The Color Diaries

Why Green?

Today we see all around us the need and understanding of the importance of green design.  Each day the advances in green and sustainability are becoming more and more a part of our daily personal and professional lives. 

But did you ever wonder how the color “green” became synonymous with the sustainability movement?

On the brink of the 1990’s, the economy plunged and so did color into recycled beiges and other so-called natural colors. The L.A. Times reported that the “bland were leading the bland” and recycled materials were seriously pursued.  Grunge was born and sustainability first entered the lexicon as it addressed the thoughtful use of materials.  A re-awakened social consciousness concerning the preservation of the environment led directly to the pervasive usage of green.

To find out more about the color green or to learn about our eco-friendly line of paints, please visit www.pantonepaint.com

Sitting on Color Chips!

Never thought it could happen but it did...about two years ago the 'hot' British design duo, Barber Osgerby created fantastic stools in 96 Pantone colors....and Barneys in NYC displayed them for a month or so in their storefront windows!
Well, Pantone still sells them...
Visit pantoneuniverse.com

More on white, symbology and meanings....

 The purest of pure.

· The white dove of peace and freedom

· A choir of angels with filmy white wings

· White is unsullied, divine and pristine

· In Greek mythology, the great gods lived on snowcapped mountains

· The Romans marked auspicious days in white and inauspicious ones in black

· In the Christian church white represents heavenly joy, purity and truth

· The Egyptians saw white as the light giver for life

· To the Japanese white is the color of the gods

· But unlike most of the world in China and other countries of Southeast Asia white is the color of bereavement and mourning since it considered to be the proper color to escort the dead to a perfect state of purity and perfection. This though has changed through changing traditions and the influence of younger generations who are embracing western traditions.

· There is an innocence to white, a christening dress a kind of chasteness

· It is traditionally the color of babies or brides

· Baptismal and confirmation dresses are white and some orders of nuns are married ceremonially to the church in white gown

· The ancient Greeks started the tradition of white at weddings which they saw as a bridal symbol of joy

· White can also mean extreme minimalism and sterility

· The medical profession started to wear white at the beginning of the 20^th century when it was discovered that dirt and grime easily hidden on dark colors could spread disease and infection, but that too has changed

· The human eye sees pure white as a brilliant color so it can actually create glare which in turn can cause headaches and eyestrain

· But remember white is never just white because of its numerous tints and undertones

Color Bytes...

Color forms immediate and strong physiological and psychological relationships with our other senses…

Color is a sensation … not only lends visual appeal and attraction, but can simultaneously suggest tactility, sound and shape and taste…

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Colors possess deeply-rooted values, feelings, preferences and personal perceptions.

Color is the first thing we all see so it is the first impression we get from any product.

A colors relationship to adjacent colors often determines how warm or cool a color is.

Monochrome colors are just one hue in varying intensities

Analogous colors are colors that are close to each other on a color wheel; blue, blue-green and yellow.

Complimentary or contrasting combinations are colors located opposite one another; red with green or yellow with purple…

Emotions and reactions to colors comes before everything else!

Color Quiz!

You give me the questions!!

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This color dye, named porphyra  yielded from a Greek shellfish.

This came from the Indo-European word ghelwo, and was considered sacred in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.

This came from the pale purple spiky plant of the mint family.

If you love this color you’re patriotic, yet macho, adventurous, independent and impetuous.

People drawn to this color are considered intuitive and insightful.

Wrap you’re head in this color fabric to relieve your headaches.

What do you think of white?!

Tell me how you feel about white, which white!

More meanings and symbology of white! Some new, some old

·        The purest of pure.

·        The white dove of peace and freedom

·        A choir of angels with filmy white wings

·        White is unsullied, divine and pristine

·        In Greek mythology, the great gods lived on snowcapped mountains

·        The Romans marked auspicious days in white and inauspicious ones in black

·        In the Christian church white represents heavenly joy, purity and truth

·        The Egyptians saw white as the light giver for life

·        To the Japanese white is the color of the gods

·        But unlike most of the world in China and other countries of Southeast Asia white is the color of bereavement and mourning since it considered to be the proper color to escort the dead to a perfect state of purity and perfection. This though has changed through changing traditions and the influence of younger generations who are embracing western traditions.

·        There is an innocence to white, a christening dress a kind of chasteness

·        It is traditionally the color of babies or brides

·        Baptismal and confirmation dresses are white and some orders of nuns are married ceremonially to the church in white gown

·        The ancient Greeks started the tradition of white at weddings which they saw as a bridal symbol of joy

·        White can also mean extreme minimalism and sterility

·        The medical profession started to wear white at the beginning of the 20^th century when it was discovered that dirt and grime easily hidden on dark colors could spread disease and infection, but that too has changed

·        The human eye sees pure white as a brilliant color so it can actually create glare which in turn can cause headaches and eyestrain

·        But remember white is never just white because of its numerous tints and undertones

Product, add/change the color...success!

The business world has to be magnificent, daring and colorful to attract any attention!

