The art of colorJohannes Itten
The art of color
by Johannes Itten · first published 1961
6mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2009–2025first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Foundational colour theory from a Bauhaus teacher, valued for explaining the mechanics of colour harmony and visual style; recommended for designers, artists, and anyone wanting a grounded start.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Firstly, read about design theory. Designers would love to convince you that what they do is magic, but if you read or even browse through books like "The Art of Color" by Johannes Itten or "The Elements of Typographic Style" you'll have a better understanding for the mechanics of establishing a visual style/rhythm, and to me that's the majority of design...establishing…
on “Ask HN: How do you design your web pages?” ↗…Information by Edward R. Tufte Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative by Edward R. Tufte Beautiful Evidence by Edward R. Tufte Small Is Beautiful by E. F. Schumache The Art of Color by Johannes Itten Were I to teach a course, that would be the list of text books required (so you would own them after). First and only assignment---read them. Final and only exam---what did you learn…
on “Required Reading for Product Designers” ↗…a fun coffee table magazine once. If you're really interested in colours and colour psychology, let me recommend: Website: Color Matters http://www.colormatters.com/entercolormatters.html Book: The Art of Color by Johannes Itten http://www.amazon.com/Art-Color-Subjective-Experience-Object...
on “Color Psychology in Marketing” ↗Johannes Itten, of the Bauhaus, is the go to guy for colour theory, both these books are fantastic: The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color http://www.amazon.com/Art-Color-Subjective-Experience-Object... The Elements of Color: A Treatise on the Color System of Johannes Itten Based…
on “Interesting Windows Desktop UI Concept” ↗…some short time using your intuition and your eyes, and then move on to the serious stuff. I mean color theory. You might find useful Gnomon Workshop tutorials on color theory and Johannes Itten's "The Art of Color". Also, here you inevitably will need guidance in proper usage of your instruments, so find yourself a manual for the technique you use (some book and I find youtube videos on topic pretty useful ofttimes).
on “Drawing as a programmer” ↗…Trans. J. F. Rigaud, A Treatise on Painting (London: J.B. Nichols & Son, 1835). [5] Matt Chamings “Why are there seven colours in a rainbow?” New Scientist, Last Word, 2021. [6] Johannes Itten, The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color (New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1961). [7] J. W. v. Goethe, Goethe's Colour Theory, Trans. C. L. Eastlake (London: John Murray,…
on “Poline – An enigmatic color palette generator using polar coordinates” ↗