On October 17th, the final of the Vlerick iGMO - EY Launchpad 2019 took place. In this final round, the most promising emerging technologies from different sectors presented themselves to a wide selection of Belgian CEOs.

Color Navigator was chosen as the winner of all the finalists. The Vlerick iGMO Launchpad 2019 award is a nice recognition for the hard work of our team and the collaboration with all our partners and customers. Professionals are beginning to understand that every brand, product, campaign, digital application or space needs an objective color strategy to create a recognizable identity, maximize visual impact and generate measurable results.

Thank you Vlerick Business School, EY and KBC for the organization of this inspiring day! And thank you Mr Kahneman (Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences) to prove that 95% of our decisions are unconscious. It is precisely for this reason that a better and more accurate use of color has a positive impact on the results of companies, regardless of the sector!

Asking what Innovation Drift is about, is a lot like asking what the future is about: there is no singular answer, and there never should be! The international forum focuses on a wide variety of subjects, invites reputable speakers from the most diverse fields and attracts thousands of visitors interested in shaping their own future. 

COLOR NAVIGATOR AT INNOVATION DRIFT 2017

Our sales and marketing director Bart Van Tigchelt spoke about the underestimated impact of color at Innovation Drift in Vilnius: the biggest high-level meeting in the Baltics where entrepreneurs, business and public policy decision makers, scientists and researchers discussed the state of innovation in Europe and beyond. 

Connecting minds is not merely sharing different ideas and concepts, it’s creating a wide-spread web of people who develop alongside each other. Science, business and the private sector should be the three pillars that, through continued dialogue, shape what our world looks like. After all, we share a common goal of a brighter future – and nothing can bring us closer to it than finding the right people. 

THE UNDERESTIMATED IMPACT OF COLOR

Bart explained how color continuously influences our private and professional lives. If color is the most important element in more than 85% of all the decisions we make, then why do we think color is just a matter of taste?

The world-wide patented Color Navigator System makes it possible to define a scientifically based color strategy for products, brands or companies, increasing creativity, productivity and sustainability.

The Product Development students at the University of Antwerp got an introduction to the Color Navigator System and its different tools.

Bart Van Tigchelt, international sales and marketing director at Color Passport Group, was invited as a speaker at the Intirio Congress in Ghent. This interior decoration and household linen trade fair is the place to be for all interior professionals. Get a sneak peek of his talk about the underestimated impact of color in retail.

Our color experts visited Intirio: the Benelux trade fair with a comprehensive range of interior decoration and household linen. Our sales and marketing director Bart Van Tigchelt told the visitors more about the underestimated impact of color. Interior designers were interested to find out how the right colors make a big difference to a project.

Each color is interpreted differently by our brains and therefore has a different emotional or psychological impact. The Color Cluster System, developed by Color Navigator, applies this science, when clustering colors according to style, type and culture.

THINKING IN TERMS OF COLOR PSYCHOLOGY

When thinking in terms of color psychology, science and emotion are inextricably connected with each other. As explained in previous blog posts, color affects the three stimuli centers of our brains. Colors with a high vibration frequency have a different effect from those with a low one. Although we are not always aware of it, colors evoke emotions and affect our state of mind. The emotional value and the effect of a particular color can vary from person to person. We all have favorite and less favorite colors. We associate colors with certain memories, symbols, objects, or even smells and places. This color memory is very personal, but also partly collective; think of national symbols or regional cultural practices. We will discuss the universal properties and meanings that apply to colors later on in this blog.

Knowing that color can evoke certain emotions, convenient use is made of this to influence, for example, our buying behavior. Advertising is unthinkable without the appropriate use of color. But also in the design of offices, schools, hospitals, shops, cinemas and restaurants, color is used in a functional way to put us at ease, keep us alert or help us find our way. In many disciplines, such as product development, interior decoration, clothing, graphic design and advertising, color plays a crucial role. The correct application of color can make or break the launch of a new product or brand. The unconscious choice for a particular product is in fact largely determined by its color.

The more knowledge we have about the function and meaning of color, the more we become aware of their emotional value. The art of combining colors to create pleasant harmonies can be learnt. Our color memory plays a major role in this.

DEVELOPING A COLOR MEMORY

The more extensive our color memory, the richer our color experience. As a child, we learn to distinguish, recognize and remember colors. Learning to see colors starts when a child can consciously distinguish different colors. Around his second year, it starts to recognize, remember and - depending on his language development - appoint colors. By naming the colors of everyday objects, such as fruits and vegetables, the child learns to store colors in his memory. First the primary colors, red, green and blue, are discussed, because these are experienced as the most powerful by our brains. Then it learns the intermediate colors, such as orange and purple. It is important that not only the sight, but also the other senses are involved in this learning process. For example, our brains link the smell of a strawberry to its red color, which makes it easier to remember and evoke the smell and color.

Colors are stored in our long-term memory, the memory for information that is permanently stored in the brain, but not always consciously experienced. This memory has a very large capacity. It is important to know how knowledge is stored here, to gain more insight into building a color memory.

When we learn something, our brain cells become active. The many small branches of the brain cells then make contact with each other. Scientists call that contact between the cells 'synapse'. When we learn something new, the synapses become stronger. Everything we see, hear, feel and experience is stored. The next time we experience the same, we can understand it more easily. If information in the short-term memory is repeated often enough (or saved long enough), it is transferred to our long-term memory. Information or knowledge stored in this way will be stored for a very long time.

Our color memory contains automatic and unconscious associations, because we see certain colors coming back and always experience the same way. For example, green is associated with immaturity. Think of green tomatoes or bananas.

Color is everywhere. As adults, we experience the presence of color as a matter of course and are not always consciously involved. When we see a new specific color at a certain moment, we will not immediately remember it. But by viewing this color with as many senses as possible, consciously experiencing, repeating and remembering, we can continue to expand and develop our color memory throughout our lives.

COMMUNICATION ABOUT COLOR

Our color memory is brought to bear when we communicate about color. If we talk about color, we use images and associations that are stored in our color memory. By referring to the color of universally known objects, such as flowers, plants and fruits, we can evoke a color image that is understandable to everyone. Take for example eggplant, mandarin, lime, lavender, poppy or olive. Certain brands, products and national symbols can also remind us of a specific color. Think of Ferrari red or Barbie pink.

Because the designation of color is regionally associated and is subject to fashion, it is impossible to use a complete list of color names. Below we give some examples of universal colors.

THE MEANING OF COLOR

Why do we associate red with love, blue with cold and green with nature? The reasons behind this are sometimes historically, politically or culturally determined, often also by way of physics or biology.

