2017: Colour of the Year Review

So 2016 has come to a close. Numerologically speaking, 2016 adds up to 9, which is the last numeral, thus it signifies the end of a cycle, an era, a project, a phase and so on. 2017, therefore is the harbinger of something new - a fresh start - as it totals to 1. Not that I believe in numerology, but I like the thought of new beginnings. :)

Here is a review of some of the 'Colours of the Year' for 2017 as given by some of the top global colour and paint authorities.

Greenery from Pantone:

Just a few months back, I met a friend of mine and she mentioned that 'green' seems to have disappeared from the world of lifestyle, retail and brands. We had a lovely discussion on how green should be making a comeback this year. And here we are: Pantone has declared 'Greenery' as the 2017 Colour of the Year. (To be fair, my friend and I were talking about a deeper bolder green, so we were not quite bang on).

Greenery from Pantone, is also a reflection of new beginnings, and fresh starts. It is the colour of the young tender new shoots and leaves. It is more yellow than blue. It is full of life, brimming with hope and optimism. It is a breath of fresh air and a lease of new life.

The attempt to bring more green into the world of those who are spending most of their time in air-conditioned malls and white walled corporate offices, is also an attempt to compensate for the lack of interaction with nature and the real 'green'.

The Verdict:
This is a bold colour choice. It seems to be the right direction and the logic behind the choice seems quite credible as well. It is not the colour of choice for a lot of people, when it comes to clothes, accessories, interiors or automobiles (most people choose neutrals - blue, brown, beige, black, grey and white; and even the pop of colour is usually warmer colours - red, orange, pink or yellow). But when you think of it, 'Greenery' seems to be a colour that could be a great pop of colour in a modern, otherwise minimalist colour palette. It could also be a great accompanying colour with other bright colours. Looking forward to see how it shapes colour choices across industries.
In other words - thumbs up from my end. :)


Denim Drift from Dulux:

Denim Drift from Dulux/AkzoNobel is more grey than blue, though you expect it to be more blue from the name. The accompanying 'recommended colour palette' seems to be more Denim Drift than the Colour of the Year itself. It is a soothing colour and can be paired with a multitude of other colours. But Denim Drift comes alive only when the entire palette is used along with it.

Denim as the inspiration is something that seems to be relevant across years. The Colour Palette has an entire spectrum of blues - dark, light, bright and greyish.

The Verdict:
This is not something drastically different or fresh. For a paint company like Dulux, this seems to be the safe zone to operate in. As mentioned earlier, most people tend to prefer neutrals and blue is the colour that is most often mentioned as 'the favourite colour' by the majority of people. It seems like they were not ready to take a stance, even within this world of blue. The entire spectrum of blue is given in the Denim Drift inspirations, so much so that it took a while for me to figure out what the actual Denim Drift colour was.
My point of view on this - Neutral. This colour palette cannot go wrong, but the colour per se is boring, and in my opinion, the denim narrative is not the most dominant narrative today.

Other Colours of the Year that caught my eye:

Poised Taupe from Sherwin Williams 

Poised Taupe is a great neutral. It is earthy and is inspired by the need to destress and go back to a simple cozy lifestyle. It is woody, it is soil, it is rooted, it is everything in nature that is brown.

The Verdict: Poised Taupe itself, is a new name, but similar colours have already been seen over the past few years. But it looks like it is here to stay.
I give this shade a thumbs up.

Violet Verbena from PPG:

Violet Verbena seems to be a bit dated. Such greyish purples were a rage some years back. It is today, the preferred purple for those who opt for a unisex purple. It is not too feminine nor too masculine. It is not too delicate nor too royal. This colour is the right amount of luxury, it is subtle not gaudy, and it is well balanced.

The Verdict: Blah.
To me this is outdated. And boring. Maybe it is a personal opinion, but these attempts at making unisex versions of colours that are seemingly skewed towards one gender is so passe.

A point to keep in mind:
Clearly the 'Colour of the Year' choices of the paint companies are more safe. They tend to be neutrals or else, a safe warm shade. Even the Violet from PPG is rather timid. Pantone, on the other hand, seems to have the liberty to take a bold stance.

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Iskandar Blue

At the National Gallery of Singapore, I came across the works of Iskandar Jalil - master potter/ceramist, who dedicated many decades of his life to the craft. His clay ceramics were on display in a fluid, easy to walk through and extremely viewer friendly gallery space. There were more than 150 pieces on display and each one had a quirky twist to it. Fresh, quirky and fascinating, Jalil's works are inspired by philosophies from across continents - especially the beauty in imperfection and transience of wabi sabi. Influenced and inspired by stories from Scandinavia, Japan, South East Asia, Middle East and more, his work was simply awesome.

