Fluorescent Fridays: Colour with a Purpose in Product Design

WHO	University students and faculty
WHEN	March 21, 2025, @ 1pm, US Eastern

This event shines the spotlight on Gisela Monteiro and her design students Josué Neves and Pedro Lucas Viana from the Federal Fluminense University, Brazil.  They will explain how the “Colour with Purpose” workshop was conducted to validate the teaching material created based on the content formulated by the Colour Literacy Project.  This  includes the application of colour in drawings of real objects, such as furniture and clothing. The objective of this series of exercises is to empower students to use their knowledge of colour to justify their choices in projects, combining intuition and objectivity in the process. That is why the name is “Colour with Purpose.”

Presenters:

Gisela Costa Pinheiro Monteiro (above, center) D.SC. is an Associate Professor at the Department of Design and Technology at Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she teaches in the Industrial Design undergraduate programme. With an academic career entirely focused on design, she works in the fields of graphic and product design, with an emphasis on apparel production. She coordinates the "Colour Applied to Design" project at UFF, developed in partnership with Prof. Dr. Robert Hirschler, with the aim of implementing a course dedicated to teaching colour to designers. Bridging research and practice, she created Colorcria (2020), a tool designed to help designers justify their colour choices in collection projects.

Josué Custódio Neves dos Santos (above left) is an undergraduate student in Industrial Design at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Josué is part of an extension project focused on bringing modern colour studies into the field of design at his university. His interest in colour stems from his passion for art, having worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer.

Pedro Lucas Viana Braga (above right) is an Industrial Design student at UFF in Rio de Janeiro. Focused on teaching and art direction, he is currently working as a design assistant, gaining practical experience in the field. His goal is to become a design lecturer, contributing to the academic development of future designers.

FLUORESCENT FRIDAYS is a platform for university students from all disciplines to network with color professionals and fellow students, and to explore cutting-edge information about color’s role in our lives and applications in the world. 

Global Student Chapter: The long range goal is to build a global student chapter that positions color as a multidimensional STEAM model (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math), sharing up-to-date color research by scientists, artists, designers, industry professionals, and university students.21st century color communication requires a commitment to building bridges for sharing resources, cultivating mentors, and creating new opportunities. With up-to-date information and useful tools, students become the next generation of leaders in ever-evolving color related disciplines.