Category Archives: professional

3D colour printer

3d-printer_0

An article in Stuff reveals what 3D Systems claims to be the world’s first continuous-tone full colour 3D plastic printer, called the ProJet 4500.The ProJet 4500 offers full-colour parts with colours that are able to blend into each other with gradient transitions.

MRes Colour Communication

colour communication

We’re starting a new programme at Leeds University next September. It’s MRes Colour Communication. This is a one-year Masters programme by research but with a twist. There is a taught component in the first semester to get everyone up to speed to make sure they understand the basics of colour communication. They then explore one aspect of this in their research project and submit a dissertation at the end of the year. Please contact me at my University email of s.westland@leeds.ac.uk for further information or visit http://www.design.leeds.ac.uk/pg/research-degrees/.

AIC2014

logobig-full
As some of you may know, I was General Chair of AIC2013 this year. We had a great time in Newcastle and spent a week with over 600 delegates talking about colour. But time moves on and we are approaching 2014. I would therefore like to draw your attention to the next AIC meeting which is in Mexico in October 2014. The theme is colour and culture and the venue – Oaxaca – is stunning. I hope to see you there.

For further details visit http://www.aic2014.org/index_en.html

swatchmate

Very interested in this new colour-measurement device called the swatchmate cube.

swatchcube-color-matcher-designboom03

The new device is launched by Swatchmate on November 13th. That;s two day’s time from now. It captures the colour and displays it on your smartphone. Does it provide any numerical data such as CIELAB? I don’t know. How much is it? I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out at the launch!!

colour and accessibility

Just came a across a superb article by Geri Coady, a designer and illustrator living in Newfoundland (Canada) about the importance of designers taking into account the fact that about 5% of the population in the world are colour blind. Well, it’s mainly men of course ….. but that’s all the more reason to take into account [joking].

Some really excellent advice about how to take colour blindness into account in design work. She talks about problems with the use of colour in London’s iconic underground map (see my blog about colour blindness and maps). She also comments on a game (Faster than Light) that has a colour-blind mode; I mentioned last week that SimCity was doing something similar. About time. It’s so lazy not to take colour blindness into account in the digital environment. There are also some great links to simulators.

Colour qualification

Did you know you can get a qualification in colour. See Graham Clayton’s colour blog for more details. Graham is Chief Executive of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) and regularly blogs about colour. I am a Fellow of the SDC myself and have been involved in the organisation since 1982 believe it or not – more than 30 years!!!!

colour conference in UK

4-1

In July of this year the UK is hosting the 12th International Congress of the International Colour Association. We have received over 600 submissions from people who would like to present their work and so it looks as though we can have a very successful conference. If you have an interest in colour then this is the place to be this year – for further details visit http://aic2013.org/

aic_2013_logo_bringing_colour_to_life (1)

new colour blogs

Readers may be interested in a new colour-related blog by the SDC’s Chief Executive Graham Clayton. The SDC – the Society of Dyers and Colourists – is the world’s leading independent educational charity dedicated to advancing the science and technology of colour worldwide. It is a professional, chartered Society and becoming a member gives access to SDC’s professional coloration qualifications. I have been a member since about 1982 and I am a Chartered Colourist and a Fellow of the SDC.

I also recently came across another colour blog called chromatic notes. It’s not clear from the web site who runs this blog but there is a great deal of technical information there.

AIC2013

3

The 12th International Congress of the International Colour Association (AIC) is taking place in July next year in the UK. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 17th December 2012 so there is not much time. Please visit http://aic2013.org/ for further information about how to submit abstracts and about how to get involved generally. The Congress will be held in Gateshead which is on the opposite side of the river to Newcastle and will take place in the iconic Sage conference centre. Attending AIC is a great way to meet other people who share your interest in colour.