PDP Part B - Colour & Texture - Wiktoria Kijowska

PDP Part B: an investigation into the psychological effects of colours within homes Wiktoria Kijowska

brief

As part of the Personal Design Project: Part A, I have completed thorough research about the different aspects that effect the way humans perceive colour and what effects their psychological reactions to them. I have focused on aspects such as colour and language, culture, history, trends and psychological effect. I have also conducted a focus group, interviews and photograph analysis to gain a better understanding about the topic.

Using the findings from PDP Part A, I aim to design a product which will act as a stress reliever and organisation tool through the combined use of colour and texture.

The product should be able to be placed within a workspace environment, ideally on a desk.

mind map

initial ideas

texture what is it?

what is it effected by?

A simple definition of texture is

Our perception of texture is also influenced by the textures of adjacent surfaces, our viewing distance, as well as the lighting applied. For example, rough surfaces seem more textured next to smooth surfaces, when viewed up close, and when grazed with light (i.e. lit from the side).

“the quality of something that can be decided by touch; the degree to which something is rough or smooth, or soft or hard” Additionally, texture can be described as either tactile or visual. Tactile texture relates to the actual feeling of a surface – smooth, rough, soft, hard, etc. Visual texture is our perception of what a texture might feel like. In other words, we often make assumptions about the texture of a material based on our memory of touching similar surfaces.

Texture helps to differentiate various objects and surfaces, transform light, and influence scale.

colour what is it?

The definitions of colour can vary, however Collins English dictionary describes it as “the colour of something is the appearance that it has as a result of the way in which it reflects light”. Colour defines the way we perceive the world and the way we feel. It “has the ability to make us aware of what we see, for nothing has meaning without colour”.

how do we see it?

“Different things are different colours because they absorb some wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, while others bounce off”. When the light enters our eyes, it passes through the lenses and hits the retinas. The retina is covered by millions of light sensitive cells, which are called rods and cons. Cones come in three different varieties, and each is sensitive to a different light. Humans have more cones that are sensitive to red light, which means that “our vision is best for warmer colours like reds, oranges and yellows”.

However, some people can have faults in their cones, which means they are colour blind. Colour blindness is the “inability to distinguish one or more of the three colours red, green and blue’ and about 4.5% of the entire population is affected by it, which suggests that their colour perception and final psychological effect of colours will be different.

texture and psychology smooth

soft

rough

hard

Smooth textures relate to something nice and pleasurable, e.g. running your hand against a smooth texture will feel nice and almost satisfactory. Someone would touch a soft texture when they are in need of content and ease.

It is a texture of love and romance. e.g. velvet, silk, fur

It is often associated with comfort. They are textures that are reassuring and relaxing. Soft textures are not the most luxurious but they are functional. They can establish a sense of safety and calm.

Rough textures are inviting and earthy. They remind us of the already natural textures around us and appear quite warm. This texture is also indicative of longevity and durability as it lacks the fragility of smooth surfaces.

These are associated with strength.

Although rough and uninviting in their regular form, these surfaces when smoothed and polished are not only durable but also elegant.

e.g. cotton, linen

e.g. concrete

e.g. wooden or stone based surfaces

colours for working environments red It represents courage, strength, and excitement. It’s a great colour to use in areas of the workplace that demand physical exertion.

green

blue It represents trust, logic, communication, and efficiency. Use blue as the primary colour in office areas that require focus and mental strain.

orange

Green provides balance. It represents harmony, nature, and restoration.

Green proves to be a great colour in offices that require people to work long hours, since it’s the easiest colour on the eyes (requiring no adjustment).

Orange blends the physical (red) and emotional (yellow), creating a sense of comfort. It is often associated with food and warmth, and is therefore a natural choice in kitchens. When used appropriately, it is also a fun colour, making it an option for a casual office lounge.

grey

colour scheme

Purple is often associated with spirituality or luxury. It can promote deep contemplation or luxury, but should be used carefully, as too much (or the wrong tone) can have an opposite effect.

yellow Yellow is the emotional colour. It represents creativity, friendliness, optimism, and confidence. Incorporate yellow when you want to stimulate positivity, creativity and happiness.

purple Purple is often associated with spirituality or luxury. It can promote deep contemplation or luxury, but should be used carefully, as too much (or the wrong tone) can have an opposite effect.

sensory/tactile boards Sensory tactile boards provide a sensory experience for your child that may help to calm or soothe them when feeling anxious, or could arouse them when feeling sluggish through the sense of touch. This activity works because while the child is touching the texture, the tactile input elicits a body response such as calming or awakening.

Generally, rougher textures like burlap, sandpaper, and velcro elicits more of an awakening or alerting response.

