In 1963, Yale University Press published artist Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color as a handbook and teaching aid for artists, instructors and students. Originally produced as a limited silkscreen edition with 150 color plates, Interaction of Color changed the way in which people thought about color. To bring this influential book to a new audience, The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation partnered with Potion, an award-winning design and technology firm, to create an interactive iPad application.

With its groundbreaking design, the app offers people a new way to experience Albers’ masterwork. The app includes the entire text of the book, the full plate commentary (in some cases adapted for the app), and almost the entire series of original plates from the 1963 edition. Only eight of the original plates were omitted due to obsolete color printing systems or an inability to be reproduced legibly. In its modern incarnation, Interaction of Color also includes video interviews with noteworthy professionals in a variety of art and design fields demonstrating how they use color in their work. Not only does the app function as a virtual classroom, but it also features archival footage of Albers in the classroom. The app also includes an interactive color palette tool with over 60 interactive plates and studies that allow for color experimentation. These experimentations can be shared through various social media platforms.

Designed for all grade levels and ages, from kindergarten through graduate school, Interaction of Color is an interactive education on how to creatively use color. With flawless design and scholarship being added to applications, it puts forth the question: are apps the new wave of education?