The Complete Color Harmony, Pantone Edition

I have owned and loved several different editions of the Color Harmony books over the years, including one in Japanese. I was excited to see that this new edition with the cooperation of Pantone was coming out.

The color palettes, which are keyed to colors in the Pantone system, are shown for each of the color moods in the second half of the book. They are shown in rings with the colors in proportion to dominant, secondary, and accent. No other numbering system is shown, you will need another reference for that.

While I like the proportional display, I'm not sure that I like the rings. The white space in the center is distracting. On the plus side, it does allow presentation of a dozen palettes per page without them seeming crowded.

The text sections of the book are excellent. As one would expect from a Pantone book, the color pictures are ravishing and the text is well written. I really liked that it expanded the areas covered in the chapters to include subjects like fashion and interior design. Older versions focused too much on the needs of graphic artists. The palettes reflected this wider audience as well with many of the palettes containing color schemes too subtle to work in packaging and in other graphic design applications. But they could make great schemes for rooms or clothing or fiber art!

the later text sections of the book ;look at psychological aspects of color with section on color personality, the affect of color on our lives, and color forecasting, among other topics. These sections also have many intriguing ideas.

The Color Harmony books have a wonderful ability to help you look at color in a new way.This is a worthy addition to the series.

As a professional photographer, color theory in my work is extremely important. I am always looking for books that can help deepen my understanding of how to create the most impact with my images. When choosing this Pantone book, my first concern would be that it was directed at scientists or professionals in the color industry. As such it would have been dense and inscrutable since color theory is one of the most fascinating but difficult topics out there. However, I was not only pleasantly surprised but very pleased with this book. It is very friendly and written for the layman - and as such the applicability is endless. Whether you are looking to repaint or redecorate a room, create an artistic piece, or even organize your outdoor garden in a meaningful way with color, this book is incredibly useful.

The book breaks down as follows: Introduction sections on color harmony and defining the basic terms (what's the different between a hue and a tint, for example), color wheel and temp, complex colors, discord and dissonance in color, and psychology of color.

The color terms is especially well done - beautiful graphics explain the color wheel in 3d form to get the understanding between, saturation, hue, light and dark. Then we have the temp of a color wheel - including primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Everything is briefly and beautifully explained to make the concepts not only palatable but relatable for whatever uses a reader has for color. Then discord and complex colors are discussed to get an idea of how to harness chaos in color.

The psychology of the color section goes into detail about the 13 colors on the color wheel and how they are best employed/used. Then a huge chunk of the book discusses colors and how they create moods - with examples from earthy to playful, transcendent to powerful. Copious amounts of photographs make the ideas gel into concrete examples that can be applied in many ways by the reader.

The last portion of the book discusses personal colors and what they say about you, changing colors and lives, color trends and forecasting, naming colors, and marketing.

The layout of the book is quite friendly and easy to navigate - this makes an excellent resource you can pick up and find exactly what you need in a timely manner. As well, as a general information tool, the author has done an excellent job of condensing the information so there is a perfect balance of informative but not overwhelming.

This is a book written for everyone, not just professionals in any kind of artistic field. It's both an informative book but also a reference that can be returned to when needed. As such, I find this an excellent and important tool to have ready and available for either professionals in the artistic field or for those interested in redecorating/remodeling. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is a modern and comprehensive book about (obviously) color theory. Is really easy to read, follow through and analice.
The photography is amazing, each of the photos proves the importance of color and how we are influenced by it.
The way the author explains the psychology of color is interesting, simple and easy to understand. Not boring at all!
I will be returning to this book more often that expected.

I was lucky enough to review two new color inspiration books this month, Color Index XL by Jim Krause, and The Complete Color Harmony , Pantone Edition by Leatrice Eiseman.

"Color Index XL” is a collection of hundreds of five color palettes ranging from warm, to mixed, to cool, each with four versions ranging from bright to muted. CMYK and RGB codes are provided. There is an additional short section on color theory.

“The Complete Color Harmony, Pantone Edition” provides a more organic approach to color moods, along with a collection of two and three color palettes. Pantone codes are provided.

I’m a fiber artist, working primarily in knitting yarns, and am always looking for inspiration. Both of these books were useful working tools.

I reviewed the books in e-book form, and really enjoyed flipping through the different palettes and waiting for one of them to “sing” to me. I particularly liked the format of “Color Index” for its full page layouts. The tone of “Color Harmony” was playful and entertaining, if rather more of the book was dedicated to color marketing than I found useful.

This book should be considered an absolute must for everyone who has any interest or need of color understanding. This is a superb and brilliant book that gives deep insights into the use of color harmony and pantone. As the book says its expert. Beyond this though its easy to read, accessible and neither dumbs it down nor makes it too technical. You can read it all the way through with delight or use this as a handy guide to dip into as you work. Congratulations to Leatrice Eisman and thank you.

This book has a lot of very valuable information to help artists. It covers defining the basic terminology, what the temp?, complex colors, discord & dissonance, the psychology of color, color & mood, what colors say about you, changing colors & changing lives, color trends & forecasting, naming colors, and lastly the importance of marketing. Not to mention the pictures in this book are so inspiring!

The book is very clear and to the point and it has georgeus photos that help you to fix the concepts.

There is also a pletora of color combinations that are illustrated within a circle that shows the approximate proportion.

The only negative note is that a lot of images are "cropped" in the Adobe Digital format (they fall outside the page).

CONTENTS
Foreword: A Journey in Color by Laurie Pressman
Intro: Color Harmony
The Phenomenon of Color
A Color Conversation: Defining the Basic Terminology
The Color Wheel: What’s the Temp?
Complex Colors
Discord and Dissonance
The Psychology of Color
Color and Mood
Personal Colors: What Do They Say about You?
Changing Colors and Changing Lives
Color Trends and Forecasting
Naming Colors
Importance of Marketing
Resources
Index
About the Author
Acknowledgments

A fascinating insight on color by a professional trendsetter:
The Complete Color Harmony is a treasure trove for professionals and laypeople alike, that leads the reader into the fascinating world of color. After I have read about the profound psychological impact that color has on us, how certain colors can be combined to evoke certain moods, and how our use of color can say something about our own personalities I am hooked to the Pantone color combinations suggested in this book. It is interesting to read that a lot of colors that are available today to paint or dye objects, were a luxury in the past or were not available for us at all. We are lucky to have so many color choices today. The art lies in combining those colors successfully. This book lays the tools for success into our hands with color combinations for evoking all kinds of moods. I knew about Pantone colors before I read this particular book and I am always fascinated how many of these colors are being professionally used today. I will try to incorporate what I have learned from this book into my personal live and I am looking forward to seeing for how Pantone's modern interpretation of the use of color will be applied in interior design, the world of fashion, product design and other professions. And most importantly, I will keep on enjoying to see color everywhere around me.

I love colour! My creative output, pastimes and life is all about colour, so a book about it was an obvious choice. And I'm pleased to say I enjoyed it. I was well written, with lovely images and the colour theory was very interesting. 

A great companion for any creative. 

This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of it.