Interaction of color
by Josef Albers · first published 1963
68% recommend26% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Teaches through observation that colors have no absolute value and shift with their surroundings. Recommended to designers, founders and UX people who want a deeper grasp of color than standard theory gives.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…(http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/bookreviews) and the works of others that he cites are usually also excellent. The cheap version is to just read through the Ask ET forum on his site. One that is harder to come across: Josef Albers "Interaction of Color": http://www.yalebooks.co.uk/yale/display.asp?isb=0300115954&#...
on “Ask HN: Great intro books for web design/graphic design?” ↗…if the specific examples may become dated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things Edit: Oh, yeah. How about Tufte ('83 for Visual Display of Quantitative Information) and Albers (Interaction of Color in '63). I should think first, then post.
on “Ask HN: What’s an older nonfiction title that’s relevant and blew your mind?” ↗…book with other mistakes he made. You mention Albers. He is someone I have a lot of respect for. Goethe and Itten tried to construct general theories on the subject. Albers was more humble. His book `Interaction of Color' was a set of thoughtful observations, as indeed was his whole body of work 'Homage to the Square'.
Also, Josef Albers and his book Interaction of Color. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Albers
on “Ask HN: How do you pick colors” ↗…color: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1619491532/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... Itten's The Elements of Color is the classic text on color: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471289299/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... Albers' Interaction of Color will teach you that colors are no absolute reference ponts – they interact with each other to create all sorts of effects (this text pairs well with the Kandinsky): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300018460/ref=as_li_qf_sp_...…
on “Ask HN: What do you wish you knew about UI/UX design?” ↗…calibrating to your monitor (gamma, etc.) Perceptual-linearity is... harder. You can start by investigating CIE-LAB colour spaces etc., but the story most definitely does not end there (for example, check out "Interaction of Color" by Josef Albers.)
on “ Why Should Engineers and Scientists Be Worried About Color? (1996)” ↗…to non-design founders: If you really want to learn about color you should start with a serious study of color theory. If you don't have the bandwidth to take a full course you should read the book "Interaction of Color" by Josef Albers.
on “How I Work with Color” ↗Together with `Interaction of Color` by Josef Albers - these two were the primary sources to teach me colors. In my view this site is as valuable amongst the other online resources as the book is amongst the other books about color theory.
on “The Geometry of Color Perception” ↗Along the same lines, Edward Tufte recommends Josef Albers's book Interaction of Color, which teaches that there's no absolute colors - it's all relative. Magazine piece on Albers and his work: https://www.schirn.de/en/magazine/context/josef_albers_inter...
on “Never Use Black (2012)” ↗See Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color or the recent and more approachable Interacting With Color.
on “How much oranger do red orange bags make oranges look?” ↗…perception... AR/VR -> graphics -> silicon photonics -> physical AI (now). I'm still very much learning, but if you like this stuff and want to learn more yourself there's a couple sources I can recommend: - Interaction of Color, by Josef Albers. Amazing book, but you really want to get a physical copy. - I really like this talk from SciPy 2015 to get a sense of how people work with and talk about color maps in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAoljeRJ3lU…
on “Show HN: Ember – Redshift safe color palettes” ↗See Josef Alber’s Interaction of Color for more information and studies of relative color. It’s a fascinating subject and color theory is very useful for UX and getting more bang with less colors. (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300179354/interaction-of...)
on “This is a black and white photo, but an artist has drawn color lines through it” ↗…professional sense any more than knowing Word inside-and-out makes you a writer. Do yourself a favor and read some great technical design books like "Grid Systems," "Thinking With Type," and Alber's "Interaction of Color," as well as more general design books like "the design of everyday things" to get an idea of what design is before you start trying to mimic design with design tools. Developers especially tend to dramatically…
on “Is there any AI website to grade my designs” ↗…feels aggressive and often even uncomfortable to our eyes. One finds it is rarely used except for a screaming effect in advertising, and as a result it is unpleasant, disliked, and avoided" -Josef Albers, Interaction of Color: XXII Vibrating boundaries — enforced contours Probably not the best idea to use a scheme that one of the most pre-eminent color theorists describes as “unpleasant, disliked, and avoided.” Shelburne's…
on “Practical Color Theory for People Who Code” ↗I read Josef Albers' Interaction of Color years ago and I've also bought the iPad app. I've been disappointed by both. The problem is that "experiential" teaching without any scientific explanation is inadequate and misleading. Teaching part…
on “Five minute guide to better typography” ↗