Colour preferences and use in textiles design and decoration amongst Ghanaian students

Colour is the most important and exciting element of design that catches one’s attention for fabric selection. Colour plays important roles in the designing and production of textiles artefacts. It gives life to the textiles product as they become what they are because of their inherent colours. Batik and tie-dye making are textiles products that predominantly depend on colours (dyes) for their decoration. It is an aspect of textile production on which students exhibit a wide range of creativity in fabric decoration. Various tints and shades of colours are uniquely characterised by blended schemes in their productions. So, how do students describe their works? How appropriate are the colours they choose for dyeing their works? Why do they prefer specific colours for decorating their fabrics and what influences their choice of colours? These are the key questions guiding this inquiry into the preferences and uses of colours by student-designers in their freestyle fabric designs and decorations. The study found that students’ preferences for the choice of colour for their batik and tie-dye works are influenced by the Ghanaian colour symbolism, the cultural environment, and purpose and uses for which the designs were made