The complexity of the creative process in urban colour design

Abstract

This article presents the development of an urban colour design intervention for the Jardim Ruyce Staircase in Diadema, Brazil, examining how chromatic structuring reorganizes spatial perception and activates the sensory, material, and social layers of the urban environment. The methodological process combined photographic surveys, analysis of existing material conditions, colour palette extraction, chromatic synthesis, 3D modelling, and augmented reality prototyping, revealing a multispheric design field in which each design decision affects the overall configuration. The findings indicate that chromatic interventions grounded in the site’s existing layers can clarify continuities, increase spatial legibility, and strengthen local identity and a sense of belonging. In this context, colour does not operate as an isolated element but functions as a mediating component that articulates relationships between the body, space, atmosphere, and memory. Ultimately, the study suggests that urban colour design can support more situated and sensitive approaches to the transformation of contemporary public spaces.

Keywords: urban colour design, spatiality and atmosphere, chromatic design process, colour narratives, augmented reality in urban design