It’s important to question whether one should use green for the identity of an environmental based project. In the last project I was involved in, I asked green mapmakers to think of “great ocean lakes and a profusion of purple Japanese flowers” when agreeing to a colour palette. This was because some green mapmakers were involved in mapping water ways, and some were involved in mapping areas of Japan. Previously they had been focussing on “a green land”. From thinking about “other things in nature” we developed a new green mapmaking identity. We also studied cultural meanings attributed to colour.
This week Emmet and I are walking the lake on which this project theirwork is centred. I am hoping, amongst other things, it will help to formulate a basic look and feel for the project. I say basic, because we would like members of the community, who are going to be involved in developing some of the concept and buiding some of the content, to also influence the look and feel. I have started testing a basic colour framework for the project by using the greens Emmet has been working with. I have added to them, with the idea of different colours representing different platforms of the project.
I have started to look at blues for the wiki (but maybe, again, it’s too obvious a colour to use, and I have picked blues that are too corporate in feel). I do like this green for the blog. I am suggesting a purple for the forum - to encourage feedback/debate because of it’s vitality etc. The colours need to have more feeling coming from them, - the colours need to be more alive, but it’s a start.
I tested a first reaction to these colours by asking the question, “What’s the first thing you think of when you see…
these purples,
“heat
sad / it’s a thinking colour
grandeur”
these blues,
“freshness
action
cool in a happy way, in a calm way”
these greens?”
“life
action
comfort
back in the womb
I am under trees, lying down
alive”
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