Research

-To make visuals literally emit sound is adding a fourth dimension to them.

-Sound is a multi-layered experience. To portray it through visuals might lead to elimination of some layers.Taking away some of these dynamics may lead to subtraction of some of its parts.

-It may also lead to distortion of certain others.

-It remains a very personal subject and the results might mean different to different people.

Cultural Differences and Perception

Colour is a universally accepted form of communication and at large it does cater to the needs of the masses. The choices people make are somehow bound within the boundaries of culture and society. Even if they are not bound completely, people can always understand their own culture and what it symbolises. So, to generalise colour and what it stands for in terms of nations, cultures and societies does make sense.

Colour has been successfully conveying the ideas of west to the east and vice-versa. It helps in categorising information and then sending it over to another location to be deciphered as they see and know it.

White for example is a colour associated with death in India while in most of the western societies it's a colour associated with beginnings, innocence and purity. There are many such cultural differences.

Even though colour is the best way to get ideas across nations and cultures, categorising all the societies under one banner and giving them the same colours would be impossible.

Colour Symbolism & Psychology

Colour is the easiest and simplest way to convey emotions and feelings through. While every colour might have more than one meaning, they can still be categorised into basic groups of human emotions. This is inferred to as Colour Symbology. The same colour may also define complete opposite emotions as well. While colours give out emotions, they evokes a different set of reactions as well. That is known as colour psychology.

Red
Symbolism - Anger, Love, Sin, Energy, Power, Passion, Danger, Auspicious, Pain, Conflict, Sacrifice.
Effect - Stimulates energy and enthusiasm, Warns, Excites, Draws attention quickly, Gives a sense of protection.

Yellow
Symbolism - Warmth, Happiness and joy, Optimism, Creativity, Cowardice, Deceit.
Effect - Mentally and physically stimulating, Encourages communication, Sharpens memory, Increases appetite.

Blue
Symbolism - Calm and peace, Coolness, Committed, Trustworthy, Settled.
Effect - Relaxes the mind, Easy on the eyes, Aids intuition, Calming, Encourages new information.

Green
Symbolism - Fertility, Growth and prosperity, Organic, Envy, Evil, Balance.
Effect - Sense of renewal, Alleviates depression and anxiety, Soothes and calms.

Purple
Symbolism - Luxury, Royalty, Mystic, Spiritual, Magic.
Effect - Uplifting, Encourages creativity, Encourages exploration.

Orange
Symbolism - Flamboyance, Warmth, Energy, Spiritual.
Effect - Stimulates appetite, Encourages communication and socialisation, drift from seriousness.

Black
Symbolism - Authority, Power, Death, End, Mystery.
Effect - Seriousness, Defines and dictates, Restful emptiness.

Grey
Symbolism - Practical, Diplomatic, Depression, Isolation.
Effect - Unsettles, Encourages expectations.

White
Symbolism - Peace and calm, Clear, Beginning, Emptiness, Purity, Death.
Effect - Calms, Freshens, Encourages clarity, Clutter free.

An imporatant observation to be made is that each colour stands for atleast one opposite emotion.

Colour

Colour is the first thing that we register and make inferences from. It is the most effective tool to make an impression. Colour also has the power to subliminally convey values and stories. Interacting with colour is much easier than any other visual cue.

-Colour can affect mood.

-Colour communicates.

-They convey emotions.

Research

The first four subjects to delve into to understand the dynamics of visuals and their power to create sound.

-Colour
-Perception/Stereotypes
-Semiotics
-Behaviour

Research

Visuals can produce sound in 3 ways.

a) Emotional and meaningful content. Here the visuals try to explain the content of the song. This can be done step by step or by looking at the entire song at as a whole. (This would be referred as Method 1 on this blog.)

b) Kinetic visualisation. Here, you concentrate more on the dynamism of graphics and a supporting sound. The sound doesn't necessarily have to be in sync with the music. (Method 2)

c) Coding and mapping. Here you map the sound by breaking it into parts to identify exactly what it sounds like. The notes of a songs are the closest example of how sound can be visualised. It would follow a set of fixed rules and guides. (Method 3)