Webinar - Stephen Westland

Unravelling the effects of coloured environments and coloured lights

The literature on the psychological and emotional effects of colour is both vast and confusing, with many contradictory findings. For example, on the one hand we are told that blue is a calming colour and a suitable colour for a bedroom; yet on the other hand we are told that blue light has an alerting effect and exposure to blue light in the hours before sleep can be disruptive. How can these seemingly contradictory effects be reconciled? In this talk, Stephen Westland will present findings from several studies at the University of Leeds to develop a framework that tries to make sense of the different effects that colour has. In particular, the effects of coloured environments and coloured lights will be compared.

Bio

Stephen Westland has worked for nearly 20 years at the University of Leeds where he is Professor of Colour Science and Technology. He is currently Director of Research and Innovation for the School of Design and was Head of School of Design between 2006-2013. His research spans colour vision and practical applications of colour in technology and in design. He has published over 200 refereed articles in the area of colour science and a textbook Computational Colour Science using MATLAB. He was President of the Society of Dyers and Coloursist in 2019 and is currently a Director of Colour Intelligence Ltd.