Re: What's Blue?
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: What's Blue?
- From: C* H* <c*@netcom.ca>
- Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 14:34:58 -0700 (MST)
Amy Rupp wrote:
>
> > blue sky", with an RHS Code of 92D.
>
> I got my RHS colour swatches -- only thing I was disappointed in was I
> expected perhaps for them to have *names* along with the numbers -- like
> cerulean, or whatever.... people use "common colour names" like "common
> plant names" and there is a lot of confusion over that.... mostly you
> can tell if something is in the red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange
> family and very little else. One person's "turquoise" is another's
> "aqua" and I accept that, but saying "92D" is not descriptive to those
> without the swatches.
Chris Hollinshead comments:
Exactly the point, the number does not mean anything without the charts.
The fact that the color chips do not have names is really quite
irrelevant. Fact is, with this RHS system, they come numbered, not
named. Color is such a highly subjective area (for instance, one
persons sky blue may not even be close to another persons interpretation
of sky blue).
The numbering system just applies an identifying number so that one may
communicate an exact color to other people that have the same common
physical reference source. Then all the people with the same reference
source (in this instance, RHS Color swatch chart) all know what each
mean when a particular number is quoted.
Thus if you wish to use names you need to be sure that ALL the other
people have the exact same names applied to the exact same color swatch
system so that the communication is clear.
In general conversation I prefer to use a more simple and direct
description such as dark-blue or light blue, etc., etc., as most people
do not have an RHS color chart hanging out of their back pocket or
generally do not visualize the color the same way with a more poetic
description, for example "Azure blue"... Granted, something like "Azure
blue" does sound more impressive and "flowery."
Checking in from a wildly snowy white wonderland (RHS ??) north of the
USA border. ;-) We need some more color!!!! or maybe we have lots of
color (as white is a combination of all the spectrum colors) and I'm
just not seeing it...
Have a great day.
--
Christopher Hollinshead
Mississauga, Ontario Canada zone6b
AIS(Region 16), CIS, SSI, SIGNA
Director-Canadian Iris Society
Newsletter Editor-Canadian Iris Society
e-mail: cris@netcom.ca
CIS website: http://www.netcom.ca/~cris/CIS.html