And the one thing that stood out for me, apart from the above mentioned awesomeness - was the special Blue Glaze that seemed to be a recurring element in his creative works - apparently referred to as the 'Iskandar Blue'.

Iskandar Blue - quirky and interesting, reminded me of some Persian/North African stories for some strange reason, full of life, bold and confident, and with a tinge of 'don't take life so seriously' attitude.

A sneak peek at some of the exhibits:

Titled: That's the way A-ha A-ha (image courtesy: straitstimes.com)

Some more that I found really interesting:

Titled: Mother & Child

Titled: 3 Gundus ('gundu' means 'silly' in colloquial Malay)

India goes Madder this year.

Asian Paints Colour Next 2016 has named the Colour of the Year for 2016 as the Madder Red.
(the name is derived from the plant which is a common source of the pigment red)

A nuanced version of the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2015 - Marsala Red?

Madder is different from Marsala.
I love Madder for its boldness, not just in the name :)
Marsala was boring. Madder is powerful.


The full pdf is available here, check it out. It has got some interesting colour trends:
http://site.asianpaints.com/colournext/assets/pdf/lookbook_2016.pdf

The Law of Ripolin

I was reading excerpts from a book called Chromophobia, by David Batchelor - and I was quite appalled by the basic argument. That Colour itself is a symbol of contamination!

A lot of people seemed to have argued for this thought. Colour has been associated with everything impure - with vulgarity, with superficiality, with the cosmetic, with loose character. Colourful women wearing loud clothes and make up, are considered to be the opposite of chaste. Colour as adornment - jewellery, costume, decoration - is a sign of ego, of vanity, of wanting to show off. Colour apparently is immoral.

Kant says colour can at best be a charmer, but it is not the core of beauty or aesthetics. Huxley said he saw colours come alive after he opened the Doors of Perception with the drug intake. Le Corbusier says form comes first, colour is insignificant. He goes so far to say that every house should be 'whitewashed' (cleansed) with a coating of white Ripolin paint (he has termed this as the Law of Ripolin).

White, plain white, to be clean. To symbolise simplicity and morality.

Purity.

Rose Quartz and Serenity: A Review

Alright, so Pantone officially released the Colour of the Year for 2016.

The Colour of the Year, this year, happens to be two colours - which seems to defy the very idea of the colour of the year!

Rose Quartz and Serenity (a very beautiful pale pink and an equally appealing pale blue).

There is a convoluted logic given in the press releases about why there are two colours which I find more of a publicity stunt than a real reason. The fact that there is gender fluidity in many fields is the broad reason given for the selection of the two colours. But this in itself is a self defeating argument. The two colours chosen happen to be the two colours most commonly associated with the two genders - pink and blue. These specific pantone shades seem to be very close to what people most commonly associate with a baby pink for a girl and baby blue for a boy. So it becomes difficult to fathom how these two gender biased colours are selected to signify gender fluidity.

If one is able to go beyond these arguments and just focus on the two colours, there is reason to cheer. These two colours seem to reflect the movement towards a finer aesthetic taste, a conscious attempt to move towards peace, the acceptance of subtle nuances over jarring loudness and the confidence to choose shades of innocence over shades of authority. Both these colours individually and together have a certain sense of ethereal sensuality. It is also in sync with the preference of minimalistic, pastel, soft, nude shades for design, interiors, packaging, apparel and even makeup. These are colours of emotions rather than colours of reason.

Critical reviews have issues with these colours looking too baby-showerish and not serious enough. Regardless of these criticisms, these two shades will be dominating the design world in 2016.

I give a wholehearted thumbs up for the two shades chosen for 2016.

When A is for Red and 8 is for Green!

Do you ever associate certain letters with certain colours? Or certain smells with certain colours? Well, there are people who do. 

It could be the correlation of a particular object, a specific kind of odour, a food item, a loud noise, or anything else, with a colour. This happens because sometimes the brain draws correlations between two different sensations - Synesthesia (as opposed to anesthesia, which is the absence of any sensation).

It's fascinating, really. For example, these people will always see the letter 'A' appearing in red, even if it is printed in black on white background! Their brain is on overdrive, especially because there are multiple things happening at the same time - seeing what the object is for what it is, associating it with a colour, remembering earlier instances and similar associations and so on. As a result such people seem to be able to remember things much better than others.

