )
1. Green, Blue
2. Images appear receding from the
audience
3. Effective for background of
elements in visuals
3. COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

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3. COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

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3. COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY

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