Colors have different meanings in different cultures. In the Western world, black is the color of mourning, whereas in China this function is filled in by white, in West-India by orange. In the field of politics, colors also have a special symbolism. Eighty percent of all flags contain the color red which symbolizes power, blood, life. Red is the color of strength, energy and dynamism. The color of the United Nations is blue, which symbolizes non-aggression, universality and calm.

Creative, unconventional use of color can yield interesting results. But there are also universal conventions of functionality. So it is not wise to reverse universal colors for hot and cold on a water tap or to change something about the generally accepted color composition of a traffic light. Next, we present a brief summary of the universal meaning, symbolism and emotions associated with the main colors, black and white. This is intended as an extra guideline for those who, when making color choices, also want to take account of the functional or psychological aspects of color.

Red

Energetic - striking - warm - strong - dangerous - rich

Red is the first color named by a person. In some countries the word for red also means ‘color’, for example 'colorado' in Spanish.

Symbolically: Red symbolizes fire, blood and life force. It is the color of passion, love and lust but also aggressiveness and power. Red is pre-eminently the color for flags because it symbolizes struggle, life and revolution.

Historically: In the time of the Romans, a custom existed of drinking the blood of dying opponents because it was said to give strength. Amongst the Greeks, blood was poured into the graves of the deceased in order to give them power in the afterlife. Later, medicines were made with a red color, band-aids and bandages were red, children wore a red ribbon to protect them from all kinds of diseases.

Red is also viewed historically as the color of nobility and represents wealth because red dye for clothes used to be difficult (and therefore also expensive) to manufacture. In the Middle Ages wearing red was a right reserved to the nobility. Anyone who wore red and was not of the nobility, was put to death.

Culturally: In areas where the heat of the sun threatens life, the warm color red is the color of the demonic. Conversely, in cold countries, red has a positive meaning, because it is associated with heat. In factories they used to paint the walls red to eliminate complaints about the cold.

Psychologically: The color of dynamism and advertising. Red generates energy and is therefore widely used by the food industry: breakfast cereals are usually packed in boxes with red-orange-yellow as the predominant colors; there is no better way to start the day cheerfully and full of energy.

Functionally: The color of danger and prohibition, think of traffic signs and warning signals. As it happens, red is one of the most striking colors, both during the day and at night.

Surroundings: Red is a warm color and will come to you, as it were; objects appear bigger than they actually are. A room decorated in red that faces north will appear darker.

Fashion: A person who wears red gets noticed; red has a high attention value, is associated with excitement, strength, power, action, energy, warmth, assertiveness, presence.

Orange

Optimistic - cheerful - energetic - harmonious - open

Orange is a mixture of red and yellow, and thus holds the middle ground between these two colors, it represents balance and harmony, makes things cheerful and promotes affection, tranquility and balance. Orange comes on softer than red. It relaxes and dissolves fears and blockages.

Symbolically: Orange symbolizes high spirits and optimism, hope and well-being, the harmonious combination of feeling and intellect.

Culturally: Because orange stands for emotional balance, it is used to express religious feelings or insights. Buddhist monks therefore wear orange robes.

Psychologically: Orange is an active and vibrant color. It stands for joviality, playfulness and adventure. Orange is festive, inspiring, tasty, interesting, active, warm and stimulating. It is a color that encourages pleasure in social contacts. Orange has a positive effect on depression, melancholy, anxiety, discontent and pessimism. Orange works primarily on the senses, stimulates the appetite and often has a healing effect.

Functionally: Orange, just like red, is a warning color; think of its use in traffic, for example, an orange traffic light.

Surroundings: Orange provides warmth and is stimulating. Orange provides a combination of heat and light with which a pleasant atmosphere is created.

Fashion: In fashion, orange stands for warm, cheerful, youthful, extreme, happy, open and capricious.

Yellow

Sunny - striking - illuminated - valuable - warning

Yellow is related to white, and is the lightest color. The color of the sun, even though sunlight is actually colorless.

Symbolically: Yellow is the color of optimism, of light and insight, and of acid (lemons). Yellow is also used as gold when the beautiful, the valuable is meant.

Historically: Yellow is the color of the sun gods Helios, Apollo and Sol. Previously yellow also represented danger. So a yellow flag on a ship meant that it was subject to an epidemic. A yellow flag in a medieval town meant plague.

Culturally: Yellow stands for illumination and insight. In Islam, golden yellow is the symbolic color of wisdom. In Asia, yellow is the color of happiness, fame, wisdom, harmony and the highest civilization. In China, yellow is therefore a masculine color, with black as feminine counterpart. In Europe, the reverse is true: yellow is more of a feminine color and black is masculine.

Psychologically: Yellow is striking, pushy and loud. The word yellow is related to “screaming”, the gutter press is called “yellow press” . Yellow is also a color that is associated with cheap.

Functionally: Black letters on a yellow background are the most legible from a distance. That’s why yellow is the international signaling color. The symbols for toxic, flammable, explosive and radioactive materials are black on yellow. Black-yellow lines mark boundaries that may not be exceeded and warn of protrusions.

Surroundings: Too much yellow causes restlessness but gives a warm look because yellow reflects light well. A room decorated in yellow comes across as friendly; in combination with orange, the cozy atmosphere is enhanced.

Fashion: Yellow for clothing is fresh, innovative, original, intelligent and lively.

Green

Young - healthy - fresh - natural - stable

Some people can appreciate green and others not at all. This is probably due to the fact that the spectrum of choice for typical green is very large and green looks really different at night from the way it looks during the day.

Symbolically: Green is the color of youth, the color of life and new life, spring.

Historically: Green is a holy color in Islam. Originally Islam was espoused by many desert peoples. In the desert, green is the color of paradise and represents fertility, life.

Culturally: Green is the universal color of hope because one looks forward to spring.

Psychologically: Green reminds us of nature. Color of fresh, sour, bitter. The experience that green things are fresh is not universal but strongly dependent on the material.

Functionally: Green is widely used as approval, think of green light (literally and figuratively).

Surroundings: Green is restful and increases focus. Various shades of green give a natural effect. Green is neutral and is mainly relaxing.

Fashion: Green represents wealth, prosperity, environmental friendliness.

Blue

Cool - calm - intelligent - professional - loyal

In a composition, blue is the color that appears the most distant, while red seems to be the closest. Every color actually looks more bluish when it is further away because it is covered by layers of air. We also see water and air as blue even though they are actually transparent.

Symbolically: Blue is the most popular color because it has many good features. Blue stands for sympathy, harmony, kindness, intelligence, loyalty and sincerity. It stands for utopian ideas whose realization lies in the future, in the distance.

Historically: For a long time, blue was the only color for clothing, especially for the common man. Blue was nondescript, suitable for everyone and every occasion. Moreover, dyeing clothing blue or indigo was fairly easy and inexpensive.