Many  businesses still fail to recognize color’s potential as a strategic asset and use it without insight …it is as significant a resource as text or design.

Color plays a major role in our lives. Yet because our feelings about it are often subconscious, we are not always aware of why we may express a certain passion or be drawn towards a particular color or color combinations.

We should incorporate the “ramifications” of color with the product’s life, from building it to presenting it.

Color should not be an afterthought, and understanding the consumer’s viewpoint on color and their perceptions should go hand in hand with the trends. The sophistication of today’s consumer and their desire to express their individuality has become a key focus for the creation of new things.

Since color is critical to most product categories today having the right shade has become a paramount ingredient to the design process. The color forecasting process is unique and helps to provide guidance to diverse industries to formulate the merchandising direction for the development of product lines.

Whether for cosmetics, fragrance, advertising, fashion, home, or industrial design the relationship between these categories has become much more closely related.

When developing products it is important not to overreact. One of the key things is not to combine too many different variables at the same time. When you want to introduce a forward color it is best to use a proven style that is familiar to the consumer. This enhancement through color creates a demand to purchase that “new” product.

You should think about whether it is important to leverage existing brand equity or take the chance to  introduce an entirely new product?

And while you’re in the design process you should ask the consumer things like-what their motivations for choosing the color of the product or what is the role of color in their decision-making process?

What are their influences/or do they feel, are they the influencers-?

Not simply “what are your preferences towards colors?”

Color moves with global needs, fashion trends and technological developments.

When talking about color direction for a particular season we refer to those directions that are being developed for products that go beyond that time frame and follow the influences of other industries.

Color Impacts Legibility

Corporate professionals are seeking information on the impact of color usage.  Over the years, the Pantone Color Institute has compiled various studies and other data that shed some light on how color impacts the reader/viewer with regard to legibility, comprehension and memory retention.  Here are some of the basics:

It is obvious that, written information can best be distinguished from its background by using a different color on the foreground.  However, while one tends to select two aesthetically pleasing colors for these purposes, they may not be an effective choice in terms of legibility.  For example: although black and yellow are not generally a preferred combination, studies show that the best color combination is black type on a yellow background.  It also scores the highest for memory retention.  This combination works well for two reasons: 

~  Yellow and black are opposites in chromatic value.

~  There is an 85% lightness contrast between the two colors.

Black words on a white page, although the second best combination for high legibility, is the most frequently used.  As a general rule, be sure that the secondary color has at least a 65% lightness contrast with the paper color.  When printing on white paper, stay away from choosing a light color ink.  For colored stocks or backgrounds, it's always best to choose a different color for the foreground.  But if you want your text or images to be in the same color family, go lighter or darker to create enough contrast.  The poorest color combinations are black on dark blue, yellow on white and orange on white because the eye will struggle to differentiate background from foreground. 

When choosing color combinations, also remember that the perception of colors are influenced by the colors that surround them.  Here are some helpful hints to guide you through this process.  Complementary colors ( for example red and green)  that are printed side by side, actually fight one another, and to the eye, will appear to vibrate.  When selecting analogous colors or neighboring hues on the color wheel (such as yellow and orange), a substantial difference in lightness will be necessary to achieve optimum readability.

Some businesses of course, can be more liberal or whimsical with their use of color than others but should always keep in mind the message they're trying to communicate.  Color associations are also important to consider when creating reports and presentations as they will definitely have an impact on your target audience.

Color Bytes

Yellow  Bytes

Lucretia Borghia, the wicked vixen of the Renaissance was probably the first honey blonde (we're talking real  honey)! She dyed her hair with a recipe that consisted of two pounds of alum, six ounces of sulfur and four ounces of honey.  The shade was called "filo d'oro".

Colored diamonds are the hottest trend in fine jewelry today, among them pink and yellow. In the past there have been famous yellow diamonds of epic proportions. Weighing in at 128 carats, the Tiffany yellow diamond was mined in South Africa in the late 1800's.  It was cut to a double brilliance with a total of 101 facets.  The "Austrian Yellow", one of that country's crown jewels is fashioned after a star with nine rays.  Yet another fabulous bauble, the "Orlov", one of the Russian crown jewels was originally given as a gift to the Empress Catherine.  This modest token weighed a mere 194.50 carats.

Known for his sensually stylized drawings of woman in glamorous gowns,
renowned English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley made lavish use of brilliant yellow both in his work and personal life.  In addition to using yellow extensively in his gorgeous creations, he wore outrageous yellow kid gloves and worked in a studio painted an intense shade of yellow.

We all know that the yellow brick road takes us to the Emerald City, but in L. Frank Baum's classic story of "Oz", if we traveled a further down the road, we'd find Winkie country where most everything is dazzling yellow.

We tend to think of the sun as the hottest body in the universe, but it's actually a "yellow dwarf" star, halfway between the hottest blue-whites and the coolest reds.  (Out in the world of stars, blue is hotter than red).

Van Gogh once said of his favorite color that "yellow is capable of charming God".