Geyer, DITC + Morris Selvatico. Colour story part two…

I was recently asked to speak at an industry event about interior designers and architects that embrace colour across different design disciplines. I touched base with Geyer, Greg Natale, Designers In the City, Landini Associates, Black Milk, Nexus Designs and Morris Selvatico asking them the same questions, to discover a different approach to colour with each studio. Today we discuss COLOUR with Geyer, Designers In the City and Morris Selvatico and this is their story …..

GEYER

Q- Describe your use of colour in your projects.

Geyer’s approach is to consider the integration of colour as a tool along with volume, proportion, line, texture, perspective, light and shadow.  We do not have a corporate design style nor a standard approach to colour and this is reflected in the uniqueness of every project responding to a clients’ culture and business objectives, rather than current styles and trend. As brand becomes a more critical currency for clients (in particular retail), we are continually challenged with opportunities to support and grow brand positioning without resorting to the blanket application of pure brand colour.

Whilst often considered as a decorative element or overlay, the use of colour is a science. Colour can be used to manipulate and open up or draw focus to a particular space. Colour can create feelings of calm or angst. Colour can contradict or confirm. The materiality of the surface is also critical to the application of colour. The combination of colours requires an understanding similar to that required by an artist painting. As part of Geyer’s culture, we have a number of internal forums in which different areas of the design process are workshopped, trialled, prototyped and challenged. Colour workshopping is one of these events. The Geyer studio is a very visual and creative environment where project proposals are displayed, tested and resolved collaboratively.

Q – How do you pitch colour to your clients ?

Geyer designers don’t pitch colour as an isolated element to our clients. Via the rigorous strategic process of visioning and workshopping we conduct with our clients and end users, the unfolding of the spatial design solution is ideally one which is both familiar and aligned with the clients’ expectation, and therefore readily embraced and ’owned’.

Q – What is the best advise you could give someone whom is scared to use colour ?

Fear of colour comes from a lack of understanding – as with any product or material. (You wouldn’t specify a glazing channel or roof beam without understanding the limitations and consequences). Study and experience in specifying colour brings confidence. As visual thinkers, most designers have an innate appreciation for, and intuitive response to, colour. Advice would be to keep experimenting – look for colour combinations in the natural environment, create trends rather than following trends.  Use of colour involves not only the selection of hue (pigment colour) but in saturation, tone or value (degree of black or white) and surface texture, remembering that black and white and metals all read as colour. The materiality of an applied colour will impact it’s reflection, refraction and absorption.

Photography by Tyrone Branigan – Fuji Xerox Epicenter, Singapore CPA Australia, Melbourne Cue Clothing Co Head Office, Sydney Australia Post HQ, Melbourne Photography by Joel Barbitta – Barrick Gold, Perth

DITC … DESIGNERS IN THE CITY 

Q- Describe your use of colour in your projects.

DITC loves to work with colour. REALLY loves to! We know that there are no hard and fast rules or science behind this element of design, but we do know that colour moves people, and makes them react to a space and feel something. We like vibrant schemes that ultimately uplift you. A basic understanding of the colour wheel, colour psychology and a bit of intuition go a long way. We always compliment colour with pattern too. Why stop at one element!

Q – How do you pitch colour to your clients?

Clients often come with preconceived ideas about how they feel about colour, and I think it is our job as professionals to challenge these notions. We ultimately like to take our clients out of their comfort zone and draw them away from neutrals. Not that there is anything wrong with neutrals – but done badly the result is just bland. People come to us because they want beautiful rooms with impact. We always provide two schemes: one that reflects ‘no colour’and another that uses ‘much colour’, and pattern! Generally the schemes and samples speak for themselves. Clients can do the safe,neutral look easily by themselves. If we don’t push them to try something out of the box they may never get the chance to have colour in their life.

Q – What is the best advise you could give someone whom is scared to use colour?

We encourage our clients to flick through the latest magazines, design blogs and look to their favourite stores for colour cues. Celebrated schemes are rarely safe, nor colourless. Most people like colour – they just find it hard to apply those colours to their own interior context. We also point to fashion and nature – where colour combinations delight and please the eye without such trepidation. If the colours work in those contexts, then likely they will do the same in a successful scheme. Colour will energise a space, and elicit such positivity for all who use that space. Be brave!

 MORRIS SELVATICO 

Q- Describe your use of colour in your projects.

The use of colour always plays a significant role in Morris Selvatico’s projects.  Whether it’s a monochromatic colour scheme like the one we used in Eye Concepts or the bright contrasting colours we selected for Twisted Frozen Yoghurt.
Colour can be a clever and cost effective way to evoke emotion or draw attention.  At Twisted we carefully selected a combination of mouth-watering fruity colours that weren’t your typical bright hues.  This combination of colour has now formed a major part of the brands DNA.  The key was to anchor one of these feature colours with a solid blocked floor colour to tie the scheme together.

At Footpoint the colour palette was limited to the red from their logo with the injection of charcoal greys, black bitumen and honey coloured plywood to achieve a more urban feel.  The advantage of restricting the colour palette meant that we were able to depict a clear brand image for Footpoint and draw attention from the busy mall.

At Oliver Brown our objective was to create an interior that was warm and inviting to appeal to chocolate lovers! Soft hues of heritage greens, blues and beiges form the colour palette along with recycled warm grey timbers and textured rust and bronze finishes.  Together these materials and finishes combine to create an ambience suited for indulgence.

Q – How do you pitch colour to your clients ?

This really depends on the project.  Most of the time the rationale is fairly straight forward:
To evoke an emotion or create a connection with the brand
To reflect the brand’s idenity
To draw attention especially in a busy mall scape

Q – What is the best advise you could give someone whom is scared to use colour ?

Colour is the most cost effective way to stand out in the crowd.  It doesn’t have to be a loud and bright palette to do this.  Sometimes the most simple monochromatic palettes are the most successful.
Colour is the easiest way to convey your brand’s DNA without having to say anything!
Always keep in mind what you are trying to communicate as the use of colour can be very powerful in helping you achieve this