Chromatic dimensions as heritage of the project culture. Cromo: Interactive teaching manual

Abstract

Illustrating the progressive expression of colour in the project culture, this article describes the goals, objectives, and characteristics of an interactive teaching manual, Cromo, which is designed to introduce aspects of colour. The product is inspired by the Colordinamo manuals created by the Centro Design Montefibre in the first half of the 1970s, which, in a search for the primary design, investigated the immaterial dimensions of the quality of space. With their meta-project nature, the Colordinamo manuals were new operational tools for the project that concretely combined the scientific and emotional aspects of colour with theoretical assumptions and applications based on scientific theories developed between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These tools contributed to promoting a new chromatic culture and the entrance of colour in Italian production logic, thereby serving as a mediating factor between professional practice and theoretical development. With reference to this important experience, Cromo intends to favour infuse teaching with the understanding of different aspects that characterize the culture of colour and a conscious approach to designing colour, combining theoretical, historical, and bibliographic information with information about applications. This content is integrated with further information and investigated thanks to the integration of virtual material that can be accessed from digital devices.