Culturally: The expression “to have blue blood” is universal. Members of the nobility often avoided the sun to protect their white skin. When a person’s skin is white, the blue veins shine through, which led people to think that they were filled with blue blood. In the Catholic faith, it is also the color of the divine, the color of Mary. For this reason, school uniforms are also usually blue.

Psychologically: Blue is a cool, cold color. This is based on experiences that, for example, shadows, ice and snow have a blue hue. Our skin turns blue when it is cold. Blue is also seen here as the opposite of red. Inter alia, red is the color of the bodily, the erotic and the non-spiritual. And blue of coolness, the power of comprehension, the intellect, science, accuracy.

Functionally: Cold blue versus red hot is used to distinguish cold and hot water at a faucet. Research indicates that the use of color in lighting (blue for example) can slow our heartbeat and relax muscles, while other colors do exactly the opposite.

Surroundings: A blue room exudes restfulness and is experienced as cool. It is experienced as a silent, aloof color.

Fashion: Wearing navy blue stands for conservative, authoritative, businesslike, loyal, trustworthy. (Dark) blue can almost always be worn, it is a very safe color.

Purple

Mysterious - spiritual - sensual - ripe - holy

Purple and lilac rarely occur in nature. As a result, the names of these colors in most languages are identical to the names of the few flowers that are purple or lilac.

Symbolically: Purple stands for the magical, the mysterious and secretive, the immoral, the spiritual, but is also the color of decadence and power.

Historically: It was probably the Phoenicians who, around 1500 BC, discovered the secret of purple dye. Purple is made from marine snails and is very cumbersome and expensive to produce. In Catholic doctrine, purple was already mentioned as the most costly color in the Old and New Testament. The privilege of being allowed to wear purple was, in ancient times, more important than being allowed to wear gold.

Culturally: The only public institution that dresses its attendants in purple is the Catholic Church. Purple here has three meanings: it is the color of the bishops, the color of worldly power, of eternity and justice. Purple, as a liturgical color, is also the color of atonement and Lent. In Christian symbolism, it is also the color of humility.

Psychologically: Purple stands for the extravagant. All mixed colors containing purple are ambiguous and non-businesslike. Purple is the most mysterious and elusive of them. The uncertainty of whether a purple hue is reddish or bluish, is never dispelled. In a different light, purple can appear to be completely different.

Functionally: Purple is a popular color in advertising. For cheap products with a low life expectancy and for fashionable accessories, designers like to seize on purple.

Surroundings: Purple is a combination of warmth and coolness, it is pre-eminently a color that is inspiring.

Fashion: Purple as a fashion color is quiet, thoughtful, peaceful, spiritual, dignified, somber. Daring and not too sweet.

Pink

Sweet - romantic- feminine - soft - charming

Rose or pink is a color name that is used for both a light red color (so red with a high intensity) and for light (intense) and saturated magenta. Rose is derived from the French word for a rose, the flower.

Symbolically: Rose, because of its association with the color of the rose, is traditionally seen as an optimistic, cheerful and positive color. You come across it in all languages, for example, in the expression a rosy future. Often this is accompanied by a connotation of being unrealistic, as in “seeing everything through rose-colored glasses” and also “no roses without thorns.” Rose (pink) is also used as a symbol for homosexuality.

Historically: Red, according to our Western color symbolism, is the masculine color, pink (rose) is the little red, so has long been the color for young boys. Blue is the color of Mary and light blue, according to an ancient tradition, is the color for little girls. Around the 1920s, owing to the alienation of this religious symbolism, blue ceased to be regarded as the color of Mary and came to be regarded as the color of naval uniforms. Also in industry, almost all workers now wore indigo blue. Then the symbolism switched and blue became the color for boys, while for girls, pale pink took over from the traditional contrasting color of light blue, being considered sweeter and more sensitive than the cool light blue.

Culturally: In fashion for adults, the colors for male and female clothing have converged. Especially with the advent of the typical blue jeans, there is little difference between male and female clothing, and as far as fashion is concerned, there is also increasingly less between clothing for adults and children. The gender-linked colors are still just a habit from a distant past.

Psychologically: Pink is associated with the feminine, the romantic, the soft and sweet, the charming and polite. Normally these properties are combined with things that are like that.

Surroundings: Pink stands for a romantic and soft appearance. If it is a stronger pink, it becomes a more passionate color. In interior decoration, pink is an interesting accent color. Pink is associated with the feminine, but on the other hand, it also stands for a striking and bold attitude.

Fashion: In fashion wearing pink gives a feminine, delicate, compassionate and calm feeling.

Brown

Earthy - stable - simple - neutral - comforting

Brown is an earthy color that has a lot of nuances. The color is a mix of the primary colors yellow, red and blue. As a result, it has points of contact with all other colors.

Symbolically: Brown stands for earthy, completeness, stability and restfulness, warmth and security, honest, simple, modest and noble. Brown can promote appetite, has a healing effect and symbolizes simplicity, kindness and reliability.

Culturally: In the Catholic religion, brown is the color for the vow of poverty which was taken by brothers and fathers in abbeys. As a result, the color acquires a humble character and a deep respect.

Psychologically: Brown is wise and fosters patience out of a sense of continuity; life goes on. Brown gives a feeling of space and growth. It is a calming and relaxing color that breaks down barriers. Brown provides comfort and the feeling of being wrapped up in motherly love and protection.

Functionally: Brown is a practical color because it does not get dirty easily and is also a cheaper color, which is obtained by mixing multiple colors together.

Surroundings: Brown is the color of comfort and elegance. A brown space must have sufficient incident light, or it becomes a boring color. Brown rooms look smaller but cozier.

Fashion: Of course, warm, humble, friendly, earthy, approachable. Brown is a great color to use if you want to stay more in the background. Also beige is a neutral background color, exudes trust, goodness, purity and innocence.

White

Clean - light - innocent - pure - positive

White is the sum of all colors of light. White is the most perfect of all colors. There is almost no context in which white has a negative meaning.

Symbolically: White is the color of the divine, the perfect, the ideal, the good and innocent. All good things come together in the symbolism of the white. All of the negative is eliminated. White, together with its polar counterpart black, stands for the struggle of good against evil, of day against night.

Historically: Throughout the centuries, white has been a color with status. Because clean clothing was a luxury, white was a status symbol. Workers wore blue or grey shirts. And a white shirt was the standard color of anyone who did not have to get dirty when working. Only in the seventies did colored men’s shirts become acceptable even for bank clerks.

Culturally: White is the color of simplicity, purity and modesty. Because of this meaning, white became a color of mourning. White mourning clothes belong primarily to the religious idea of reincarnation, for example in Asia. But also in Europe. within the Catholic Church, white was used as a color of mourning. At funerals, women would wear large white shawls around their heads and upper bodies.

