Concept
A calming print collection
PANTONE 15-5519 TCX
Turquoise
PANTONE 15-0146 TCX
Green Flash
PANTONE 14-4812 TCX
Aqua Splash
PANTONE 13-0840 TCX
Snapdragon
PANTONE 19-3954 TCX
Bluing
PANTONE 15-4720 TCX
River Blue
Purpose
The aim of this collection is to target anxiety sufferers. Nowadays anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the world, affecting 284 million people (3.8%) worldwide. The majority of cases are undiagnosed or left untreated, interfering with a person's quality of life. On the other hand, a vast majority that is treating their anxiety has a tendency to turn to medicated approaches, which can have unwanted side effects and many times result in addiction. Since anxiety is catalogued as a mild condition, it should be treatable through alternative therapy and counselling rather than medication. This collection combines research from the field of colour and visual stimuli to offer an alternative approach to help calm incoming anxiety attacks in a myriad of different day to day situations.
Colours
This concept is based on scientific reasoning, by gathering long-known knowledge and combining it with modern studies, the idea emerged. The first important milestone that inspired the base of the entire collection is discovering chromotherapy and colour therapy. This the holistic science that studies the healing effect of the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation o different diseases. It originates in Ancient Egypt and is a method still used today. After multiple explorations with different colour groups, blue tones have been found most suitable.
Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. However it is shown to lower the pulse, helping to calm down. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. Different hues have slightly different effects, greenish tints are very relaxing and restful to the eye, while purple tones takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is highly introverted and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation.
Images
On the other hand, research has been done into what type of visual stimuli has the most profound relaxing effect on the mind. A study concerning mood induction proves the link between emotions and different stimuli such as tactility, images, music, movies and so on. The concept focuses on images but also plays with the textures of different fabrics. The prints are versatile and can be used in many different types of fabrics, therefore it's presented on a broad range of options. Keep in mind they are only suggestions, as the prints can be used with almost any fabric, but optimal conditions are achieved by soft, fluffy fabrics.
A very relevant discovery was how much nature and elements of nature can impact the mind and mood of a person. Due to the strong, personal connection we have to them as human beings, they inspire us safety and life. The most prevalent element is water, multiple studies showing that being near water, hearing water sounds and seeing images of triggers instant brain response, promotes wellness and increases blood flow to the brain. Water represents the source of life and our bodies are made of 70% water, therefore the link between our minds and these images is undeniable.
Abstract visuals also have a pleasing impact on the human emotions. Images of fluid paintings, marbles and tie-dye are widely popular nowadays and considered very "satisfying" by mainstream media. These images have the ability to captivate viewer attention very easily through the random combination of textures and vibrant colour.
Fractals are a different category explored by this project. They are proven to reduce stress by 60% by simply glancing at them. The reasoning behind this is that humans evolved looking at fractal patterns in nature, so they’re wired to process this visual information very quickly.
Last category is represented by organised repeating geometric shapes. These are also very soothing for viewers due to the clear structure they provide. The symmetry of these pattern also has a powerful effect, our mind perceiving repeating, symmetrical patterns as very reliable and stable.
The point of this collection is to explore various blends of colour tones and image types, experimenting with their combined effect.