100 Years of Colour

Book excerpt: This beautiful book features 100 carefully chosen images from the graphic arts, each representing a colour palette for every year of the 20th century. The images are taken from a variety of sources including magazines, book covers, adverts, posters, illustrations and postcards. A perfect source of inspiration for any professionals in the creative arts, the palettes taken from the images are displayed in a number of ratios, demonstrating the different effects achieved when altering the dominant colour. Ten palettes per decade gives an authentic overview of the colours and trends of an era, making this an ideal historical reference for anyone working in set or interior design, graphic design, illustrations or fashion. Not just a collection of pretty palettes, but a fascinating compendium of 20th-century imagery and artistic styles, this book aims to please the eye on more than one level.