Rating: 4 out of 5

I knew of the existence of this book, but hadn’t tracked down a copy to have a look at. Until a happy accident threw it in my direction. After a day in the office, when I can, I pop into the library to transition from work to home. I use this time to complete my timesheet (I’m a contractor), and to make any notes that have occurred to me in the 10 minute walk so far. One evening, a week or so ago, I sat myself down at a table moving some abandoned books out of the way to give my laptop space. One of the books I moved was this. Consider me distracted. Despite it being quite a large book, and my bag being pretty heavy already, I checked it out and brought it home. It’s been a lovely read. Part memoir, part colour/pattern/design theory, part catalogue. An interesting combination but I’m not entirely sure what to review it as - which reduces it to 4 stars. Beautiful photos, nicely written, a warm feeling book.

Highlighted passage:

When natural or vegetable colours fade, they do so with a certain softness and in balance with one another, so that colour relationships are preserved

colour is all about feeling and response

reds and oranges put us on alert because they correspond to the longer wavelengths of light and our eyes have to make the maximum adjustment to see them. When you see red, your pulse rate literally increases. That physical effort translates into a feeling of stimulus

Because green occupies the middle of the spectrum, our eyes don’t have to adjust very much to see it, which makes it a supremely restful and easy going colour, whether its the green of a landscape or the green of an awning shading a window from strong light

Through associations from the personal to the cultural, different meanings also come into play when we think about or react to colour

it is most important to be guided by what speaks to you. Using colour is all about expressing yourself

Just as our eyes are capable of making many fine colour judgements, we are pre-disposed to create order, to find pattern in what we see. We are always on the lookout for connections, just as one thought leads to another. To cut your self off from pattern is like depriving yourself of a sense, or living without music

Originally posted to my Goodreads account