This is really interesting, especially the last images with Pantone colors. That means nobody knows the real indigo color! me, too! :)))
This is really interesting, especially the last images with Pantone colors. That means nobody knows the real indigo color! me, too! :)))
Interesting point there @kalemandra... but I guess isn't that the beauty of colours? As in everybody has a perception of what they think a certain colour is and if you put two suggestions together they could be completely different from each other. With the colorchallenge (thanks for hosting it) it's been interesting to see how people see these colours in nature/objects/things etc. And I think it's a good thing that we don't know what a certain colour is exactly, as it always creates a sense of mystery :D
Actually, @allanshrstha, I was inspired to compose this article by the confusion over which colors are which. As a former print media graphic designer, specializing in color management, I often noted people feel a certain way about color names, but exhibit confusion when visualizing the physical color – they “feel” like the name which appeals to them should apply to what they “feel” is the color. It doesn’t help that the industries making money off color marketing exploit the aesthetic appeal of these color names. We humans want to be part of the trending aesthetic – it’s in our natures. Unfortunately, outside of art/design school, most folks don’t learn more about color than the basic primary and secondary color wheel.
Interesting way to look at it. But I guess if someone is completely "feeling" the colour wrong.. meaning if they are thinking a blue is actually green then I see your point. But if lets say a blue for someone is actually a dark blue, then it's still blue right? So, for me from the pie chart you've got above I identify orange as whats listed as yellow-orange. That doesn't mean I am wrong though.. and no I'm not "feeling" what the colour should be, thats what I identify orange as by looking at an "orange" the fruit. Thats what I've been taught orange looks like. So, it really depends on the application of the knowledge of colour, that matters. If you're using it professionally - like in art school, graphic designing, painting, decoration etc. then I guess you have to know exactly what a specific colour looks like to it's very detail. But in daily life if it's close enough then it shouldn't be too much to worry about as long as someone is not getting it completely wrong.
Up to a point, I agree “in daily life it’s close enough.” But, I’ve seen more than a few “indigo” submissions that were definitely more like lavender or lilac than a shade of blue; I’ve also seen a plethora of gorgeous purples submitted as indigo and vice versa. Indigo is a dark, pure blue (it’s that shade of blue just bordering the flaming sunset, as darkness overtakes the sky), as opposed to navy, which is a black-blue. As to orange vs. yellow-orange, I would say that the fruit comes in shades ranging from yellow-orange (as most grocery store oranges look) to pure orange (the orange I used to see when we plucked them straight off the tree, fully ripened, in Florida) and red-orange (or the Seville orange color often seen in Spanish paintings, especially from the Renaissance era onwards).
I really think most of the confusion is down to industry marketing. They spend a lot of money researching and then marketing a color name. They intend to make people feel an aesthetic draw toward color names, the same way we inherently feel something about colors. But, my experience is that most people seem to find the names arbitrary and don’t necessarily connect them to the corresponding physical colors.
Actually, the psychology of color is fascinating. I encourage everyone to read a bit about it.