Research on product color design decision driven by brand image

As one of the most important visual characteristics in a product system, color can arouse the user's emotional demands quickly. Due to the complexity of the user's emotional needs mining process, it can be expressed by color image adjectives. Meanwhile, product color trends that meet the user's emotional demands may help decision makers to anticipate a new market positioning and reduce the blindness in the product color design. In this study, the Gray theory combined with the Kansei engineering was used to mine the macro and microscopic factors in product color design decision process based on the product color brand image. The results showed that the constructed method could be used to guide the product color design that was to meet the user's emotional needs comprehensively and quickly. The method solved the problems that exist in the current product color trend prediction research and improved the accuracy of the correlation mining between product color design elements and brand image. Lastly, the color design of the mid-range sedan was taken as an example to prove the feasibility of the research approach. This is a new attempt to guide product color design decisions in two aspects, one is known from the results of product color trends quantitative prediction, and the other one comes from the correlation calculation between product color design elements and brand image.     

Research on color optimization of tricolor product considering color harmony and users' emotion

There are few studies on the tricolor design optimization, and the influence of color-area ratio on users' emotion has been ignored. This article aims to achieve multiobjective optimization of tricolor product color design. Two modes of color-area ratio are put forward. Using the proposed method of generating tricolor schemes, 368 tricolor schemes of the representative baby carriage are designed. Through questionnaire survey, color images are screened, and combined with correlation analysis and factor analysis, five perceptual features of color design are determined as “Order,” “Excitement,” “Temperature,” “Color harmony,” and “Users' emotional preference.” From two perspectives of color information processing, radial basis function neural networks are used to construct two emotional evaluation models. By integrating the radial basis function neural networks and a genetic algorithm, this study achieves multiobjective optimization of tricolor product color design for two optimization objectives of color harmony and users' emotional preference. Verification results show that the optimization schemes are significantly better than other schemes. Due to similar product characteristics, children's electric car is utilized to verify the generalization capability of the optimization method proposed in this article. It has been demonstrated that the optimization schemes achieve higher scores than randomly selected color schemes and the actual subjective scores match with the predicted scores computed by the color optimization method.     

Background and foreground interaction: Influence of complementary colors on the search task

Labels are indispensable visual (communication) elements that completely deliver the geospatial message of maps. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of complementary colors between the map's background and text on the readability of cartographic texts and thus on the efficiency of the map user's search task. This is compared with the use of the “traditional” black labels on the corresponding colored backgrounds. Furthermore, a number of user characteristics, such as gender and expertise, are taken into account as well. The users' eye movements were registered to study their attentive behavior during the visual search task. In addition to the complement of the color's hue, the analyses were based on the difference in luminance, which could also affect the labels' readability. The difference between the black and colored label design was significantly different versus the eye‐tracking metrics. A correlation was found between the color difference and reaction time measurement and between the luminance difference and fixation duration. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 437–445, 2015     

The feasibility of establishing new color image scales using the magnitude estimation method

Color image is one of the most important factors in art and design. In general, artists and designers apply their own personal image meanings into their work. However, the image meaning for a specific work is frequently in conflict with those of the general observer. Thus it is necessary and important to derive one set of merit color image scales which can be utilized to predict the color image meanings of works in parallel with the average person's perception and which can also serve as a guide for artists and designers. In this study, the psychophysical method (magnitude estimation method), usually used in visual measurement of color appearance, was employed to attempt to establish new color image scales to evaluate the color image meanings of works matching those of the average person. The results show that new color image scales WIP are developed, and the relativity between the latest color image scales WIP and the color attributes (say Lightness L*, Hue h, and Chroma C*) of the CIELAB color space is also discussed. The total mean value of coefficient of variation for the results of visual assessment in the experiment of evaluating the color image meanings of the 207 color specimens used, in general, is about 36, similar to that for those experiments conducted using the psychological method. Also, a good relationship between the new color image scales and the color attributes of the CIELAB color space can be found. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 32, 463–468, 2007     

Hierarchical emotional color theme extraction

Artists usually carefully select different colors in artistic work so as to convey special visual and emotional feelings. Color theme extraction techniques can help users to acquire the color styles in an image. However, current color theme extraction methods ignore the emotional factors, and they can only provide a single theme result for an image as well, neither of which meet people's favor on different colors under different mood states. This article introduces the conception of emotional color theme, introduces the color emotion theory into color theme extraction, and proposes a novel emotion color theme extraction framework. To achieve these goals, we perform the theme extraction with emotion value of each pixel instead of color value. The emotional discrepancy is proposed between the colors in the theme to evaluate a color theme quality and prove it with color theme dataset. Then a data driven approach is adopted to optimize the color theme. Different from previous optimizing strategies, we built the emotional relation between the target theme and the candidate theme. Our method can enhance the color editing results of previous methods, e.g., for color transfer our results can demonstrate hierarchical emotions from a single reference image. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 513–522, 2016     

