First-Year Interdisciplinary Seminar: Is Design Color Coded?

Catalog description

The course *Is Design Color Coded?* considers how color operates and is valued within different design disciplines. Why does the color white represent purity and cleanliness in some contexts while connoting death in others? Why does the color red signal danger or emergency in certain situations but represents prosperity and power in others? Why does purple-colored clothing connote high status in societies as distant as Ancient Greece (7th century BCE) and the Tokugawa period in Japan (1603-1868)? During this First Year Interdisciplinary Seminar, students will explore color as a constitutive element of most people's lived experiences. Analytic exercises, creative projects, reading and writing will structure each course module, and it is expected that both historic and contemporary designs will inform the creation of new work and class discussions. As students develop a critical understanding of how color contributes to our understanding of the designed environment, we will also discuss how color affects our perceptions of race, gender, ethnicity, identity, and social status. Student projects will engage a range of different design disciplines including industrial design, fashion design, interior design, graphic design, architectural and interior design, surface coatings, and digital interfaces. Class meetings will include discussions, presentations of student design work, skills workshops, and field trips. Field trips will include visits to museums, retail stores, and trade showrooms. Because our in-class work will involve work in digital programs like Adobe and Rhino, students should have access to a laptop computer that they can bring to class.