Synesthesia is therefore the involuntary triggering of one sensation when you experience another sensation. Chromesthesia is the specific term to describe the association of a particular colour when you experience any other sensation.

image courtesy: www.quartervida.com

M S Blue – Then and M S Blue Now - Susan Mathen

A while back, I mentioned M S Blue to someone, and he assumed that I was talking about the Indian Cricket team’s jersey shade. Well, that makes sense too I guess – M S Dhoni’s jersey shade!

Quite different from Dhoni’s jersey shade, what I was referring to was another shade of blue. The sparkling blue of the saree worn by M S Subbulakshmi, the renowned Carnatic singer. When Kanjeevaram sarees were carefully woven and not mass produced, one of the famous sari merchants (who also happened to be a huge fan of the singer) – Muthu Chettiar - gifted her a sari in this distinctive shade of blue. The term M S Blue soon became extremely popular, and for many South Indian ladies it was a dream to own the coveted M S Blue silk sari.

And yes, M S (Subbulakshmi) Blue is different from the M S (Dhoni) Blue.

   

(image source: www.quora.com & www.mid-day.com)

PoV on 'Marsala - The Colour for 2015'

Pantone's Colour for 2015: Marsala.

'Earthy wine red'.

Inspired by the wine of the same colour from the Marsala region in Sicily, Italy.

The colour, in my opinion, is a supporting actor, not the hero. And probably that is the role it is supposed to play. 

It does not shout out, it does not crave for attention.  Yet it could easily fit into one's wardrobe, home, accessories, cars, gadgets, makeup and more. Lots of possibilities for design and fashion. Could work for both genders. Could be great on hair, nails, lips and eyelids.It is a colour that can be paired with a number of other colours, like greys, blacks, beiges, whites (obviously) or even metallic colours, or blues, teals, or even certain greens. It can easily be a part of home decor as it is not something that is too overpowering that you would feel like getting rid of it after a while. It is that colour that can coexist comfortably with most of the stuff you currently have.

Precisely for that matter, Marsala seems to be too 'safe' a colour of the year. It seems heavy, dated and a bit too serious. Compared to the previous 5 years' colours of the year - radiant orchid, emerald, tangerine tango, honeysuckle, turquoise - this seems a bit too weak. It seems like an attempt to please everyone. It is like a brand that is talking to everyone, trying to reach out to all age groups and therefore not having a distinct point of view. 

To me, Marsala seems like old wine in an old bottle. 

Image: http://www.collegeokplease.com/life-style/get-dressed-in-marsala-the-color-of-the-year-2015/449

A Peek into Red's Past

Red, rouge, rot, rosso are all terms that mean pretty much the same.

Interestingly, most of the terms meaning red, were derived from the Sanskrit word rudhira, meaning 'blood'.

From this relation to blood (and hence to life, danger, female, etc.), the various symbolisms associated with the colour red arise - hospitals/medicine/aid, war, woman/goddesses/feminine entity.

The colour red, at one point of time, was an extremely elevated colour. Almost as regal and royal as 'Purple' itself - purple that was used only in the king's robes and royal decor. The term scarlet, was the name of a particular coloured cloth that was available in 13th century England, and because of its high cost, 'scarlet' became the next 'purple'.

(trivia from Colour and Meaning by John Gage)

From being such an exclusive and royal colour, today red is one of the most excessively used colours in the contemporary world - seen most widely in the logos for fast food, telecom, banks, colas, and apparel brands to name a few.

Colour name + x = Brand name!

There seem to be way too many stores/pubs/restaurants around town which seem to have a colour in its name.

Some of these have been around for some time, but most of these have popped up in the last few years or so. Here you go...

Purple Haze, Purple Turtle, Blue Frog, Blue Bar, Blue Ginger, Red Fork, Orange Bicycle, White Mantra, White Elephant, Green Theory, Yellow Button, Black Pearl, Pink Poppadum!

I'm curious to know if there are more such names...

When cool colours reduce and warm colours increase

I have heard the term 'Cataract' since ages. I never bothered to understand what exactly it is. I have heard of elders being troubled by cataract. It is only recently that I understood what it does to the way you see things around you, and how vision changes as a result of cataract, which occurs as a result of ageing.

In short, the vision gets blurred, and a few filters are applied to the colours you see, hence making them appear different than what they really are. Usually the cool colours - greens, blues, purples - reduce and are instead replaced by a bunch of warm colours - reds, oranges, yellows. Hazier vision, blurry lines and less detailing. 

One of my all time favourite artists - Claude Monet - suffered from cataract. And his entire style was based on the play of light on objects and the plethora of shades of colours that occur at various times of the day. There were no lines, there were only illusions or impressions of an outline, created by colours. He had recurring motifs that were studied across different points of time.

Here is one such recurring motif painted before the onset of cataract, and after the onset of cataract!