Gray and grayness—its complexities in color appearance of surface colors

Complexities on the roles of reference color gray and grayness are reviewed. They are essential in color appearance, but gray is an implicit color. Although “grayness” is not explicitly used in visual color assessment of surface colors or color order systems, gray can be combined with any colors having six primary‐color components using the term “grayish,” for example, grayish red and grayish yellow. However, the existing region of grayness is limited in a part of color‐appearance space. Illuminance dependency of gray perception is also clarified. Existence of two kinds of psychometric quantities are suggested: one is the attribute of grayness based on its psychological amount in a grayish color under study, and the other is the attribute of brightness of the grayish color under a specified illuminance, psychophysical quantity. The Nayatani‐Theoretical color order system, which uses three opponent‐colors axes, can clarify the above complexities of gray and grayness. Its importance is the same as six primary colors, red–green, yellow–blue, and white–black. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 39, 37–44, 2014     

Manifestation of depressive tendency in color perception and colors utilized in creating a self‐portrait

There are a large number of studies on color and its influence upon human emotions, but there have been only a few studies on the correlation between color and depressive mental disorders. This study used color preference, association, and creation of self‐portraits to explore the relationship between color and depressive tendency. In this study, 337 freshman design students participated in the experiment, and the center for epidemiologic studies‐depression scale (CES‐D) was used to determine the extent of depression in the subjects. After classifying the subject as “depressive tendency” and “no depressive tendency,” the semantic differential scale and color association methods were used to explore the subjects' emotional, cognitive, and perceptive responses to Munsell 14 colors. In the final portion of the study, the 233 subjects created a colored self‐portrait. The main conclusions found by this study are: (1) when color is used to determine whether subjects have depressive tendency, then the three colors of Yellowish Red, Purple, and Dark Gray are important discriminant variables. (2) those who have depressive tendency (DT) or do not have depressive tendency (NoDT) have similar results in color association, except when viewing dark Gray in association with abstract concepts, wherein DT subjects chose more negative emotional words such as “hopeless,” “fear,” and “depression”; (3) among the 233 self‐portraits, the existence of depressive tendency correlated with the colors used on the face in the self‐portrait. From the above conclusions, this study finds that there is much association between depressive tendency and color perception. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 84–92, 2009.     

Crosscultural comparison of color terms and preference of persimmon‐dyed fabric,Galchon

This crosscultural study was aimed at correlating color emotions and preference for persimmon‐dyed cotton fabrics known as Galchon. Cotton fabrics were dyed with persimmon powder, in a range of shades, and in some cases were also iron mordanted. Textile and fashion students from Jeju National University in Korea and North Carolina State University (NCSU) in USA participated in the visual assessment of dyed samples and were asked to scale their visual experience and state their emotion and preference for the terms “Bright,” “Heavy,” “Soft,” “Strong,” “Deep,” and “Like.” Korean observers used “Strong” for iron‐mordanted Galchon, and American observers did not associate “Bright” or “Deep” with weakly dyed fabrics. In addition to the subjective terms described, the color preference for samples was quantified using their CIE colorimetric attributes. For Korean observers, the results indicate a correlation between L^* and “Bright,” whereas for Americans a stronger correlation was obtained against “Soft.” American observers' results also show a relationship between C^* and the term “Warm,” especially for dyeings of Galchon at high concentrations. It was also found that iron mordanting affected responses from both groups but only influenced the color preference of Korean observers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 592–604, 2015     

Product color emotional design considering color layout

Emotional experience and demand for product colors are important factors in users' decisions to buy and use a product. Therefore, accurately characterizing users' emotional responses of the product's color has become a significant consideration for product color design. However, a product color design problem exists in which it is challenging to accurately and efficiently position users' color image space because consumers have completely different image perceptions when encountering a large number of color schemes generated by different color spatial distributions. For this reason, this article proposes a product color emotional design method that considers the color layout. A table is built of an elemental composition for product color design, which contains color layout forms. This article also establishes a mapping model based on the semantic difference and back propagation neural network between the users' color image perceptions and the elements of the product's color design. The system recommends a color layout form that matches the users' emotional image goal through the k‐nearest neighbor algorithm, and then the form is initialized using a genetic algorithm. The system can realize the solution to the optimal product color scheme by optimizing and evaluating the population. Designers can make intuitive choices and decisions through the product color recommendation system. Through an example of color design for industrial vacuum cleaners, this article shows that the method has satisfactory feasibility and applicability for solving the problem of the optimization of product color design with color layout forms.     

