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Color Standards

Color palettes abound within graphic computer programs. Each may have a specific purpose, or be a matter of the designer’s choice. Translating between them is a challenge, particularly between RGB (the video standard) and CYMK (the four-color commercial printing standard) because their color source is different: projected vs reflected light.

Quite often a corporate color used for printed materials, signage and exhibit materials cannot be matched for web or video applications. Approximations must do.

Choosing a corporate color, or two colors in combination, helps distinguish the logo, name and layouts of materials. Color is part of the graphic look and image of the company, even black on white helps form an opinion about the company or product. (Whatever happened to black on white packaging for generic grocery products?) In addition, the colors that accompany the company colors need to be chosen with the company identity in mind. Never mind if a designer hears that “chewed gum gray” is the latest fashion color...how do the chosen colors compliment and reinforce the identity.

Therefore, a palette of colors may be part of a corporate standard; colors that may limit the imagination of the designer, but are sure to help entrench your brand’s identity.

Several books and websites are good introductions and reference to color and color combinations. Among them are:

Recommended Books:

• Shigenobu Kobayashi, A Book of Colors (Kodansha International, 1987) Under the sponsorship of Nippon Color and Design Research Institute, this small volume arranges color combinations into mood categories. Also provides basic color definitions and arranges colors by hue and tone.
   
• ________________, Color Image Scale (Kodansha International, 1990) Reorganizes the content of A Book of Colors to discuss 130 colors, and over 1,000 color combination to express any mood, taste or lifestyle.
   
• Color Harmony Workbook: A Workbook and Guide to Creative Color Combinations (Rockport Publishing, 1999) Basic color definitions and discussion, plus examples of ten basic color schemes, 22 classifications of color moods. Also provides tear-out swatches of each color combination.
   
• Brodock’s Designer Color Guide (Broduck Press, 1989) Displays samples of color combinations and tints (screens) of the CMYK palette.
   
• Lynda Weinman & Bruce Heavin, Coloring Web Graphics, The Definitive Resource for Color on the Web (New Riders Publishing, 1996) The subtitle says it all. There’s also a CD with browser-safe palettes and screen-based color swatch groupings.

Recommended Websites:

• Color Matters is a virtual encyclopedia of articles, book list, color theory, color wheels, etc., etc. www.colormatters.com
   
• Color Voodoo is a source of several ebooks about color. Look interesting, though I’ve not downloaded any. www.colorvoodoo.com
   
• Brown University project provides basic color theory and more. http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs092/VA10/HTML/start.html