Softer textures like cotton, felt, yarn, and foam textures elicit a calming response.

desk/ wall organisers

initial 1:1 models 1.

When I have worked out the final shape of the board I have started to plan out the space on it using some of the ideas from my initial sketches.

In this rough model I have created a space for dowel hangers on which the user would be able to hang things such as scissors. However, this idea would only work if the board was placed upright and not flat on a desk.

2.

To make this space a bit more organised I have divided it into squares that could potentially be designated spaces for different types of stationary.

To ensure objects will not fall off the board when moved or placed upright, elastic could be woven through the wooden base. This would enable the user to slot things inbetween the elastics while still being able to see and feel the different textures.

3.

In this model, I have tried to join the ideas from previous two models.

However instead of using the dowels as hooks, they could be used to indicate the different days of the week, creating a small calendar on the board. However, due to the textured surface of the board ad its small size it would be difficult for the user to put lots of notes in between each of the days.

1:1 models 1.

Adding string to the model meant that I was able to see whether the idea of beads would be effective. One bead would be placed on each of the strings and the user would be able to move them around the board. They would act as a kind of a fidget or they could possibly be used to mark certain spaces on the board e.g. to dos.

2.

Each of the squares could have a different texture on it giving the user a variety of texture and colour options. Due to the small size of the board, 16 squares seems excessive and each of them will be quite small, limiting the user as to what they could do within them. As the main board will be wooden, the user could potentially be able to not only slot things in between the elastics but also pin things up to it. The holes created for the elastic could double up as holes that could be used to hang up the board.

textures combinations 1.

This was my first fabric selection for the top of the board.

Each of the fabrics has a different texture, allowing the user to experience different feelings. However, this selection lacked hard textures as well as more 3D textures, which would create more variety within the design of the product.

2.

More textures such as wood, elastic and foam have been added to add to the tactile experience. Each of the different textures is in a different colour adding to the final psychological effect that is created. The user will be able to have a tactile as well as visual way in which they can relax and organise their things.

3.

This is the final texture selection for the product. It includes smooth, soft and rough textures and among them are ones such as linen and faux fur. The pink elastic stands out well against the colours of the fabrics and wood and therefore will act as an added aesthetic detail. The beads will be woven through the elastic to add an element of play to the piece. The user will be able to fiddle with them when they are stressed.

layout options 1.

2.

Due to the fact that there are a variety of textures present within the design, I wanted to place them onto the plywood board in an organised way so that they can be differentiated. Creating a different shape for each of them means that there is a gap in between each of them and the user can easily pick which one they want to touch.

3.

The wooden base board acts as one of the main textures (hard) and therefore I wanted to leave some of it uncovered. In this option, this small space is at the bottom of the board which makes it look unintentional and almost as if something fell off it.

The shapes of these pieces look random and out of place. Some of them do not fit together, making the whole piece look untidy. To further improve, more pieces could be added or the shape of pieces changed to ensure they fit together and look like they were placed their intentionally rather than random.

final design

Colour & Texture

This organiser can be placed flat on the desk, leaning against a wall or hung up.

The user is able to slot their loose pens, notes and other desk accessories between the elastic. While they are using it for storage they can also feel the variety of textures that are places on top of the wooden base, helping them to relax.

Attached are soft textures which are associated with comfort and relaxation, smooth textures which relate to something nice and pleasurable and hard textures which are associated with strength. To add an element of play, beads are woven through the elastics.

Colours are limited to green, yellow, orange/red and blue. This is due to their individual psychological effects which are balance and calmness of green, sense of comfort of orange, yellow stimulates positivity, blue provides stability and red represents strength.

evaluation WHAT WENT WELL AND WHAT DID I LEARN? - This project enabled me to use my research from PDP Part A and create a design that could help people relieve stress and stay organised.

- I was able to learn about the psychological effects of different textures and how they could be incorporated into my own design.

- As the board is visual as well as tactile, I was able to add an element of play within its design using the wooden beads.

WHAT WERE THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND THE SOLUTIONS TO THEM? - This was a really short project, therefore there wasn’t a lot of time to develop my designs. This resulted in an outcome which could be developed further. However, I have used the available time to ensure that the research I have completed for PDP Part A has influenced by final design.

FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS To further improve my design, I would further research the idea of tactile boards as well as stress reliving objects. This would help me to better design my final outcome and ensure that it is a product people would actually want to use. In addition, I would complete more 1:1 models to play around and investigate the different shape possibilities to best suit the target environment. Further investigation and experimentation could also be carried about the different types of beads with varied textures to create a more tactile experience for the final user. Added functions such as a calendar could also be added to make this piece more functional and its overall design could be improved to make it look less ‘cluttered’ with all the textures and elastics.

2019