Taking the E2 Zen Theme For A Spin is a very exciting development (I prefer The E2 Zen Theme for Sub-Geniuses). EKW
and Cascading Style Sheets ("CSS") are, for some, an enigma. Well, the Zen
Theme documentation is ever-increasing, and plenty of help exists for EKW.
Thanks thanks to a wonderful suggestion from noder Simulacron3 I discovered
http://kuler.adobe.com/#. This website is
Adobe's color-scheme designing resource and tool. Now, E2 has a
wonderful color chooser. But being the techno-dummy that I am, I
sought to broaden my horizons with regard to finding the requisite hex
code for colors used in CSS, EKW and page design in general.
The website basically displays color schemes from which you can pick,
filtered by a number of attributes, including "most popular," "most downloaded,"
and more. Color schemes are also "tagged" for ease of choice for the effect the
designer wishes to achieve.
Clicking on a color scheme offers one a chance to see it in all of its glory,
and there's a handy little icon with a little graphic in it (when you hover
the pointer over it it displays "make changes to this color scheme." Click this
icon and the color scheme is displayed on a spectral graph,
as percentages of red, blue, green and also CMYK, HSV, LAB and gives the hex
value for each color (this is what makes it so valuable in designing CSSs and
working with the E2 Zen Theme and EKW as well.
Literally thousands of ideas abound (some yecchy, some great) for the
designer, whether amateur or professional. I strongly suggest utilizing this
tool to:
- Familiarize one's self with color percentages (e.g., RGB, CMYK),
- Observe the hexadecimal expression of color values in a unique,
graphical format,
- Garner design ideas for web pages, Adobe Photoshop and more, and (for
dummies like me),
- Observe web/print color in action, in schemes designed by both
professionals and average users.
It also occurred to me that interior decorators who're
absolutely stumped when asked by a client to coordinate wallpaper, paint,
carpet, etc. with the client's favorite color/art object etc. could find this
invaluable for hints.
Adobe provides a forum for users, and a very comprehensive help facility.
To fully utilize kuler.adobe.com, the user must have Macromedia Flash
installed in the computer and must also download a compact program from Adobe
that assists in exporting color schemes to applications.
Advanced computer users can make the best use of kuler for print and other
real-world color applications by being certain that their computer display's
Gamma Correction is set and calibrated properly and, of course, that the
display is working properly. The same goes for one's scanner and printer
adjustments, if applicable.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go write a letter to Martha Stewart
suggesting that she do a segment on her television program about kuler and tell
her millions of fans it's a Good Thing.
UPDATE: October, 2007: The nice folks at Adobe's kuler division/area just sent an email and thanked me for the writeup. So they're watching. I've also received in the snail-mail recently (they must've gotten it from my website) a bag full o' kuler colorschemes; kinda like little versions of paint-chips that you get at a hardware store to take home to use to match your walls/trim to the colors on your divan. I think it was quite nice of them. This way I won't have to print-out my favorite color schemes; just go through my collection of kuler chips. Anyone else who wants them may request them at kuler.com.
Kuler, the kuler logo, and "Adobe" are all trademarks and the exclusive
property of Adobe Labs, Inc.