Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls

by Keith Recker

Overview

Deep insight into color's effect on humans and how colors reflect our history.

Color is a powerful force in our lives. It is a major influence in visual and verbal communication and on the decisions we make every day. Deep Color unpacks all the shades of the rainbow (plus black, white, and pink) with little-known facts, stunning visuals, and a critical perspective on color and the nonverbal meanings it carries.

Deep Color contains essays exploring the intriguing facets of color, such as imperial yellow in China or lapis lazuli in Egypt. Each hue is illustrated not just in words, but in historical and contemporary images that show how ancient ideas are still very much alive today—and also how color can take on new meanings. It helps readers unpack the color-laden stimuli that come their way every minute of every day, like the cultural information encoded in color, and media's persuasive use of color.

Destined to become a classic, Deep Color explores how color acts on our imagination, subconscious, and daily decisions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764364419
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	1,068,548
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Keith Recker has served as color guru for major corporations and global nonprofits for more than 35 years. Author of True Colors and PANTONE: The Twentieth Century, his work on color and culture has appeared in a wide range of influential publications. Recker lives in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Keith Recker’s poetic writing, peppered with nuance and intrigue, makes the rich ingredients of Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls, easy to digest. As he navigates the often contradictory language of color, he deftly guides his reader on a journey through the classics, religion, history, art, science, and contemporary culture.

Recker answers the questions that have perennially perplexed. Why is the red of communism and the labour movement also associated with the Republican party on the right of politics in the United States? Why is blue both a royal color and the internationally recognized color of the working man?

By embracing the meanders and unexpected detours of Reckers journey through the spectrum one arrives with a pocket full of fun facts to impress one’s friends. Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls is the perfect companion for the creative and the curious. If anyone ever asks me what my favorite color is, I shall from now on ditch my beloved blue and declare it to be pink.

Polly Leonard

"Many underestimate the complexity of color, but Keith has managed to beautifully elaborate on its many layers, weaving together elements of symbolism, history, psychology and modern-day applications into one place: no small feat. Deep Color will easily become a must-have resource about color, no matter the industry."

Leslie Harrington and Tess Murdoch

"Deep Color by Keith Recker is a journey around the color wheel that immerses the reader in the intriguing world of color. Through beautiful imagery and engaging storytelling, Keith draws us from one page to the next with ease, furthering our understanding of the meaning and symbolism carried by each color family. Histories are beautifully blended with current examples of communication through color, heightening how we interpret color both socially and culturally today and into the future. Keith challenges us to think about color from different vantage points, while considering various perspectives on the meanings and symbolism associated with every color on the color wheel. Deep Color also probes the “why’s” behind how we see color and how our emotions, both positive and negative, are associated with color. Keith’s extensive knowledge of color is eloquently expressed, inviting us to take a moment to appreciate the many nuances and transformative power of color."

Andrea Magno

"As John Ruskin tells us in The Stones of Venice, “The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.” This quote immediately comes to mind when reading Deep Color, author, editor and trend forecaster Keith Recker’s inspiring, in-depth look into the world of color. Fueled by his lifelong fascination with color, Keith takes us on a immersive journey from the Big Bang to the present day, describing color’s integral relationship to our global culture and the distinctive ways in which our perceptions of color continually evolve throughout time. Across fashion and design, art and society, Keith celebrates the language of color, opening our eyes to the unique characteristics of a plethora of tints and tones as well as to the universe of meaning each color family expresses. Deep Color is a a truly colorful masterpiece."

Laurie Pressman