More than colour – dimensions of light and appearance

Abstract

This article is about seeing, thinking, and new possibilities for art and design. The relationships between light and the different aspects of appearance are not well served by our language or by existing models. The article deals with the different modes and different aspects of appearance and presents a new model for showing relationships between light and objects that are more or less transparent, more or less glossy, more or less metallic and textured in some way. Each point in the model can connect to a colour order system. The model is a conceptual framework for a better appreciation of appearances that can be a thinking tool for artists and designers.