Viewerphilic nightscape based on correlated color temperature

Nowadays, many factors are involved in lighting design to achieve targeted lighting in addition to meeting the user's requirements and security to avoid energy loss. As building indexation at night is one of the main reasons for building lighting, it is necessary to make a decision to reduce energy consumption and increase observer's attention. The present study investigated the relationship between the correlated color temperature of the background and building based on the amount of visual attention and the amount of visual desirability. In this article, using a factor analysis approach, a range that attracts visual attention and visual desirability at the same time was obtained, and it is called viewerphilic perspective. The results presented in the form of a diagram show a relationship between the variables that directly and indirectly influence the formation of a viewerphilic night perspective. The results showed that the elements with a high correlated color temperature in the background and a low correlated color temperature and neutral color were in the viewerphilic range, while the elements with a low color temperature and a background with a high color temperature was in the range of viewer phobic.     

A User‐Oriented Method for Preferential Color Scheme Generation

Harmony and preference are two important factors in constructing color combination for the purpose of color design. We presented a method for generating harmonious color scheme in a previous project. As an extension to the project, we propose here a method for generating color schemes that are based on user's preference. We considered color combinations as a set of color relations rather than a summation of specific color components (color elements); and we derived a model of six‐variable color relations, representative value of hue, representative value of saturation, representative value of lightness, span of hue, span of saturation, and span of lightness. With this model, color combinations can be expressed as specific parameters of the six‐variable model. Individual preferences are represented as certain parameters, from which new color schemes can be reconstructed to meet individual requirements. An interactive system for generating preferential color schemes is built with all these principles integrated. As a color design toolkit for user study, the system accesses user's preference features for color combinations, and provides new color schemes that fit the user's need. User study shows that both professionals and novices can generally acquire preferential color schemes of their own. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 147–156, 2015     

Color tolerance prediction for recycled paper based on consumers' awareness

Consumers' tolerance of the color of recycled paper was evaluated by the visual assessment of such paper by 30 Japanese university students. The assessment was performed to measure color tolerance using 266 color samples in eight conditions specifying the situation of paper as (1) “either paper is recycled or not recycled,” (2) “whether you will buy/use,” and (3) “use for office paper or for workbook paper.” The responses of the subjects were sorted out quantitatively in terms of the colorimetric values of color samples and then correlated with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) brightness and CIE whiteness. Both the ISO brightness and CIE whiteness were found to be dependent on hue factors and also to be restricted for use in direct representation of the consumers' responses to paper quality. Since the consumers' evaluation of paper quality is due to visual whiteness, we propose a new equation to predict the consumers' tolerance of paper color, in which the equation contains two factors concerning the color distance from the white point and the hue impact. The new tolerance equation was confirmed to predict the consumers' tolerance successfully, particularly when the consumers are aware that the paper is recycled. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2011     

Objective evaluation of color design. II

A method to predict psychological values of color design was derived from our experimental data on 30 random color patterns previously published. This method, based on the two-dimensional Fourier transform of color patterns, was designed to evaluate psychological values of the pattern in terms of 13 rating scales such as “beautiful-ugly,” “warm-cold,” “hard-soft,” and so on. It was found that the psychological values of random color patterns could be evaluated in terms of zero-frequency (average color) and low-, medium-, and high-frequency components of the Fourier transform of the patterns. Applicability of the evaluation method to predict psychological impressions of real color design was tested with results from a new experiment on some fabric design that is described in this article.     

Comments: Number of perceivable object color stimuli

M. Brill, in his comments “Maximum number of discriminable colors in a region of uniform color space,” offers a different calculation method from that used by R. G. Kuehni in “How many object colors can we distinguish?,” one based on close‐packing of just noticeable difference spheres. The number per just noticeable difference (JND) sphere is lower than that derived in Kuehni's study. Based on the resulting number of close‐packed JND spheres in the CIECAM02/D65 object color solid and Brill's described multiplier of 5.923 potential stimuli within a JND sphere, the resulting number of distinguishable color stimuli is 9.114 million. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 00, 000–000, 2016     

Study of balance of images using visual weight

The purpose of this research is to analyze the factors that create a sensation of balance or unbalance when a color image is observed depending on the light transmitted, reflected, and/or emitted by the objects that appear in it. This study is carried out by calculating the center of gravity (CG) of each image. The weight and the CG are obtained by calculating the force resulting from the different visual weights that make up the visual image and its position on this. When the visual CG and the geometric center coincide, it is recognized that the image is balanced. The action that acts on the balance of the lightness of an image is labeled as the visual weight. The visual weight of a figure is defined from the amount of visible light coming from it and the space occupied by this in the visual image. The colors show us the amount of light coming from a figure, while the shape provides us with information about the space that it occupies. The study explores how the qualities of appearance of three‐dimensional objects affect visual weight and how it can vary due to changes in light, motion of objects or the perspective of the image. Since these calculations can be very complex, we have developed the software called “PesoVisual” that automatically performs these operations on digital color images. Similarly, this software enables the analysis of the variability of the visual image. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 175–187, 2016     