In India, a white cow is considered the embodiment of light. In China, the heron and the ibis are sacred birds, they symbolize immortality. Priests from Indian and Japanese religious communities go about dressed all in white. In the Catholic mass, the priests wear a white tunic. White is the liturgical color of the main Catholic holidays.

Psychologically: Outer beauty and inner purity are associated with white. One of the few contexts in which the color white evokes negative associations is that of sterility and hospitals.

Functionally: Instinctively, white stands for everything that must be hygienic and clean. In places where foodstuffs are processed, white clothing is prescribed (for example bakers, chefs, butchers). But also in healthcare, white is customary attire and hospital furniture is often painted white. Cleaning products often traditionally have white or white-blue packaging because these add strength to the effect of the product.

Surroundings: White provides an optimal reflection of the light and makes the room seem larger. When used unilaterally, it becomes aloof and cool. It is thus preferable always to mix it with a warm color. White reflects light and provides space and restfulness.

Fashion: White as a fashion color is pure, innocent, hope, forgiveness, trust and cleanliness.

Black

Stylish - distant - dramatic - modern - negative

Black is stylish and devoid of risk.

Symbolically: Black symbolizes individuality and aloofness and is associated with class and style. Black is also the color of conservatism and anarchism. Black also has the meaning of commonality, misfortune and death. ‘Blacken someone’, a ‘black day’, black animals usually do not predict anything good.

Historically: It used to be alleged that someone who was somber or melancholic, had black blood. It is still the case that all negative feelings are associated with black. A person who “sees everything as black” or is in a black mood, is a pessimist. One also speaks of “black humor”. The end of all living things is black and that makes it a color of mourning.

Culturally: Black is often the color of the clothing of clergy. It is the color of authority and severity. In many cultures in the world, black is experienced as negative.

Psychologically: Color of negative feelings, of filth and meanness.

Functionally: Black is the color for stereo installations, cameras and watches, which should come across as very modern technical products. Because colors are dispensed with, the appeal is to professionalism and functionality.

Surroundings: Black in an interior testifies to luxury, gloominess and mystery. Black absorbs the light and its use should not be exaggerated. Black is good to use as an accent color, but used in excess, it makes the space smaller.

Fashion: With black clothes you imperceptibly create a distance from others. Wherever team spirit and social skills are important, this color is less suitable.

Stylish - subtle - soothing - timeless - neutral

Grey does not evoke any emotions and can therefore easily be combined with other colors. Grey is a timeless color. Grey is almost never mentioned as a favorite color.

Symbolically: Elegance, humility, stability, subtlety, wisdom, old age, anachronism, dullness, dust, pollution, formality. In Europe and America, grey is the color most associated with boredom, loneliness and emptiness. It is associated with rainy days and winter. Silver symbolizes rest.

Historically: In antiquity and the Middle Ages, grey was the color of undyed wool, and so it was the color most worn by peasants and the poor. In the 18th century, grey became a major fashion color, both for women’s dresses and men’s jackets and coats. Around 1930, grey became a symbol of industrialization and the war. Grey concrete became a popular building material for monumental works of modern architecture in the late 20th century. The 1950s and 1960s were the era of glory for the grey suit; these were worn by film stars such as Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart, and by President John F. Kennedy, who wore a two-button grey suit. At the beginning of the 21st century, grey again came to be regarded as monotonous and without character.

Culturally: In the Christian religion, grey is the color of ash, and thus a Biblical symbol of mourning and remorse. Grey is the color most associated in many cultures with the elderly and old age; because of its association with grey hair, it symbolizes the wisdom and dignity that come with age and experience.

Psychologically: Safety, reliability, intelligence, moderate, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Grey is also the color most associated with uncertainty, a “grey area” is an issue about which where there is ambiguity in law or policy.

Functionally: Grey consists of white and black. Therefore, this color is always looking for the right balance, the color of the still unconscious and undefined. Grey evokes no emotions in its own right, but can be combined well with other colors. Grey is adjacent to silver and brings calmness and serenity. A cool elegance emanates from this color.

Fashion: Always combine grey with another color. Grey is good for a conservative look and also stands for calm, dignified and formal.

THE INFLUENCE OF COLOR IN SHAPE

Anyone combining color with shape must take into account the character and emotional values of color; these are capable of affecting the shape in an entirely unique way. Sometimes, through the correct color choice, even a shape which is not ideal can be corrected. 

The influence of color on shapes can be used to perfect a design. Dark, matte colors have a shape-concealing effect. This effect is strongest with matte black. Shape accentuating colors are all the bright and shiny ones, the effect being strongest with semi-gloss white. Warm colors play an active role with respect to the shape and have a major impact. Cold colors behave passively with respect to the shape and, in the first instance, allow the shape to determine the entire character.

Red

Red behaves actively, strengthens the shape and gives it an almost aggressive character; soft shapes cannot tolerate red. Dark red makes the shape solid and respectable.

Yellow

Yellow causes the shape and structure of the object to disappear behind the color. The consistency of shape and color is present to a lesser extent on a smooth surface than on a rough surface. Shiny yellow encloses the shape and makes the borders vague. Gold has an effect similar to that of yellow, but is warmer and more active. It adds depth and makes the shape flexible.

Green

Green unites with the shape and has not the least impact on it, unless the area becomes too large, in which case green becomes a somewhat difficult color; applied normally, it makes the shape fresh and restful.

Blue

Blue allows shape and surface structure to fully come into their own and make them active; with a rough surface in that color, the characteristics are strongest, and likewise with matte blue. Light blue is expressive of shape, behaves passively and allows shape and structure to work for themselves.

Purple

Purple influences the shape in different ways, depending on the application. Since purple is a subtle color, it can take on many shapes, depending on how the light falls.

White

White has a liberating effect on the shape and allows it to speak for itself. Silver, in a glossy finish, has about the same effect as white, albeit somewhat less; in matte finish, on the other hand, it makes the shape hard and cool.

Black

Black, in matte finish, has little influence and at most gives weight to the shape.

Grey

Grey deprives the shape of part of its value.

CONCLUSION

Color has an enormous impact on humans. Two thirds of everything we process and remember is visual: light and shapes. They have a permanent effect on our daily lives, our state of mind, performance, hormonal state, metabolism and so much more. And still, color is one of the most neglected and underappreciated aspects in design and development, as well as in most creative education programs in the world.

As we saw earlier, color also influences our purchasing decisions. Any communication or advertisement of your brand, product range or project uses color in a certain way. Our brain will subconsciously pick up your message based on the visual components. The question is: is the right message conveyed? All our expertise is used to choose the right colors and apply them to your designs, brands, packaging and advertisements that sell.

