Highlights from the Alden B. Dow Home & Studio Book Collections – Books on Color

Highlights from the Home & Studio Book Collections – Books on Color  Some relate to color in art and color in photography, and there are a few that treat the science of color. A sampling of titles includes Colour and Colour Theories, Colors: What They Can Do for You, and Enjoyment and Use of Color. These works helped him to formulate and refine a philosophy of color and its use in architecture and design.

Complementing the books about color are the writings and speeches in the Archives in which Mr. Dow discussed his thoughts about color and its impact on us. One can read about and see photos of his therapeutic color scheme for the Midland Hospital in the article he wrote for the Journal of the American Hospital Association in 1945.

In another article from the same year entitled, "Color: A New Element in Chemical Plant Design," he describes and shows how the Dow Chemical Company was one of the first industrial organizations to utilize the bright hues and shades of colors to decrease employee fatigue and improve working conditions in plants and offices.

He summed up his thoughts about color in our lives when he wrote, "Color used in proper balance is necessary to the well-being of a person every hour of the day, for it creates cheerfulness, inspires superior workmanship in a factory or office, and stimulates a happy outlook in the home."