Many people tried to identify the culture through color, and to reflect its results to the products. However, most of color studies concerned about color preference have been represent a tendency to consider the surfaces of culture without understanding the depths of it. Therefore, there are lots of needs to investigate color studies which can be used as a initiator for the cultural classification.
This study aims to suggest a culture model in color studies, and to develop a color study program, and to apply it by using WWW. To achieve this goal, anthropological and semiological studies were carried out. It was found out there were two aspects viewing culture: hierarchical, and typological. These two aspects could be united by semiological methods and form a culture model in color studies. A culture model consists of the contents, expressions of culture and cultural variables. On the basis of these literature review, a color study program was developed with 5 higher cultural variables and 8 couples of lower cultural variables. The color study program using WWW consists of 16 images and 5 basic colors, with black and white. Its 158 data have been collected for 37days through 9 countries including U.S.A and Korea. With these collected data, typological and hierarchical analysis were carried out. The typological analysis has been used in traditional color studies The hierarchical analysis using cultural variables is the core of this study.
The cultural color study program can be used to analyze the culture at the aspects of typological and hierarchical classification and interpret the cultural segmentation to lighten inter-cultural differences. WWW as a medium for color studies has many advantages :
(1) to broaden the sphere of expression.
(2) to improve feedback speed.
(3) to make a international color study possible.
