Colour‐texture mapping associations in terms of preference

Abstract

Basic design is the origin of many design‐related fields and covers different concepts such as pattern, colour, texture and relief. Because colour is rarely seen as a uniformly plain element, current research embraces colour and texture as equally important variables. Investigations consider the association of colour and texture in terms of preference. One hundred individuals trained in design, as well as 96 individuals not trained in design, participated in an experiment in a virtual and abstract environment. We chose four primary colours from Natural Colour System colour space (yellow, red, green and blue) with the same saturation and brightness values. They were associated with three different texture types (plain, basket and broken twill), which we obtained by scanning the physical textile samples. In the second part of the experiment, we attempted to find a relationship between colour and one texture variable, in this case texture strength. The results of the study do not verify the existence of a dependency between colour and texture in either sample group. Also, there is no verification that a relationship between colour and texture strength exists. Furthermore, the results show that overall blue is the most preferred colour. Moreover, all participants preferred fine textures to coarse ones. Design‐trained participants often associate fine strength level with basket texture whereas the non‐design–trained participants more often associate it with plain textures. Lastly, the majority of participants state that blue is their most preferred colour in fine rather than coarse textures.