 

Source: www.intermonet.com

Hot picks from the Pantone Spring '14 Colours

This season's colours are inspired by summery floral, summer travel destinations and optimism.

Here are my favourites from this season's colour palette:

Source:
Colour Forecast: www.pantone.com
Pics: www.weddinginstituteblog.com

The Red Velvet Discourse

Image Source: www.caffeina.blogspot.in

A few years back, you would find vanilla cakes, chocolate cakes and fruit cakes. That was about it. Then came the brownies or loafs. Last year I read somewhere that 'cupcakes are the new brownies'. And this year I see Red Velvets everywhere. Any dessert cafe that does not have a Red Velvet offering can just bury their heads in shame. Red Velvets have become the new Chocolates!

So what is it about Red Velvets?

The shade of red is extremely important. It is not bright or scary. It is a subtle red, more of a maroon.

It is topped with White frosting usually. The Red and White combination has something about it. The white just stands out on a red background, almost as regally as a diamond ring embedded in a red velvet jewel case.

Red is the colour of love, passion, dynamism and youthfulness. A colour that was not found in desserts, except in the form of cherries. And the taste that one associates with passion and youthfulness over the years, has undoubtedly become chocolate. So here's the brilliant combination of a dash of red in an otherwise normal chocolate cake. And we have the ultimate dessert. It is the latest craze amongst youngsters.

The term velvet only adds to the sensuality of this dessert. The smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture, the perfect colour, the vanilla frosting and the layers or the cupcake avatar all make this a precious little something for special occasions or for special people. An absolute must-have in bakeries and dessert cafes today.

:) In short, red velvet is all about new age exuberant youthfulness and sheer romance. 

A surge of colours all around us...

From about 5 years back, it seems like there is a sudden increase in the number of colours you see as options for anything ranging from trousers, mobile phones, bags, sunglasses, laptops and more.

Look around and you would notice that most menswear brands seem to have dumped the neutrals and are shouting colour stories - coloured chinos, coloured shorts, coloured belts, coloured slipons and coloured anything you can think of. Women were generally allowed more colours since ages, even then, the bright colours people sport today wont go unnoticed. Even those items which might have been more neutral browns, greys, blacks or at the most blues, have now morphed into neons, pastels, mattes in all shades of oranges, pinks, yellows and greens!

There are almost 4 brands I can think of right away, where the campaign story is some version of 'Colours'.

Mobile phones, tabs and laptops have funky coloured covers. Cars seem to be loosening up and offering bright colours whether it is a bright blue or orange or lemon yellow!

Thanks to safe and edible food colouring there are rainbow cupcakes, multicoloured pies and all sorts of colourful ganache and frosting.

All in all, its the era of bright and unabashed use of colours to sport your own style, attitude and preference.

Buddhist Pancharang depictions

The Buddhist Pancharang Concept:
The Buddhist Pancharang concept consists of Blue/ Black, White, Red, Green and Yellow.

Meditating on these colours helps you tranform your feelings

Blue/Black: From anger to wisdom/ hate to compassion (depicts the element air)

White: From ignorance to knowledge (depicts water)

Red: Worldly attachment to discernment (depicts fire)

Green: From jealousy to peace

Yellow: From pride to humility (depicts earth)

The colours are also used to depict the various directions - east, west, north, south and central (white, red, green, yellow and blue/black respectively)

These colours are brought to life in the Buddhist Tangka paintings as well. 

Colours of Duality

There is an inherent duality in almost all cultures. Masculine traits usually make up one part of the duality discourse and the other is made up of feminine traits. 

The ultimate symbolism of these two parts of the duality coming together is a marriage. Interestingly we see that the colours most commonly seen in marriages in the West, are white and black (white for the bride, and black for the groom), while in India, we see red and white (red for the bride and white for the groom). 

In the white and black weddings, white for the bride symbolises purity/chastity and black for the groom symbolises power/wealth.

In the red and white weddings, red for the bride symbolises fertility(menstrual blood) and white for men symbolises virility(semen). 

The Colour Theory of Shigenobu Kobayashi

Interesting...

What is the festival of colours all about?

Yesterday, across India, the festival of Holi (the festival of colours) was celebrated.

So what is the significance of all the colour splashing and merrymaking? Where did it all begin, or rather, what is the reason behind this festival?

There seem to be different versions of how Holi originated, and why Holi is celebrated/ observed. Two out of the three popular versions are about stories around Vishnu avatars. And the other is a story about Shiva.

