Buzz
Color is all around us, woven into both the natural world and human-made creations. Sometimes colors grab your attention with their intensity, while at other times they may quietly blend into the background. It's easy to overlook color, without considering its true significance or how it works. Here are ten interesting facts about color that you may not be aware of.
10. A Spectrum of 10 Million Colors
Ever wondered how many colors exist in the world? Surprisingly, the human eye can perceive up to 10 million colors. This incredible ability comes from the millions of specialized cones in the eye that detect color. Occasionally, some cones may not work correctly, leading to color blindness. On the other hand, some individuals may have 'tetrachromacy,' a condition where they possess an additional type of cone, allowing them to see up to 100 million colors.
While we can perceive countless colors, we don't always have names for them. Pantone's graphic design catalog currently contains 2,678 distinct color names, and Crayola offers 120 different crayon shades. That's still an impressive range of colors!
9. The Unseeable Colors
We've all seen the incredible range of colors visible to the human eye, but have you ever wondered about those colors that remain out of reach? The so-called 'impossible' or 'forbidden' colors are thought to be mixes of blue and yellow, or red and green—combinations our eyes can't process. Within the eye, certain neurons respond to red or yellow. When either of these is absent, green or blue takes its place. It's like a light switch: both can't be 'on' at once. Therefore, we are unable to perceive both red and green, or blue and yellow, simultaneously. Simply put, red and green neutralize each other, just as blue and yellow do.
In 1983, researchers Hewitt Crane and Thomas Piantanida dared to explore the realm of the impossible colors. They used eye-tracking technology and showed volunteers a sheet of paper striped with red/green and blue/yellow patterns. As the volunteers looked at the paper, they reported that the lines separating the colors started to blur, merging into a single, novel color. These newly formed colors were so unfamiliar that the volunteers couldn't even find words to describe them.
8. Cultural Interpretations of Color
While we can easily categorize a wide spectrum of colors, such as scarlet as a variant of red or recognizing blue and green as cool tones, different cultures often have unique ways of interpreting and naming colors—or sometimes not naming them at all.
In the 1970s, researchers Paul Kay and Brent Berlin teamed up with missionaries from the Summer Institute of Linguistics to conduct a study on color vocabulary across various cultures. These missionaries would present color chips to individuals in remote tribes, asking them to identify each color. In certain cases, like the Candoshi language, there weren’t distinct words for each color. Instead, the people might refer to a yellow chip as “ptsiyaro,” a term for a yellow bird. Even more intriguing, their color classification didn’t follow the Western model of Roy G. BIV. For example, they used the same word, 'kavabana,' for all colors spanning from green to purple. In English, we recognize green, blue, and purple as separate categories, with additional words to describe their varying shades.
7. The Fruit Came First
Even in English, the way we categorize and name colors has evolved. Most people likely think that the citrus fruit was named 'orange' because of its vivid color, but in reality, it was the other way around. Before the late 15th century, there wasn’t a distinct name for the color orange. It was often referred to as a shade between red and yellow, or simply 'yellow-ish red.'
As European traders began bringing oranges from Asia, the fruit's bright color helped solidify 'orange' as a color name. The fruit was originally called 'naranga' in Sanskrit, which evolved into 'narange' in French and eventually became 'orange' in English. The vibrant fruit inspired people to use the term 'orange' to describe other objects with similar hues, such as saying 'a necklace the color of oranges' or 'an orange-colored leaf.' Over time, 'orange' became the standard name for the color itself.
6. Most Popular Color
Have you ever been asked about your favorite color? It's a common question, even in online quizzes. Everyone has a color they love, and sometimes that choice evolves over time. Interestingly, one color consistently emerges as the most loved—blue. Since 1941, studies have shown that blue is the top preference among all colors, and recent surveys confirm that this hasn't changed.
In 2011, Scott Design Inc. conducted two surveys to determine the most and least popular colors. Blue came out on top with 27% of the votes, followed by green at 18%. On the opposite end, brown was the least popular, with just % of participants claiming it as their least favorite color. Then, in 2017, paper company G. F. Smith ran an online poll with 30,000 participants from 100 countries, and the winning color was a teal hue named Marrs Green. Despite being called 'green,' the color has elements of both green and blue, which sparked debate among participants. Blue and green continue to dominate as favorites.