Check out these snapshots from our visit at the Dutch Design Week: the annual design event in Eindhoven, with projects from more than 2600 designers, 61 exhibitions, presentations and other activities. Our team discovered some very colorful and inspiring projects. We'll be back next year! 

Our color experts visited Heimtextil: the biggest international trade fair for home and contract textiles. During this edition, almost 3000 exhibitors presented their new textile products and designs across 20 halls. Lots of creative energy and inspiration to start the new year! 

Blue Monday is claimed to be the most depressing day of the year. Don’t let this gloomy day get to you and enjoy the ultimate comfort food: these colorful modular chocolates called 'Complements'. A delicious treat for both the eyes and the tastebuds. 

Inspired by the complementary relationship with their clients, design agency Universal Favorite first conceptualized these little gems as an end-of-the-year gift for the people they work with. They collaborated with Bakedown Cakery to create modular staircase shapes, using 3D printing. 

DE INVLOED VAN KLEUR

Undoubtedly delicious alone, the geometric forms have been specifically designed to interlock into a bite-size cube when combined with another flavor. The unexpected flavors are uniquely mouthwatering and greater than the sum of their parts. When 12 flavors were selected, it was time to decorate these little sculptures in an exuberant color palette and painterly finishes like airbrushing, dipping and marbling, to create a natural contrast to the geometric shapes. 

Travel stress will be long forgotten when you travel to Copenhagen. Terminal 2 of Copenhagen Airport has been transformed into a multicolored oasis, designed by Aviator Denmark and furnished by Normann Copenhagen.

THE IMPACT OF COLOR

The airport lounge, Atelier Relaxium, now offers guests unique private or social experiences in a colorful environment. From sunny yellow to deep blue, the lounge has a shade and hue to complement every situation or mood. Let the bright red Rope sofa help you beat your jetlag or let the mesmerizing ultramarine Form chair help to soothe your nerves before departure. A great example of the importance and impact of color!

Designer Bertjan Pot, founder of Studio Bertjan Pot, has a passion for various colors, patterns, structures and techniques. Most of his experiments arise quite impulsively from a certain curiosity for how something would look or function. From there, Pot takes on challenges with manufacturers to explore possibilities and push boundaries. 

MATERIAL EXPERIMENT

This unique project started out as a material experiment in 2010 when Bertjan Pot, Vladi Rapaport and Marjolein Fase wanted to find out if they could make a large flat carpet by stitching rope together. Because the samples got curvy, the designers came up with the idea of shaping the colorful ropes into the contours of the human face to create masks. After a process of trial and error, this so far resulted in a series of 225 colorful masks.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

By using all sorts of ropes, combining colors and creating innovative textures, the possibilities are endless. Some are more human, some are more animal, and some are very abstract. Each mask has its own style and color palette that ranges from polychromatic to pastel-hued. 

These are some of our favorites, but the project is ongoing and we can’t wait to discover more!

From Sunday 8 October 2018 Museum Voorlinden will be exhibiting the work of Swedish artist Michael Johansson, the Swedish artist whose colorful installations are often described as real life Tetris.Johansson collects old furniture, household items and other equipment from second hand shops and flea markets. He puzzles, stacks and organizes this chaos of everyday objets carefully by color and transforms them into geometric, abstract sculptures.

Museum Voorlinden, near Rotterdam, showcases a number of existing works, as well as a new wall-to-wall artwork that Johansson created specifically for this exhibition. Definitely worth a visit!

There are billions of colors. From fuchsia pink to lemon yellow, from mint green to cobalt blue, from eggplant purple to ruby red and everything in between. A monitor can display 16 million of them, a printer or printing machine can print off thousands. When you consider that the human eye can on average distinguish 300 colors and a more practiced eye sees around 1000 colors, then the range of a printing machine is still quite large by comparison.

TRANSLATING RGB INTO CMYK

Because a printer or printing press cannot print all 16 million colors of a monitor, it is sometimes rather difficult to exactly reproduce a color. In order to be able to print, a design in RGB must be translated into CMYK, for example, or into specific colors from an ink range.

When translating into CMYK, color can be printed based on four-color printing. Each color is printed over the others in certain percentages as dots. These dots can only be seen with a magnifying glass. Color arises by means of the light that is transmitted by the inks and reflects on the substrate (the paper). Of course, this substrate is also very crucial and will affect the perception of color. By the way, the K in CMYK stands for black.

Whatever method we use, in reality printing is often a compromise, the outcome of which is not always satisfactory. The color range (GAMUT) of the human eye, RGB and CMYK is shown in the figure below.

Tip: To make a color consisting of four CMYK values pure and more intense, we can bring it back to an essence of three values. This is done by setting the lowest color value to 0 and by subtracting this removed value from the other two colors and add the same value to the black.

LAB VALUES

When comparing two colors (or color points), we get the delta E, or the cumulative deviation. These are the cumuli of the differences between the a, the b, and the L values. The formula is the square root of the sum of the squares of the differences of the Lab values of two objects to be compared.In general, a delta E of 2 is considered to be acceptable all over the world. But this depends on the material, structure, density, etc. In other words, the difference cannot normally be observed. In actual fact, however, it is the case that for yellow, a delta E of 0.5 already constitutes a significant difference but for red, sometimes a delta E of 5 may be acceptable and thus not optically discernible.

THE COLOR NAVIGATOR SYSTEM

Research by the Color Navigator Institute gave rise to a system that maps and arranges colors that are as pure as possible, for our brains as well as production.

The Color Navigator System builds further on CIELab, inter alia, and through further research has redefined the color range to the useful range that is evenly perceptible to our eyes and brains and perfectly reproducible. The Color Navigator Institute clustered colors that are close to each other and have the same properties, and then arranged them according to style, type and culture. It thus becomes easier to identify, name, arrange, communicate colors and ultimately to use them.

In case you didn't know, our color experts organize workshops to share their knowledge with other color enthusiasts. The Color Navigator System workshops are taught to professionals, companies, universities, etc. They are tailor-made for different industries such as fashion, design, product development, architecture, interior design and digital media. We also offer courses to develop general or specific color skills, such as understanding color, color psychology, color management and color reproduction.

Are you curious for a sneak peek? Here are some impressions of last week's color workshop at our Head Quarters in Antwerp. 

Our team visited the amazing exhibition by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius at the Design Museum in London. Jongerius does research on colors, textures and materials. According to Hella, all her questions are open-ended, and all her answers provisional, taking the form of finished and semi-finished products. Through this way of working, she does not only celebrate the value of the process, but also engages the user in her investigation. Her installation based exhibition takes a deeper look at the way colors behave, exploring shapes, materials, shadows and reflections.

