From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Color

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Value is not a moral judgment

Value is not a moral judgment

From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Color

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Value is not a moral judgment

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- The word "value" has a few implications, but, here, value and color refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color. We can easily understand value when an image is black and white, but it's harder to know the value of a color when it's in color. Though it's absolutely critical that we do understand this, as it has a direct impact on the color relationship in a piece. Here are some examples of an assignment that I give to the students in my color course at RISD, where they create a self-portrait of their other alternative personality, whatever that might be. The watercolor palette is limited to three primary colors and the goal is to create variation in value and hue by creating a harmonious palette while maintaining the focus on value arrangement. They each have to scan their image in black and white. If we look at these paintings in value next to the color version, we can see that they all still hold up as compositions without the chroma. The balance of value is varied…

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