As a budding designer I have in the past looked at color naively as the last detail to put down on a design. This could be down to the fact that student designers are taught little on the subject of colour in design.

When looking at the wider picture of Art and Design, color is taught more thoroughly and on more levels in other subjects than product design. For example in fashion the science of color is taught as a module. The students are taught about contrasting, complementing and harmonious colors and are asked to produce samples to achieve the right balance between the proportions of which the colors are used.

My question to you color lovers is how much do you think color plays a part in the success or failure of a product? E.g the ipod Mini. Also how important is it for designers to properly understand color to make a successful product? Any opinions are warmly welcomed

Interesting... I think form/function is hugely important yet I think color is also hugely important. I think form must come first but then color must be given the same amount of thought/energy.

Sort of like a logo has to work in black and white and then you make it fabulous by making a color version.

I think color plays a very large part in product success. When choosing a product, I love being able to select my own color, and that does influence my choice of products. I think when Apple produced the iMac in color, the world of technological products changed a bit -- we were no longer constrained by boring IBM beige. Henry Ford said, about his early car models, "You can have any color you want, as long as it's black." But that was a l-o-n-g time ago

Great discussion! I felt that color was a bit lacking in my design education. I mean, we covered the basics of the color wheel and various spectrums, but when it came to applying color to ENHANCE our designs...we were just left to our own senses. In my student life, I felt that some of the better grades and higher accolades were rec'd by those with a keen color eye. I've pursued color appreciation or COLOURlove if you will, on my own in my professional life and as a hobby. But I'm always observant of color in design. I have a theory about color as it applies to products and specifically, grocery store goods: The more colorful the items in your cart, the more you'll pay! Sort of like the generic vs. name brand argument. Think about it next time you're in line.

I know when I shop, colorful products catch my eye. A recent flyer for Target featured digital camera in red, green & purple - the colors caught my attention first (anything but boring black) and then I read the price/features. I may not have purchased one of those colorful cameras, but I did end up buying a camera at Target.