Bezold Effect
The Bezold Effect, also referred to as the "assimilation effect", is an optical illusion where a color's hue or value is affected by the color or colors surrounding it.
Discovery
The Bezold effect was first discovered by a German professor of meteorology, Wilhelm von Bezold (1837-1907), who discovered that a color may appear different depending on its relation to adjacent colors.
Description
When looking at a specific hue, it can appear to change in appearance depending on the colors that surround it. For example, a yellow box surrounded by blue will look darker than a yellow box surrounded by red. Often, the surrounded color seems to take on a tint of the color that surrounds it; red boxes surrounded by blue will appear more bluish than those surrounded by white.
Explanation
The reasons behind the Bezold effect remain a neurological puzzle.[1]
Applications
Knowledge of the Bezold effect is useful in fields such as graphic design, where artists can use combinations of adjacent colors to create the effect they desire.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Albers, J. Interaction of color: unabridged text and selected plates. 8. ed. Massachusetts: Yale University Press, 1978.
- Echo Productions. Wilhelm von Bezold Virtual color museum. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
- Morioke, Noreen, Terry Stone Sean Adams. "Color Design Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design" January 2006. Rockport Publishers. ISBN 159253192X
Online Links
- An interactive demonstration of the Bezold effect. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
- ↑ "Experiments with Spot 01" The Visual Perception Lab. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
