For the vast majority of people, colour remains something of a mystery and the few gifted and talented people that can create fantastic colour schemes are treated with awe and admiration for their obviously magical talent! The general consensus is that you either have a natural flair for colour – or you don’t, but these skills can be learnt, and successful use of colour is something that everyone can master. Whether you are working with interiors, graphics, clothes or products - finding the right colour balance is critical to achieving a successful design visually and this course will teach you how to do just that. Whether you want to develop colour skills for yourself or your clients, this course will help you to achieve immediate results as you build your colour confidence.

Maximum Completion Time:

6 months.   In the event that you are unable to complete your home study course within the specified timescale, you can request a time extension of 3 months (Terms & Conditions & Fees Apply)

1) Visual Communication - The demand for skilled Colour Consultants exists because clients want to avoid the expense and setbacks that result from the wrong choices – in short, they want to get it right first time. While this may seem like a high demand, the role of a Colour Consultant is built on the assurance of success and the ability to deliver on this promise is something that can be learnt. However, many consultants find that the real challenge lies in communicating their ideas effectively to clients and fellow team members, and falling short in this regard can sometimes prevent a project from progressing before it ever really gets off the ground. Topics covered include:

• Visualisation – how to envisage the end result and make the right colour choices
• Mood & Concept Boards – using traditional designer’s tools to communicate visually with your clients
• Client Presentations – how to create presentations that sell your style ideas and concepts
• Client Briefs – giving substance to your suggestions and selling your ability

2) Colour Science & Theory - Most people are familiar with warm and cool colours as terms, and you may be surprised to discover that certain colours really do make us feel physically warmer or cooler and they can be used to help us control temperature among other things. It makes sense once you realise that colour is actually a form of energy, and a firm understanding of the science and theory of colour is a must for anyone working with colour. The scientific study of colour is ordinarily a very technical subject, but throughout this course, Maria Flynn explains the key principles in simple terms with everyday examples to illustrate the relevant points for you as a Colour Consultant. You will take a close look at the science of colour, and examine how our brains perceive colour and how it can produce physiological responses in individuals. You will also explore the nature of colour, the relationship between colour and light and how the basic colours of the spectrum make it possible for us to see and recreate the millions of colours that exist around us in our environments. Once grasped, this knowledge will give you confidence in colour, and topics covered include:

• Electromagnetic Radiation – colour as an energy
• Colour & Light – understanding the relationship between the two and how this affects colour choices
• The Colour Wheel – what it is, how it works and how to use it in everyday practice
• The Natural Order of Colour – identifying relationships between individual colours
• Colour Science – understanding how colour is perceived by the brain

3) Working With Colour - Colour is the single element that is fundamental to every area of design and visual communication. Regardless of the application or the cost of materials, poor choice of colour can create a visual effect that is cheap and garish. Interior designers may work with existing furnishings, graphic designers may work around existing corporate colours and stylists and visual merchandisers are frequently required to work with products and clothing lines that have “unattractive” colours and designs. In this context it’s easy to understand how the ability to create harmonious colour combinations every time is what makes skilled Colour Consultants so highly sought after. There is no such thing as a bad colour, just bad use of colour, and a skilled Colour Consultant can make any colour look good!” In this you will learn how to work proficiently with colour, by developing an understanding of how individual colours interact with each other, and how different colours can create visual illusions and effectively change people’s perception of space and proximity. Once you know how to exploit these characteristics, then you can apply these effects ingeniously to achieve practical and valuable results. Whether creating a colour combination afresh or working with existing colours, this course will present you with a proven formula for success that works every time.

• Advancing & Receding Colours – how certain colours affect our perception of space and distance.
• Colour Characteristics – how the impact of any colour can be altered or modified by size and positioning.
• Simultaneous Contrast – the secret to making any colour look good
• Working with the Colour Wheel – using the colour wheel to create winning colour combinations every time.
• Colour Contrasts – a close look at the relationships between various colours & how to use this in practice

4) Colour Psychology - It’s no accident that we use certain colours to describe how we are feeling, such as “I’m a little blue” or “I saw red!” As well as accurately describing our moods and emotions, colour can strongly influence those moods and emotions in profound and unusual ways, and what’s more, many blind people are affected by colour in the same way that sighted people are. While it may seem miraculous at first, colour psychology is the scientific study of colour and its subsequent effect on our physical and emotional state. As a result of her practical application of colour psychology, Maria Flynn has been consulted by top companies around the world and in this course she will show you how colour can produce powerful effects on our moods and emotions and how this can be practically applied to produce measurable benefits for individuals and companies. Colour psychology is fast becoming the secret weapon used by the leading consultants in the industry and if you are serious about understanding colour, then it is essential for you to develop skill in this area. On this course you will learn the following:

• Colour Science – a scientific explanation of colour psychology and how colours affect us the way they do.
• Colour Personalities – a look at the psychology & characteristics of individual colours.
• Colour Positives and Negatives – recommendations for using specific colours and when to avoid them.
• Practical Application - applying colour psychology to achieve practical and measurable results such as; raising children’s IQ, increasing business revenues, and even reducing heating bills!

5)  Colour Notation - If you are like the majority of people, you will find it quite difficult to describe colours in a way that sounds convincing or knowledgeable, yet if you are going to work with colour that is precisely what you need to do. The key to describing colour accurately lies in understanding what it is that defines colour and what exactly are the properties that make one colour different from another. Colour science has identified the individual components of colour and developed ways and methods of describing colour that are so precise they allow colours to be accurately reproduced anywhere in the world. Ordinarily, colour notation can be a highly technical and complex subject, but in this course, you will be introduced to a modified system of colour notation and it’s practical value will be demonstrated. This knowledge will provide you with the appropriate vocabulary so that you can communicate professionally with clients and justify your colour choices in a way that is informed and persuasive. The following points are among those covered in this course.

• Hue, Tone and Chroma – understanding the individual components of colour and how to identify them in different colours.
• Colour Notation - the Munsell Colour System and its value to Colour Consultants.
• The Language of Colour – communicating professionally using colour terminology in the right manner.
• Colour Mixing Processes – an explanation of how various colours are created and how these mixing processes affect the visual properties of colour.