The Secret Language of Color

Welcome back to the Coloro Educates series, where we discuss all things color, one topic at a time. Today, it's color standards.

Picture this, you’re a global brand operating a complex supply chain with a multitude of manufacturers and several design teams. How do you ensure color is communicated clearly and effectively so you achieve the desired outcome across the board? The answer: color standards.

Simply put, color standards are used across all design and creative industries to communicate color. And in an age where a common language, often Mandarin or English, is favorable within the world of trade, color standards might be the most universal language of them all.

In 2015, a viral phenomenon known as #TheDress pushed the topic of color perception into the mainstream when the internet debated whether the dress in question was white and gold or blue and black. It turns out it was an illusion due to a trick of the light and perceived context of the photo. While #TheDress isn’t a case of color miscommunication, it’s a fun, real-world example of how color perception is subjective, showing why color standards are a necessity across the design industries. For those wondering, it turns out #TheDress was blue and black.

Since color perception is subjective, it comes with debate and disagreement. Your take on seafoam green, cornflower blue or pillarbox red is likely not the same as the next person’s. Color standards remove this ambiguity and the need for convoluted descriptions that can easily be misinterpreted. This results in a harmonized, universal language of color, streamlining communication down to a single code that is clear-cut for designers and suppliers alike. With color standards, you simply cannot argue that black is white.

With ever-growing hyper-globalization, a universal language of color is increasingly important, as many brands have fragmented supply chains spread across the world. When you buy a T-shirt from your favorite global retailer, a customer on another continent should, in theory, be able to purchase the same T-shirt in the identical color. But, when one of your designers selects bubblegum pink as their latest muse, the color could come out as blush, fuchsia or coral, given they have no way to accurately communicate with their suppliers. This is where Coloro comes in.?

In partnership with WGSN and industry leaders, Coloro was created after a gap in the market for an intuitive, easy-to-use system was identified. Despite the existence of several color providers, brands and suppliers were consistently let down, having issues with color accuracy, faded swatches and a lack of color innovation. This resulted in a range of issues such as prolonged miscommunication, the need for multiple re-dips and unwanted stock – issues that are both costly and time-consuming. Not to mention the frustrated design teams and discontented consumers.?

Unlike the industry standard of paper, Coloro uses polyswatches that are durable and hold up over time, guaranteeing accuracy when communicating with suppliers, resulting in strong right-first-time rates, avoiding the issues of re-dips and wasted stock. Along with this, Coloro has trailblazing color intelligence tools to put you ahead of your competitors.?

Simply put, Coloro is the new way to work with color and uses a logical system where each color is represented by a seven-digit code, known as the Coloro code, inspired by Albert H Munsell’s ordered system. Created in the early 20th century, Munsell’s system was the first color theory that bridged the gap between art and science. As a result, brands using Coloro can intuitively select their colors according to their desired hue, lightness and chroma – a process that is a perfect hybrid of visually creative and scientific.?

Many world-leading, innovation-driven brands already use the new way to work with color.

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