THE IMPACT OF LIGHT

Breathing Colour was divided into separate spaces that simulated daylight conditions at specific times of the day – morning, noon and evening. These three phases explored the impact of changing daylight on our perception of color. Each installation included a series of three-dimensional objects as well as textiles, some of which are hand-woven while others are produced on industrial looms. 

Did you know that the color of our surroundings is the first thing that pops into our eye? Not the shape or material of an object, but its color is the first visual component registered by our brain. Unlike other mammals, humans are programmed to register color immediately. The origin of this process lies in our evolutionary needs. As nomads, we had to be able to make fire and distinguish the ripe from the rotten berries. Reading the landscape was a necessary skill for survival.

THE INFLUENCE OF COLOR

Now that we no longer have to seek our meals, color has been given a different function. Although the color of our environment is no longer a matter of life or death, it still plays a major role in our daily lives. Various studies have already been conducted to demonstrate the influence of color on consumers. In previous blog posts we have explained how color is perceived and the mood color provokes. What do consumers expect when they see the color of a packaging? What grabs their attention? What will gain their trust? What drives them to buy? Theoretically, the impact of color can only be explained in a single graph.

Warm vs. cool colors

The graph demonstrates that warm colors, such as red, orange and yellow, activate you more than the cool colors, such as green, blue and purple. The latter are more calming and rational, while the former create more spontaneous reactions. Activation is at its peak with red shades, decreases with cool colors and rises again when evolving towards magenta, as the color circle comes back to red. As far as the color preference is concerned, we notice that blue and indigo shades score best. Warm colors are less popular.

Energetic vs. discrete colors

In addition to the 'temperature' of a color, its intensity can greatly impact its effect. Each color has its own level of chroma and greying. The higher the chroma and the lower the greying, the greater the impact of the color. Thus the energetic and fully chromatic colors appear stronger than discrete pastels or greyed colors.

With this knowledge in mind, you can match the color of your product, brand or company to your desired goal. In reality, however, many more factors are relevant. You have to take into account the age and gender of your consumer, as well as the setting and sector in which you are active. Finally, the geographical area in which you sell your product also plays an important role. The Color Navigator System, which has mapped more than 10,000 colors according to style, type and culture, is able to select the perfect color for your product, brand or company and thus dramatically increase the success of your product range.

THE COMBINATION OF COLORS

Color combinations allow you to create depth and movement. Although you can play it safe with a harmonious color palette, you can make a conscious statement with daring combinations. Finding the right look for your product, brand or company is often based on gut feeling, but can now be supported by the Color Navigator System, which offers a scientific explanation for all your color decisions.

Feel free to contact us.

Throughout history some colors have created destruction. Some intense pigments were used widely for decoration as the concern about them was still unknown. Back then, you had to be a daredevil to use color by times. Read on to know how color is not always that innocent.

THE PUREST WHITE

Let’s start with white, a misguidedly pure color. From the 4th century BC and for centuries longer, lead was used to create a white pigment, with an unrivaled density and opacity. From a block, it was grinded into powder. Being a substance that is quickly absorbed into the human body, lead poisoning disrupts all calcium functions and could even cause blindness and other neurological afflictions, including depressions and delusions.

Because of the great quality of lead, artists kept using it as paint, not correlating it to the many ailments painters suffer. It wasn’t until the 19th century that alternatives were available thanks to zinc and titanium. Only in the 1970s lead was completely banished.

Johannes Vermeer used lead in his paintings: Lady writing a letter with her maid & girl with the pearl earring. 

A GLOWING GREEN

In 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium. It was then believed to be healthy, which is why they started adding it to medicine, toothpaste and even food and water. Praised for its luminous color, the substance was also used in clothing and jewelry. Only about 50 years later people realized that radium contained a radioactive element, which was harmful to their health.

Uranium glass in daylight & glowing under UV light. 

But that’s not all for green. Scheele’s green and Paris green are also sheer contenders in this list. Dating back to the 18th century, these pigments were also loved because of their synthetic, vibrant look in comparison to natural green dyes. They were used for anything, ranging from wallpaper and textiles to food and toys. These pigments were derivatives from arsenic, a substance that distorts cell function, leading to cancer and heart disease. Many factory workers were poisoned. It is even speculated that Napoleon died from slow arsenic poisoning, Gosio’s disease, inhaling toxic vapors from the wallpaper in his bedroom that was laced with arsenic. Especially William Morris from the British Art and Crafts movement used an abundance of this pigment in his wallpapers, entering the poison into living rooms of many middle class families. Not surprisingly, his family was mining this ingredient at large scale, so he had plenty at hand.

Paris green, Scheele's green, wallpaper from Napoleon's bedroom, 19th century wallpaper by William Morris. 

A BRIGHT ORANGE

Orange has always been a tricky pigment to come by. Realgar is one, known as “ruby of arsenic”. This substance was originally used as weed killer and rat poison in the Middle Ages, being highly toxic.

Before World War II, uranium oxide was popular as a reddish orange glaze for ceramics. Similar to the green uranium, this pigment also emitted radiation. Drinking coffee out of a nuclear cup is not the best way to start your morning. During the War, the US government confiscated all uranium oxide to be used for bomb development. Afterwards, it was used for regular goods again. Unfortunately, this orange was wildly popular in the sixties. Watch out with these vintage finds, as they may still contain traces of the active element.

The red glaze on this brightly colored dinnerware contained uranium oxide, which is slightly radioactive.

A BLOODY RED, ORANGE AND YELLOW

Other warm colors to look out for are those consisting of cadmium. It was discovered by the chemist F. Stromeyer in the beginning of the 19th century. The pigment was rather expensive, as the metal is scarce. Sneaky like the other pigments, they misled many painters by their powerful depth of color. With only a tiny amount, bright oranges, reds and yellow colors came to life. Moreover, the colors retained their brightness and didn’t fade when exposed to daylight. The pigment characterizes many famous modern artists such as Henry Matisse, Paul Gaugin and Max Ernst. How else can you still admire Monet’s beautiful sunsets today? 

But you guessed it, also this pigment is too good to be true. Exposure leads to shifts in cell growth and affects the liver and kidneys horribly. Inhaling the powder doesn’t do much good for your lungs and can leave you feeling sick with the “cadmium blues”. Strangely enough, blue hasn’t been a problem, although this is a color we don’t see as much in nature. Luckily, coloring and food dyes are being tested thoroughly these days and even see a return to natural elements.

Henry Matisse used cadmium in his painting: The red studio.

Our team was was part of the L’Oréal Innovation Day 2018. During this day all participants received a personal MyColorPassport scan. This digital color analysis allows them to identify their personal MyCP type, containing all the colors that suit them best.

DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL COLOR PASSPORT

MyColorPassport advises consumers on how to wear the right colors and shows you how to combine them. This knowledge provides brands with meaningful data to target their clients accurately and in a more personal way than ever before.

MyCP can generate extra sales, encouraging consumers beyond their comfort zone by securing them in their color choices. In reverse, as a brand it allows you to anticipate the needs of your customers and create a focused collection, using only the colors you need to make anyone look great. 

These monochromatic constructions were designed by Pedevilla Architects, known for the simplicity and intelligence in their designs, linking the interior of the fire stations with their exterior and surroundings.

COLORFUL CONSTRUCTIONS

The mustard-yellow building is casting a golden glow across the mountains of Vierschach in South Tyrol, Italy. The rose-tinted construction is located in Northern Italy, where it warms the snowy landscape of Taufers. The rose hue is intended as a twist on the fire station's traditional blazing red coloring, and a spiraling staircase replaces the customary fireman's pole.

PIGMENTED CONCRETE

All surfaces have been realized with pigmented concrete to give the building a muted yet distinct coloring, and to remark it’s monolithic character. As for the interiors, large windows allow maximum natural light, they are free from decoration and light wood interiors soften the monochromatic color-schemes.

Color measurement devices are necessary for accurate color communication. Visual evaluation of color is subjective, affected by our memory and highly depends on the viewing conditions. Therefore, depending on the application, either spectrophotometers or colorimeters are used to accurately and objectively capture and communicate color. Even though both spectrophotometers and colorimeters are used to measure color, they work in very different ways and are used for different applications. Choosing the right color measurement device depends on your application and price range, which requires a good understanding of both technologies.

SPECTROPHOTOMETER

A spectrophotometer measures the intensity of light over the entire spectrum by breaking up the spectrum of light into many small increments. This allows for an accurate measurement of the wavelength-by-wavelength properties of an object. The measurement contains color information beyond that observable by the human eye. 

Spectrophotometers are highly accurate and versatile but more complex than colorimeters. They allow for identifying metamerism by predicting color appearance under differing illuminations. These instruments are generally, due to their complexity, more costly than colorimeters.

COLORIMETER

A tristimulus colorimeter on the other hand, tries to simulate the human eye. It uses three filtered sensors (RGB) to approximate the light-sensitive cones of the eye, responsible for color vision. Because it only uses three filtered sensors, it acquires less information about the color than a spectrophotometer.

Colorimeters have a lower price and are more compact. They work well for comparing similar colors under constant conditions and are often used for monitor calibration. However, colorimeters are not suitable for complex color analysis as they are not capable of identifying metamerism.

Color does not exist, but is created in our brains. In order to see color we need light, an object and our eyes. Color arises in the presence of light. Whenever light falls on an object, some of the rays are reflected by the object and the remainder is absorbed. The part that is reflected, determines the color. 

PERCEIVING COLOR

Our eyes cannot perceive the light that is absorbed by an object. An apple, for example, absorbs all colors, except green. Because the green is reflected and is captured by our eyes, we see the green color of the apple. 

If all the light rays are absorbed, we get black, and when all the light rays are reflected, we see white. Thus, a black object absorbs all colors and is therefore sometimes described as colorless. For the same reason, black objects also soak up more heat than white ones, because white reflects all colors or wavelengths. 

Light

The most ideal light for seeing color is diffuse daylight, when the sun is more or less behind the clouds and it is slightly rainy. This produces the most truthful colors. In artificial light, it is more difficult to perceive color in a precise way. The main reason is that artificial light, such as that of a fluorescent lamp, is often tinted blue or red. A color can therefore look different under various light sources. Even natural light such as candlelight emits an abundance of yellow and red, because the light source does not contain enough blue. Metamerism is the phenomenon in which colors appear to be the same in a certain light, but turn out to be different with other lighting circumstances. That is why it's important to compare colors in ideal and comparable lighting circumstances.

Object

The presence of an object is the second condition for perceiving color. The object itself may either emit light, reflect light or a combination of both. Also the surface of the object is important for seeing color; a shiny object reflects light differently than an object that is matte.

Eyes

The third condition for seeing color, is that the rays should be caught by the eye. The light rays enter the pupil, through the lens and the eyeball and land on the retina. The receptors in our eye, consisting of rods and cones, ensure color perception in our brains. The extent to which the cones vibrate is translated by our brains into different colors and shades. The rods, in turn, are sensitive to the intensity of the light. Consequently, they cannot tell the difference between colors or hues that have the same intensity of light.

Cones

We have about six million cones: an average of two million red, three million green and one million blue. The color that we see is formed by these three impulses. Red, green and blue (RGB) are therefore called the optical primary colors. People with color blindness have deficient color receptors.

Rods

Aside from cones, our eye possesses some 120 million rods, which are unevenly distributed across our retina. The rods contain a visual pigment that changes structure, depending on the light intensity, and so transmits a signal to the brain.

The human eye has a particularly large adaptability, which is why we're able to compensate for extreme differences in brightness. Thus if, for example, we drive through a long tunnel and our eyes have adjusted to the darkness, we can see normally again in bright sunlight relatively quickly.

RESEARCHING COLOR

Research into color began around 1700 when Newton deflected a light beam with his prism, making the different colors of the spectrum visible. The British physicist demonstrated hereby that white light is composed of all the colors of the spectrum. This discovery laid the foundation for the understanding of color as a physical phenomenon. His research is the point of departure for various models and theories that have since been developed to understand and measure color.

Light travels as a wave

In the investigation of color, the question whether light should be considered as a wave phenomenon or whether it could better be explained as a particle stream has always been a central one. At the beginning of the last century, physicists Max Planck and Albert Einstein provided a breakthrough. Just like sound, their research confirmed, light travels as a wave. This made it possible for the first time, to accurately measure and get to the bottom of the phenomenon of color and light. 

Specifically, a wave has a certain length (which is expressed in nanometers, nm), which is dependent on the frequency (which is expressed in hertz, Hz) of its vibration (which is expressed in milliwatts, mW). The frequency of the vibrations determines how strongly a particular color is reflected to our eyes. We call this aspect the color strength or chroma. For example, yellow-green has a maximum vibration at a wavelength of 550 nm. It is important to know that the range of human perception lies between 380 nm (UV, ultraviolet) and 780 nm (IR, infrared). This has to do with the maximum vibration frequency that our eyes can perceive. Colors strong in grays provide a hazy image to the brain. 

The scientifically proven Color Navigator System solely clusters the useful color range. In other words: all colors that are beyond the reach of our perception are omitted and the colors that do give sufficient impulse to our brains are clustered.

In a wavelength curve, the relationship between the vibration and the length of a wave is displayed. Every color has its own, unique wavelength curve. A horizontal curve representing our visible spectrum, is black at 0 mW, white at 100 mW and gray at mid-height.