An intelligent color design method for visual communication design for public crisis

During a crisis, people's emotions are dynamically affected by changes in the environment, and by the attributes of object and subject in ways that depend on an emotion's essential characteristics. Negative emotions can cause psychological harm to people, but specific visual colors can instantaneously dispel or reduce those negative emotions. We developed a color design method based on a hybrid intelligent algorithm to predict accurately the significant negative emotions of people during a public crisis, and to explore the relationship between color structure and negative emotions developed. A Fuzzy Bayesian Network prediction model was constructed of people's significant negative emotions during a public crisis. Then, the concept of color cube was proposed that related color combinations to  particular emotions. Finally, based on the emotion arousal experiment and the BP neural network, the nonlinear mapping relationship between negative emotion and color cube was analyzed to predict the fading versus stimulating color structure of the significant negative emotions. This mapping provides a reference for the color design of visual communications during a public crisis. Our results show that the prediction model of emotions and color design method were effective.     

Color‐emotion associations,designing color schemes for urban environment‐architectural settings

Color in urban design has become an important issue, each city may present different colors which help to define and describe its architectural features. In the study, color in urban design with architectural setting is studied, façade colors are analyzed with a specific emphasis on the following research questions; “Can color schemes be designed in respect to color‐emotion associations? ” and “Are color‐emotion associations affective while designing architectural setting‐urban environment?.” Non‐color experts, 170 people, from different European and non‐European countries were asked to match the most appropriate adjectives with the given street views in accordance to their color schemes. In the first step, the effect of color is identified in relation to architectural environment‐urban setting, second the relative effect of color is studied as a component of the material. A categorical specification on color cognition and linguistic level of representation is attempted. The results can be a starting point to highlight the importance of preparing color schemes in regard to color‐emotion associations. Abstract color schemes may also provide us an idea about image setting, especially at design process stage. In the study, keywords are linked as environment‐response pairs; such as quiet, calming, lively, exclusive, reserved, and natural. Human psychophysical structure such as “warm‐cool,” “heavy‐light” in regard to visualizing certain colors are evaluated and described in terms of building materials.     

Semantic interpretation of color differences and color‐rendering indices

A series of visual experiments were carried out to rate the similarity of color appearance of two color stimuli on categorical and continuous semantic rating scales. Pairs of color stimuli included two copies of the same colored real or artificial object illuminated by a test light source and a reference light source. A formula was developed to predict a category of color similarity (e.g., “moderate” or “good”) from an instrumentally measured color difference. Given a numeric value of a color difference between the two members of a pair of colors, for example, 2.07, the formula is able to predict a category of color similarity, for example, “good.” Because color‐rendering indices are based on color differences, the formula could be applied to interpret the values of the new color‐rendering index (n‐CRI or CRI2012) in terms of such semantic categories. This semantic interpretation enables nonexpert users of light sources to understand the color‐rendering properties of light sources and the differences on the numeric scale of the color‐rendering index in terms of regular language. For example, a numeric value of 87 can be interpreted as “good.” © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 39, 252–262, 2014; Published online 14 March 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/col.21798     

A study of the emotional evaluation models of color patterns based on the adaptive fuzzy system and the neural network

Proposed in this article are two kinds of emotional models based on the neural network and the adaptive fuzzy system that can transform the physical features of a color pattern into its emotional features. The purpose of this system of models is to evaluate the neural network and adaptive fuzzy system for its ability to model psychological experimental data in a way similar to what a human expert would do. Construction of the models was motivated by Soen's psychological experiments, in which he found that such physical features as average hue, saturation, and intensity and the dynamic components of color patterns affected the emotional features represented by a pair of adjectives having opposite meanings. One is based on the neural network in the proposed models, and the other consists of two adaptive fuzzy rule bases and a γ model, a fuzzy set operator, to fuse the evaluation values produced by them. The proposed models showed superior performances compared to Soen's model in the approximation of nonlinear transforms, whereas the latter showed an advantage in obtaining the linguistic interpretation from the trained results. The evaluated results of color patterns can be used to construct a emotion‐based color‐pattern retrieval system, which would be able to recommend the color patterns of a desired human feeling. We believe that in linguistic queries of human feelings, these color‐pattern retrieval systems would be able to select from a gallery the corresponding textile designs, wallpapers, or pictures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 208–216, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10052