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Question 38 of 365: How does color influence our actions online?

Published on February 7, 2010, by in 365 Questions, Uncategorized.


I am not a graphic designer. I am not a marketing guru. I am not a color snob. However, I did run across a really interesting reverse image search that made me think about how colors are associated with everything we do on the web. From the Twitter bright blue or Facebook‘s dark blue to the Microsoft Red, Green, Yellow and Blue, to Google‘s slightly different Red, Green, Yellow and Blue; we associate every click with a color. We even understand what can be linked together by having the underlined navy color present on a page. There are rules about such things. The ways in which colors are used on the web influence the ways in which we act.

So, my question becomes, how is color training us to be active participants on the web? How is it asking us to collaborate? How is it pacifying us? How does it cause us to consume more or work less?

As someone who is in no way qualified to answer some of these questions, I feel like I should start with something specific. Let’s take the examples of color that I mentioned: Twitter blue and the four colors of Google.

The following are companies who all use some form of the Four Colors of Google for their brand:

What do these companies and organizations have in common, and why would they all choose to go with a four color logo that seems to have been designed with the same aim in mind? My feeling is that these four colors represent a standard of quality. These four colors represent something that people will want to put their trust in. They say to anyone who wants to look that the company in question takes all kinds and then strives to be the best at one thing (at least one thing, that is). These colors have been embedded into the fabric of the web as the face of leadership (or at least the hope of leadership, in the case of Joomla and Kestrelflyer). I find myself gravitating toward these services precisely for this reason, even if subconsciously.

Now, Twitter blue represents something else entirely. Here is a smattering of companies who want to be associated with that color:

Each one of these companies wants to be thought of as something new, something fresh. Each one is looking to make a name for itself in a different space. They may not share a lot in common in terms of the technologies they employ, but each one is looking to be recognized, to stand out from a crowded field. The Twitter blue has come to mean all of these things as it continues to expand just what is possible with “the new.”

While we may not be able to derive any definitive conclusions about the way that color affects our overall habits on the web, I believe that we are being trained by the use of color to feel certain emotions and to react in a certain way based upon the colors that are chosen for a brand. This may not be anything new to a graphic designer or marketing guru, but it is certainly a revelation for me in thinking about my own habits online.

While content is important, as is service and quality; in an increasingly visual world, we must take into account all of the types of persuasion being pushed at us. Color included.

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Guest Teaching 12.05.08

Published on December 5, 2008, by in Uncategorized.

Cores 1-4:

  1. Discuss-on:
  2. Brainstorm ways in which you would like to “reframe” A Christmas Carol:
  4. Well, let’s talk about how we will be reframing A Christmas Carol using animation and microblogging.
  5. First, XtraNormal will allow us to completely create the scene, choose the characters and their actions, and even add background music, all without having to record a single video frame or sound file. Let’s take a look.
  6. Next, Edmodo will allow us to have some conversation around what we are creating and learning. It will allow us to all think out loud without having our thoughts become too entangled (or having it get deafeningly loud in here). It is the way that we will honor the process of creation and not just the product at the end.
  7. The conventions of microblogging are as follows:
  • Write down exactly what you are choosing to do with your project (which scene you are using, which characters, etc.)
  • Write down why you are making the choices you are making (why put Scrooge on a beach, etc)
  • Write down questions that you have about your project (why is Scrooge so angry; does he have to be in our reframed version?)
  • Reply as much as you can to others.

As for the requirements for the movie, please use the following guidelines:

  • Have no fewer than 5 dialog exchanges.
  • Do not copy and paste words from the book/play. Rethink the dialog so that it is appropriate for the scene that you have created.
  • Block out the entire scene before you click Action!
  • Don’t forget to have tell your microblogger what you are thinking.
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    I have a goal I need help with.

    Published on December 4, 2008, by in E-mail Help.
    Hey, its Katie from your digied group.  Next year 2009/2010 I would like to use the ability to blog and skype in order to communicate with other middle schoolers in other countries.  The things I need help with are: a good blog site, how to really set up and skype with a Mac laptop, and how to find schools in Europe, Japan and South Africa that we could communicate with?

    This is for sure an awesome project that you are starting.

    I would say that there are a few things that you would want to consider in starting this project. What kind of blog are you looking to take on. Do you want to only have your own work posted on the blog and then have other’s comment on it? Would you like the ability to add students to your blog and have them create content on it? Or, are you really just going to use the blog as a way of connecting with these students from other countries (i.e., would you rather have a micro-blogging site that allows you and others to write specific messages back to one another)?

    If you are looking for a really good and stable blogging platform with a lot of features that is not blocked anywhere, I would recommend edublogs. You would be able to blog and have other’s blog on your site by setting up accounts for them. I used edublogs for a couple of years before I decided to move everything on to my own server.

    I would say, though, that if you are looking to have a lot of collaborators and such, you may want to take on a microblogging format, meaning that all of the messages would be short (140 characters or less, usually). This would allow for a rapid exchange of information and connection from students. It would also allow students to exchange longer works with each other as files, while keeping their reflections and reactions nice and short. I would recommend either Edmodo (which sets up a private classroom or project space… here is an example of what it looks like in a classroom) or ShoutEm (which sets up a more public space where students have to set up logins, but the whole world would be able to see it easily).

    As for setting up skype with your mac laptop, there are couple of good resources that I like: http://newley.com/2007/10/08/how-to-use-skype-a-tutorial/

    or

    Both of these are pretty good at helping you through any of the snags that may come up in setting it up. The PDF link also has some follow up resources for skyp in education.

    As for finding schools and teachers to collaborate with, I found a pretty decent list of places to look for collaborators at Wes Fryer’s wiki.

      1. ePals (http://www.epals.com/)
      2. iEARN – International Education and Resource Network (http://www.iearn.org/)
      3. Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) Collaboration Center (http://www.cilc.org/c/community/collaboration_center.aspx)
      4. Global Schoolhouse Projects Registry (http://www.globalschoolnet.org/GSH/pr/index.cfm)
      5. TWICE Videoconferencing Collaborative Projects and Exchange Projects (http://www.twice.cc/projects.html)
      6. K-12 Online Conference (http://k12onlineconference.org/)

    I would also add Teacher’s Connecting (http://teachersconnecting.com/), which is Ben Hazzard’s (of the Smart Board Podcast fame). Abviously, you only need a few takers, but I really think that sending out a wide net is a great idea.

    I would love to talk more about your ideas for the project. Where do you want to take it?
    © Learning is Change