The colors of the spectrum can also be arranged in a color wheel. In principle, this gives the same representation as the horizontal axis of the wavelength curve, but then in a curved line around an axis. The color wheel is used in a counterclockwise direction: the colors range from red at 30º, yellow at 90°, green at 150°, cyan-blue at 210°, blue at 270° and magenta-purple at 330°.

USING COLOR

When working with color, we distinguish two methods: additive and subtractive. On a monitor, display or television screen, colors consist of red, green and blue (RGB). But when it comes to printed media, prints or paint for objects or dyes, cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) form the basis to compose colors. We call working with RGB the additive use and working with CMY the subtractive use of color. 

Additive - RGB

In the additive system, red, green and blue are the primary colors. They are displayed by using a light source and monitor, and consist of red, green and blue percentages, with which millions of colors can be formed.

By mixing two additive primary colors in equal proportions, secondary colors arise; in the additive system, these are cyan (green + blue), magenta (red + blue) and yellow (red + green). An equal amount of the three colors results in white. 

Because the RGB system is connected with a display on a monitor, color differences will be perceptible among the different types of screens. A monitor is therefore best calibrated or adjusted to an appropriate color profile. 

Subtractive - CMY

We call mixing colors with paint or ink subtractive color mixing. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are in this case our primary colors. If we mix two of these in equal proportions, we get red (magenta + yellow), green (yellow + cyan), and blue (magenta + cyan), this time called the secondary colors.

We can make colors lighter by adding white or make them grayer by adding black. In this way, different shades of the same color arise. In theory, using cyan, magenta and yellow, every other color can be made, but in practice it is impossible to mix neutral gray or pure black. 

MIXING COLOR

We use primary and secondary colors for mixing. When we mix colors subtractively, for example with paint or ink, there are several options to achieve almost the same result. "Almost", because our brains experience the different ways to mix the same color differently.

Primary colors

Primary colors are colors in their pure essence: yellow, cyan and magenta. These colors cannot be created by mixing other colors.

Secondary colors

Secondary colors are mixed forms of two primary colors in a certain proportion, such as green, orange and purple. Primary and secondary colors are pure colors. They are located at the edge of the color wheel and have a maximum saturation of their chroma.

Tertiary colors

Tertiary colors can be created by mixing certain colors:

• Three primary colors or a combination of a primary and a secondary color in which the primary color is not present.
• A primary color with black.
• A primary color and its complement.

Option 1 produces the least beautiful result, because, by using three primary colors, this causes our brain to see more grayscale. Option 2 is the least expensive way of mixing.

The best result – which our brain perceives as most beautiful – is created when mixing complementary colors (see later), such as in option 3. By applying this way of mixing, the primary color, to which the color to be mixed is closely related, constitutes the starting point. By then adding the complementary color, the main color will stand out more and get more character. The created color will give our brain a more pure color impulse.

Trichromatic black is the black that occurs when mixing the three primary colors. The result is very dark anthracite (almost black). To make a color grayer or to mix color, it is better to use trichromatic black or anthracite and never use true black (ink black). This way the color stays pure.

DESCRIBING COLOR

Over the course of time, all kinds of systems and theories have been developed to arrange and map colors in a universal, easy to use way. Well known examples of color systems are Munsell’s color atlas and its derivative color systems such as HSV and HCL.

Munsell Color System

The Munsell Color System was developed at the beginning of last century by Munsell, the American inventor and artist. In this system, 1500 colors were visualized in a sphere around an axis of grayscale values. Horizontally, there was a gradient from neutral gray to full saturation. Munsell called these values: hue, chroma and value. 

Hue stands for color tone and represents the location of a color on the color wheel. One speaks of the hue- or color angle, which is expressed in degrees.

The strength of a color is called chroma by Munsell. Maximally saturated colors are the most intense colors.

Value indicates the brightness: the amount of light that is reflected by a color. White, for example, has the greatest brightness and black the least.

It was significant that Munsell discovered that the full chroma of individual colors could be achieved at different locations in the color area. Yellow reaches its optimal color, for example, at a much higher saturation than red. This has led to a visual representation of an asymmetrical sphere or spinning top.

The Munsell Color System was created empirically and is mainly based on how we perceive color. It has a less mathematical and scientific basis, but provided important insights into saturation and is still a recognized color system. The company that Munsell founded in 1918 still exists.

CIELab

CIELab is a color system that was launched in 1976 by the Comité International de l’Eclairage (CIE). The commission was established as an independent forum that, among other things, had as its objective the development of an international standard. The CIE model approximates the human perception of color as closely as possible and constitutes the basis and standard on which our Color Cluster System was developed.

Revised standard

CIE developed a first step towards a standard color observer in 1931 and presented a revised version in 1976, in which the most important adaptation was to turn the color wheel, so that red came to be at 0° and yellow at 90°. This was because the colors enter our brains in a specific sequence (first red, then green and then blue). Red produces the most powerful impulses and is therefore the strongest color, followed by green and blue.

Numerical values

A color observation will translate a color between the receptors and the brain with distinctions between light and dark, indicated by a vertical L or luminosity axis, which represents the brightness, and between red, green, blue and yellow, indicated by the horizontal a and b axes, which represent the observable color space.

MEASURING COLOR

As we just saw, color is indicated by three values: the L-value indicates the brightness on a scale from 0 (black) to 100 (white), the a and b values define the color. We can measure these three values with a colorimeter or spectrophotometer that is converted to Lab values. By combining the coordinates of the three axes, we arrive at a clear position of a color in the color sphere, which in reality is not a perfect sphere, given the differences in saturation, as discovered by Munsell.

HSV and HCL

HSV en HCL are two very simple models for defining color for desktop applications and graphic programs, closely corresponding to the way we perceive color. To some extent, it is comparable to Munsell’s system because it takes hue, chroma and value as its starting point on three similar axes in order to define a color.

In HSV, these are hue, saturation and value. In HCL, they are determined by hue, chroma and luminosity. Moreover, HSV also exists under the name of HSB, hue, saturation, brightness, and HCL also commonly appears as LCH, luminosity, chroma and hue. The values of HSV and HCL are comparable. HSV is often used in graphics software. By specifying a hue and saturation rate, it is possible to set the brightness using the scrollbar and thus to select millions of colors.

The digital era demanded a universal color coding, which, inter alia, could easily be used in HTML. Thus, the HEX value was created as the standardized translation of the RGB. It is a value from 0 to 255, noted in a hexadecimal system consisting of 16 symbols: the digits 0 through 9 and the letters A (= 10), B (= 11), C (= 12), D (= 13), E (= 14) and F (= 15).