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Colour is not driven by fashion directly. There is always a technical innovation or regulatory change. The Ford Focus pioneered a new 'silver' paint that was f

Colour is not driven by fashion directly. There is always a technical innovation or regulatory change. The Ford Focus pioneered a new 'silver' paint that was formulated differently to 'silver' paints that had gone on before. 'Silver' was no longer an expensive option, the base model had it. This proved popular and the trend was set, silver cars took over at the start of the century, using the new formula paint. An example of regulatory change is food. In the 70's food coloring additives packed a vibrant punch. Decades later with many regulatory changes, those hot pink biscuits are now pinky grey. The palette has been toned down. Although we have came a long way, many colours rely on elements that are quite toxic. We might have got rid of the lead, but cadmium? Cobalt? Take those out on the same basis and things get grey.

lloydb 4y ago
Conversely, some trends in color are driven by overt, coordinated planning. Behold The Color Marketing Group [1]. According to their site, they meet "at local and international color forecasting events to interpret, create, forecast, and select colors with the goal of enhancing manufactured goods and services." Here's some of the dreamlike prose with which they describe their attempt to capture the zeitgeist with a particular shade of blue [2]: "Transition, evolution, and moving forward will continue to define the world and its population as 2022 emerges. Questions of trust and truth have been debated with many answered, but still more to come. Color Marketing Group’s North America 2022 Key Color, New Day, is the color response for a time still in transition. "New Day suggests confidence and familiarity to greet 2022 with a sense of comfort. A light, fresh blue with red influences, New Day is an inspiring color designed to convey the classic connotation of hope and new beginnings. "Whether a phone cover, hairdryer, or polo shirt, fashion and personal items are set to embrace New Day as a color equalizer. New Day presents a color that is not only new but suggests familiarity and ease. Genderless and ageless, it is a hue to blend with others, as well as allowing it to stand on its own." [1] https://colormarketing.org/about https://colormarketing.org/about [2] https://colormarketing.org/2020/11/20/key-color-new-day/ https://colormarketing.org/2020/11/20/key-color-new-day/
marcosdumay 4y ago
> We might have got rid of the lead, but cadmium? Cobalt? Last time I brought an oil palette and looked at the paints composition, the most toxic thing I could find was copper. And it was as colorful as any oil palette.
- Theodores 4y ago
  You have piqued my interest, oil paints are going to be made safe for schools and I now want to know how they formulate all the colours. From what I understand you can get many things out of crude oil but you can't just rearrange a few hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms to get any colour in the sRGB colour space. So what is the science of safe paints? Got to know now.
  - marcosdumay 4y ago
    I don't know all the details, some were pretty hidden. I just looked because I saw a "non-toxic" label and doubted it. I remember the dies that I could understand are mostly organic (and thus, may have a limited lifetime). There were many that I gave-up understanding the composition. Anyway, I brought those in 2013. Things may have improved.

lloydb 4y ago

Conversely, some trends in color are driven by overt, coordinated planning. Behold The Color Marketing Group [1]. According to their site, they meet "at local and international color forecasting events to interpret, create, forecast, and select colors with the goal of enhancing manufactured goods and services." Here's some of the dreamlike prose with which they describe their attempt to capture the zeitgeist with a particular shade of blue [2]: "Transition, evolution, and moving forward will continue to define the world and its population as 2022 emerges. Questions of trust and truth have been debated with many answered, but still more to come. Color Marketing Group’s North America 2022 Key Color, New Day, is the color response for a time still in transition. "New Day suggests confidence and familiarity to greet 2022 with a sense of comfort. A light, fresh blue with red influences, New Day is an inspiring color designed to convey the classic connotation of hope and new beginnings. "Whether a phone cover, hairdryer, or polo shirt, fashion and personal items are set to embrace New Day as a color equalizer. New Day presents a color that is not only new but suggests familiarity and ease. Genderless and ageless, it is a hue to blend with others, as well as allowing it to stand on its own." [1] https://colormarketing.org/about https://colormarketing.org/about [2] https://colormarketing.org/2020/11/20/key-color-new-day/ https://colormarketing.org/2020/11/20/key-color-new-day/

marcosdumay 4y ago

> We might have got rid of the lead, but cadmium? Cobalt? Last time I brought an oil palette and looked at the paints composition, the most toxic thing I could find was copper. And it was as colorful as any oil palette.

Theodores 4y ago
You have piqued my interest, oil paints are going to be made safe for schools and I now want to know how they formulate all the colours. From what I understand you can get many things out of crude oil but you can't just rearrange a few hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms to get any colour in the sRGB colour space. So what is the science of safe paints? Got to know now.
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  I don't know all the details, some were pretty hidden. I just looked because I saw a "non-toxic" label and doubted it. I remember the dies that I could understand are mostly organic (and thus, may have a limited lifetime). There were many that I gave-up understanding the composition. Anyway, I brought those in 2013. Things may have improved.