Vishnu appeared to save Prahlada (son of Hiranyakashipu). Hiranyakashipu (who was finally killed by Narasimha) did not approve of his son worshipping Vishnu. He was so miffed by this, that he asked Holika (Prahlada's sister, and in some cases mentioned as his aunt), to burn him to death in a fire. Holika had the boon which would save her from being burnt. But it so happened that Vishnu appeared and saved Prahalada. Holika burnt into ashes, and every year they agreed to remember her on one day, known as Holi. And for Holi, a fire is lit to symbolise the burning of Holika, and the victory of good over evil.

Krishna, apparently used to be upset that he was darker in complexion as compared to Radha. His mother advised him to smear some colour on Radha, in order to ensure that her complexion would also become darker. This is celebrated today as Holi, and the general mood and fun nature of the festival is also in sync with the nature of Krishna.

The third version, says that the Holi fire is in fact symbolising the fire that came out of Shiva's third eye, which burnt the god of desire, Kamadeva or Rati, when he tried to awaken Shiva from his deep meditation.

In general, Holi is meant to symbolise the beginning of spring and the end of winter, in other words, the beginning of some colourful moments after a bland and dreary winter.

Who is the authority on colours in India?

Pantone has established itself as the authority on colours. The Pantone Colour Forecast pretty much drives the colour trends in fashion, interiors, lifestyles and much more. The colour forecast for fall 2013 is as given below:



This is the international colour forecast. Now what about an Indian Colour Forecast? Surely, Colour in India, is very different from Colour in the west. Is there an authority on Indian Colours? The only one that I see, which is making Colour Themes Forecast is the Asian Paints Colour Next. The 2013 Colour Forecast is not yet out, or so I gather. But here they seem to specify that this is a colour forecast for Indian interiors, specifically designed from the perspective of Asian Paints.

Is there a need for an Indian authority on Colours? Colour Forecasts? Colour Symbolism derived from Ancient Indian Concepts?

How Brands Can Use The Power of Red & White

The Colour Wheel & Brand Gender

(WPP Atticus Entry 2011-12, Also published in coffeeanddonutswithjwtplanning.blogspot.in in January 2012)

‘Colours, like features, follow the changes of emotions’ – Pablo Picasso

Colours tell us stories.

Colours represent certain emotions, characteristics, values or objects; depending on the context. They act as symbols. In this regards, colours act as the ‘the signifiers’ and ‘the signified’ changes in different cultures.

At the deepest level, colours signify either masculine features or feminine features. A large role of determining the gender of an intangible object, like a brand, is played by colours. Here is an attempt to demystify the topic of Brand Gender, through colour symbolism.

Colour Symbolism:
Colour symbolism can be extremely interesting. Individually a colour could mean something. This meaning changes with the context. A red heart could mean love, a red skull and bone could mean danger, a red cross could mean hospital, a red ribbon could stand for AIDS awareness. When the colour that accompanies red changes, the meaning changes yet again. For most Christians, Red and Green signifies Christmas, for the football fanatics, Red and Yellow, probably signifies the Manchester United logo, and Red and Black in the NBA context, would mean the Chicago Bulls.

Colour Symbolism in Ancient Cultures:
Delving into a little bit of ancient Indian culture, you see that colours meant a lot even in terms of religion and spirituality. The Trinity- Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer- are represented together with Red, White and Black. The Five Elements, or the Panchabhuta, are also represented thus: Earth- Red, Water- Orange, Fire- Yellow, Air- Green, and Space- Blue. Talking about the Five Colours (Pancharang) it is quite powerful in different philosophies like Egyptian, Chinese, Babylonian, Hindu, Buddhist and Greek. There is a similar set of five colours (the actual colours used in each philosophy differs) representing the basis of the universe. In the Hindu stories, Surya or the Sun God is known as the Saptasvavahana/ Chitrabhanu as the seven horses that draw his chariot are Sveta(white), Rakta(red), Krisna(black), Pita(yellow), Harita(green), Kapisa(grey) and Nila(blue).

In Indian classical music, each swara (note) has a specific colour and when in combination with each other, various Ragas (tunes) are created(Samaveda has mentioned the 7 swaras, their respective colours, related god, grahas(planets) etc.). The corresponding colours of these swaras (or notes, the Indian equivalent of Do, Re, Mi…)are as follows: Sa- Green, Ri- Red, Ga- Golden, Ma- White/ Yellowish tint, Pa- Blue, Dha- Yellow, Ni- Multicoloured.

According to Bharata’s Natyasastra (Treatise on Performing Arts)- the 8 emotions or the Ashtarasas are symbolised as follows: Sringara (love)- green, Hasya (humour)- white, Karuna (pity)- dove coloured, Raudra (anger)- red, