Tone & Color.

http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/accessories/cut-and-paste-cutting-boards.html

Tone acts on several different aspects of this cutting board design. At the forefront, its dual-tonality of neutral wood and white ceramic creates a classic aesthetic that is modern and clean. More abstractly, tone is portrayed to transform a two-dimensional image into a tangible product with three-dimensionality. The tones of the wooden blocks tell the users how thick (and perhaps sturdy) the cutting board is. It gives way to an isometric view of the product and informs the users of its shape and form. The varying tones created from that natural woodgrain suggest texture as well. Additionally, tone is also active on the ceramic plates, giving the user knowledge of its curvature and dimensions. The shadowing and highlights created by tone tells us how the ceramic plates curve upward for better user grasp of the cutting board(s). Although quite subtle, tone in products help the user form his/her decision through perception of aesthetic or functionality.

Color is one of the areas Apple highlights to create the success of its products. From the rainbow of its iPod Nano/shuffle line to the simplicity of the all-white macbook, they have strategically catered to a wide demographic of users through their use of color. Here, the iPhone 4G is demonstrated to show the importance of color in a successful design. Albeit, there is a group of people that are unmoved by its all-white colorway, perhaps even categorizing it as lazy and mundane. But to a greater number of people, the white is sought after, moreso than its equally functioning black counterpart. White is used to create a sense of modernity and enhances clean, sleek lines. It highlights the smoothness and glossy feature of the phone, as well as the non-industrial appearance of its material. The calming effect of the color lets the user appreciate the product as a whole, without extraneous colorful distractions other than the beautiful interface from the screen. Evidently, white, although the often ignored vanilla of the color pack, has proven itself as a contender through its success in design.