{"id":7870,"date":"2020-08-12T07:12:44","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T06:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/?p=7870"},"modified":"2024-03-21T00:42:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T00:42:25","slug":"the-joy-of-colour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/?p=7870","title":{"rendered":"Setting the tone"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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For those of you who follow us on Instagram, you may have seen the range of wrapping papers and gift tags being created for a certain little \u2018wild one\u2019. It\u2019s Rosie\u2019s First Birthday coming up very soon and I wanted to create a very colourful \u2013 not forgetting stylish<\/em> \u2013 event to mark the occasion. As I played with the various colours (OK, obsessed about various colours \u2013 it really is a rabbit hole once you go down there), I thought about the role colour plays in our lives\u2013 not just from a creative perspective.<\/p>\n

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Colour influences us in so many ways \u2013 some of which we are not even aware of. Take branding for example. Our own, Bumbumbee core palette is centred around the beautiful, vibrant yellow of the bumblebee. This colour represents \u2018joy\u2019 and \u2018happiness\u2019 which is certainly what we would like people to feel when they connect with us in the community or through our artwork.<\/p>\n

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Interestingly, given I am also a teacher, the colour \u2018yellow\u2019 has been shown to stimulate our intellect \u2013 so if you are studying it\u2019s a good idea to surround yourself with yellow.<\/p>\n

Nature is full of colour; our world is full of colour and it communicates with us in ways that support our health and wellbeing. We know when we see a \u2018Red\u2019 light we should stop<\/em> (or risk being hit by a car). We have expressions that communicate emotions and feelings around colour \u2013 \u2018green with envy\u2019, \u2018feeling blue\u2019 or \u2018in the pink\u2019. Even the medical profession and complementary therapists harness the power of colour and the wavelengths at which they vibrate. You may even have experienced infrared or ultraviolet light in the medical environment. Red stimulates blood flow, oranges and yellows stimulate our nerves and blues and violet are \u2018cooling\u2019 and can be utilised for anti-inflammatory properties.<\/p>\n

One of the most obvious ways we can \u2018experience\u2019 the effect of colour is in our own homes. How we use colour will either create a calming and relaxed vibe or perhaps a warm, inviting atmosphere.<\/p>\n

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If you are really hoping your child sleeps through the night and wakes up refreshed, then it\u2019s probably best to ensure muted tones. It seems to be universally accepted that blue is the best colour to promote sleep.  Blue is said to contribute to longer rest and is calm and soothing. The reason for this has a lot to do with your eyes. There are special receptors in your eyes called \u201cganglion cells\u201d and these are sensitive to the colour blue. These cells communicate with the part of your brain that controls your circadian rhythm \u2013 so worth keeping in mind if you have a restless child at night.<\/p>\n

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When you think about the many ways in which we use colour, you realise just how important it is for our children\u2019s development \u2013 which in turn shows you how important visual arts and crafts are. Here are just a few examples to think about.<\/p>\n

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We use colour to:<\/p>\n

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  • speed up a visual search<\/li>\n
  • improve object recognition<\/li>\n
  • enhance meaning<\/li>\n
  • convey structure<\/li>\n
  • establish identity<\/li>\n
  • symbolism<\/li>\n
  • improve usability<\/li>\n
  • communicate mood<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    So, you can see why I spend a \u2018seemingly\u2019 <\/em>inordinate amount of time \u2018playing\u2019 with background colours and shades, tones and hues. It\u2019s about creating a memorable and happy experience \u2013 setting the right tone and enhancing meaning. It’s also a creative and fun way to engage with a one year old and introduce her to a world beyond the traditional ‘pinks’.<\/p>\n

    Well, as I mentioned earlier, I also teach, so I am heading back into the classroom after a long break. I have to say I am feeling a little blue myself \u2013 simply because it means leaving behind my special little \u2018wild one\u2019 and her brother. They add their own splash of colour to our lives and lockdown has certainly been an ‘experience’. That said, I am lucky I get to share my passion for colour with a new generation of Scottish school children.<\/p>\n

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    In the meantime, I will look forward to my little \u2018wild ones\u2019 colourful birthday celebration and who knows I may have a few more colour variations of wrapping paper in me yet so watch this space.<\/p>\n

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    For those of you who follow us on Instagram, you may have seen the range of wrapping papers and gift tags being created for a certain little \u2018wild one\u2019. It\u2019s Rosie\u2019s First Birthday coming up very soon and I wanted to create a very colourful \u2013 not forgetting stylish \u2013 event to mark the occasion. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-hive-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7870"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14228,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870\/revisions\/14228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbbeecreative.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}