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  • The Designer's Dictionary of Color: Practical, example-filled guide to thirty key colors, their histories, and persuasive design uses.

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The Designer's Dictionary of Color: Practical, example-filled guide to thirty key colors, their histories, and persuasive design uses. Hardcover – April 11, 2017

4.6 out of 5 stars (790)

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The Designer's Dictionary of Color by award-winning educator Sean Adams offers an in-depth exploration of 30 essential colors in art and graphic design.

​Designed for graphic designers, interior designers, artists, and anyone who uses color to express themselves, this book is both a practical resource and an inspirational tool. With astute descriptions and ideas for pitching colors to clients, The Designer's Dictionary of Color opens up the world of color for all who seek to harness its incredible power.

Organized by spectrum, this comprehensive guide provides detailed charts showing color ranges and palette variations, making it easy to navigate and reference during creative projects.

Each chapter delves into the creative history and cultural associations of a specific color, from the artistic to the utilitarian. Whether it's the turquoise on a Reid Miles album cover or the avocado paint on a 1970s Dodge station wagon, Adams provides insightful context and practical applications for each hue.

“The descriptions are astute and succinct and even offer ideas for pitching particular colors to clients. . . . Edges are lined in the color of each chapter, so you can flip to the right chapter for quick reference during a meeting and while doing research.” —Communication Arts
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Sean Adams Bio

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Adams is the Executive Director of the Graphic Design Graduate Program at ArtCenter College of Design, founder of Burning Settlers Cabin, on-screen author for Lynda.com/Linked In, and contributor to Design Observer. He is the only two-term AIGA national president in AIGA's 100-year history. In 2014, Adams was awarded the AIGA Medal, the highest honor in the profession. Previously, Adams was a partner at AdamsMorioka.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 141972391X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abrams Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 11, 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781419723919
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419723919
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.15 x 9.69 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #59,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars (790)

About the author

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Sean Adams
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Sean Adams is the Chair of Undergraduate and Graduate Graphic Design at ArtCenter,

founder of Burning Settlers Cabin studio, and on-screen author for lynda.com/Linked In. He

is the only two-term AIGA national president in AIGA’s 100-year history. In 2014, Adams was

awarded the AIGA Medal, the highest honor in the profession.

He is an AIGA Fellow, and Aspen Design Fellow. He has been recognized by every major

competition and publication including; How, Print, Step, Communication Arts, Graphis, AIGA,

The Type Directors Club, The British Art Director’s Club, and the Art Director’s Club. Adams has

been exhibited often, including a solo exhibition at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Adams is an author of multiple magazine columns and several best-selling books. He has been

cited as one of the forty most important people shaping design internationally, and one of the

top ten influential designers in the United States.

Previously, Adams was a founding partner at AdamsMorioka. His clients have included The

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Disney, Mohawk Fine Papers, The Metropolitan

Opera, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Richard Meier & Partners, Sundance,

and the University of Southern California.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
790 global ratings

Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's color palettes and find it informative with lots of great examples. Moreover, they value its cultural context, particularly how it describes cultural and historical references, and find it useful for design purposes. However, the content receives mixed feedback, with some customers finding it nice while others report missing text on every page.
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21 customers mention color, 16 positive, 5 negative
Customers appreciate the color palettes and find the book to be a great addition to their reading about color, with one customer noting its comprehensive coverage of 76 colors and their emotional benefits.
This is a wonderful reference on color....Read more
Very cool book, beautiful colors and photos! I’ll be using as a coffee table book :pRead more
I have to have this book. I am so in love with color after reading the book. I will definitely get some of these books for my students. VictoriaRead more
...What is most frustrating the book doesn't have entries for tertiary colors as we know them - we have to read about peach, coral, and ocher....Read more
9 customers mention informative, 8 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book informative, with many noting it provides lots of great examples. One customer mentions it includes historical uses of colors.
Very insightful! I wish the content about each colour was a bit expanded but I appreciate the colour palettes and ways to use the colour....Read more
...on the colors meaning, diverse cultural meaning and values, and gives great examples and inspirations of different schemes as well.Read more
the book was really insightful and fascinating from an artist perspective , the theory on color and cultural meaninging were a piece that was...Read more
This book has decent references and "concepts" for around 76 colors, but is not an extensive dictionary of colors....Read more
5 customers mention cultural context, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate how the book provides cultural and historical context for colors, including their meanings and historical associations.
...describes everything I feel about colors and does a great job describing the cultural and historical associations we have with color....Read more
...how to make the color, emotional benefits about the color, cultural meaning, some examples of design, color range and pallet variations....Read more
...It touches on the colors meaning, diverse cultural meaning and values, and gives great examples and inspirations of different schemes as well.Read more
...an artist perspective , the theory on color and cultural meaninging were a piece that was delightful....Read more
5 customers mention design, 4 positive, 1 negative
Customers appreciate the book's design content, with one mentioning it's particularly helpful for artists.
...because it have very useful information for enthusiasts, Artist, and Designer!!!Read more
...Definitely recommended to anyone curious about color, design, and its uses in history.Read more
...The overall design is very good too but worthless without text.Read more
...The layout is not friendly, which is odd for a book for designers. It’s not an easy reference book....Read more
25 customers mention content, 17 positive, 8 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the content of the book, with some finding it nice while others report missing text on every page.
...Other than that, it's a good book. Borders between coffeetable and practical.Read more
It is a great book, I really like the color schemes. Great price for the amount of book you get.Read more
...Was surprised when I opened it and there was no text. At first I thought it was a very long download, so I left the app open overnight....Read more
I think it’s an interesting book and somewhat useful – with the illustrations forming the majority of what is interesting because they help seed one...Read more
5 customers mention usefulness, 3 positive, 2 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's usefulness, with some finding it very helpful while others report limited value.
I think it’s an interesting book and somewhat useful – with the illustrations forming the majority of what is interesting because they help seed one...Read more
...This book was not it. This book did not educate me and did not serve on any utility projects....Read more
...Other than that, it's a good book. Borders between coffeetable and practical.Read more
Useful in a Limited WayRead more
Very useful, and interesting information!
5 out of 5 stars
Very useful, and interesting information!
This book is so cool! This book have on all the pages different information about the colour in question. It have the colour, how to make the color, emotional benefits about the color, cultural meaning, some examples of design, color range and pallet variations. I love this book, because it have very useful information for enthusiasts, Artist, and Designer!!!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book is so cool! This book have on all the pages different information about the colour in question. It have the colour, how to make the color, emotional benefits about the color, cultural meaning, some examples of design, color range and pallet variations.

    I love this book, because it have very useful information for enthusiasts, Artist, and Designer!!!
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Very useful, and interesting information!

    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
    This book is so cool! This book have on all the pages different information about the colour in question. It have the colour, how to make the color, emotional benefits about the color, cultural meaning, some examples of design, color range and pallet variations.

    I love this book, because it have very useful information for enthusiasts, Artist, and Designer!!!
    Images in this review
    Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    The book is literally amazing. It gave me so much insight on the world of colors that I have never thought was out there before.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2025
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    The media could not be loaded.
    Llego en buenas condiciones, me gusto!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    the book was really insightful and fascinating from an artist perspective , the theory on color and cultural meaninging were a piece that was delightful. but diving in deeper into the relationships of each color more , and more in detail on the culural and literal aspects of the colors used. i also want to highlight the great parts of the book, the color examples used by the author : graphic prints from old to modern magazines pop and retro images. sculptures from high renaissance this was a great addition to reading about color, i felt the colors resonated more with the information. lastly, there was a good balance between color and information. reccomended book !
    12 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book perfectly describes everything I feel about colors and does a great job describing the cultural and historical associations we have with color. It also provides lots of great examples of how these colors have been used in Design history and it's fantastic. Definitely recommended to anyone curious about color, design, and its uses in history.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    What trips me the most about this book is the premium printing. The hardcover too is really great.
    But whatever you do with this book, don't let a drop of water fall off on any of its pages as it smears the colors and creates unwanted color transitions when dry.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I’m big on social media and this book, combined with studying color theory has allowed me to increase my skills and shares/views/likes and comments. Great for digital painters and each chapter does an amazing job digging into the historical meaning of each color and the emotions that are conveyed.

    What I found most helpful were the color palettes-this is what’s helping me to take my art to the next level.

    100% recommended
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    If you’re an artist or designer then this book will be a game changer

    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
    I’m big on social media and this book, combined with studying color theory has allowed me to increase my skills and shares/views/likes and comments. Great for digital painters and each chapter does an amazing job digging into the historical meaning of each color and the emotions that are conveyed.

    What I found most helpful were the color palettes-this is what’s helping me to take my art to the next level.

    100% recommended
    Images in this review
    Customer image Customer image
    17 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have to have this book. I am so in love with color after reading the book. I will definitely get some of these books for my students.
    Victoria
    4 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Yuuki
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
    Reviewed in Spain on April 30, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    good book , very educational
  • Rodrigo Lisboa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incrível!
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 12, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Quando vi esse livro fiquei louco pra comprar kkkkk É lindo demais cara! Pra quem gosta de apreciar diversas cores e ter base das possibilidades de uso, é incrível. Se você é designer, nem pense muito kkkkkk compra logo, pois vale demais a compra.
    Report
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Molto bello
    Reviewed in Italy on November 10, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Bel libro, utile e ben fatto
  • Reem
    2.0 out of 5 stars عادي جدا
    Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on December 1, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    للأسف عادي
  • Raúl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro a buen precio.
    Reviewed in Mexico on May 7, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    El libro es bastante bueno. La cantidad de color, la buena calidad de impresión, las referencias, todo.
    Si te llama la atención el diseño gráfico este libro es muy buena referencia. Yo soy Arquitecto y me encantó el libro, lo tendré para consulta.