5. The Fear of Color
Phobias are intense, irrational fears triggered by specific stimuli. While common phobias include arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights), and claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), some phobias are less known but equally intense, like chromophobia.
Chromophobia is the fear of colors, and it can extend to specific shades. For instance, xanthophobia is the fear of the color yellow. Like other phobias, chromophobia can lead to severe anxiety, panic attacks, an irregular heartbeat, and even nausea. Experts believe this fear may be rooted in past trauma, such as associating certain colors with unpleasant experiences.
4. The Absence of Magenta in the Rainbow
While the rainbow is commonly thought to represent the full spectrum of visible light, it does not actually include magenta. The rainbow itself is made up of seven colors in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Magenta, however, exists between the red and violet ends of the spectrum, even though it doesn't appear in the natural rainbow sequence.
Colors are essentially wavelengths of light that we perceive based on which wavelengths are either absorbed or reflected by an object. For instance, when an object absorbs all wavelengths except green, the object will appear green as that light is reflected. If two different wavelengths are reflected at the same time, the eye combines them to perceive the intermediate color between those two. For example, if blue and yellow light are reflected, the object will appear green, since green is the average between the two on the spectrum. So, if red and violet – the two opposing ends of the spectrum – are reflected together, how would the object appear? Technically, green is the color between red and violet, but the difference is significant. In order to handle this, the brain interprets the spectrum as a continuous loop or wheel, where magenta fills the gap between red and violet. Magenta is a distinct color in that it doesn't have its own wavelength, but still exists uniquely in our perception, making it a real yet unconventional color.
3. The Annual Color Selection
An interesting tradition in the world of color is Pantone's annual selection of a 'color of the year.' This tradition started in 2000 with the color Cerulean Blue and has since continued with a unique hue each year. In 2020, Pantone's chosen color was Classic Blue, a particular shade of blue. Leatrice Eiseman, the Executive Director of Pantone, described the color as 'Imbued with a deep resonance, Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky…encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.'
Though it might sound like a lighthearted or whimsical idea, the annual color announcement actually influences trends in various fields such as design, fashion, and marketing. When the new color is revealed in December, many bloggers will share ideas and suggestions for incorporating it into wardrobes, home decor, social media aesthetics, and more. So don’t be surprised if 'classic blue' becomes ubiquitous this year! In fact, given the current circumstances, 'PPE Blue' might even be a more fitting choice, as that's certainly a prevalent color right now!
2. The Meaning Behind Colors
Colors not only affect us psychologically and subconsciously (such as influencing memory retention), but they also carry significant symbolic meanings. Some associations are quite obvious (like red signaling stop), while others are more subtle (for instance, blue is often linked with trust and loyalty). The symbolism of color can also vary widely across cultures. In the Western world, for example, white typically symbolizes purity, peace, and innocence, which is why it's commonly worn at weddings. However, in China, white is linked with death and mourning, and is traditionally worn at funerals.
The symbolism of colors can even evolve within a single culture over time. Take the tradition of baby showers, for example, where the colors pink and blue are often used based on the baby's gender. This was not always the case. Before the early 1900s, neither of these colors were strongly associated with a particular gender. Both boys and girls wore blue and pink. It wasn’t until clothing stores started promoting pink for boys and blue for girls that these color associations became more widespread. It's believed that the stores wanted to boost sales by encouraging parents to buy separate wardrobes for their newborns. Prior to this, it was common for boys and girls to be dressed similarly, with clothes being passed down between children. Eventually, in the 1940s, blue became the standard for boys and pink for girls. These gendered color associations have persisted ever since.
1. The Psychological Influence of Color
While it's clear that colors influence our sense of vision, it may be less obvious that they also have significant subconscious effects. Color psychology explores how colors impact emotions, thoughts, and even behavior. This field is widely applied in branding, where businesses choose particular colors to shape consumer responses. For example, red and yellow are known to trigger hunger and stimulate the appetite, which is why many food chains incorporate these colors in their logos.
Color can also enhance focus and memory. In a study by Frank Farley and Alfred Grant, they investigated whether color or black-and-white presentations would impact memory retention. The results revealed that participants remembered the color presentations more effectively. Other studies have also explored how color could be used practically to assist Alzheimer’s patients, individuals with autism, and those with dyslexia.
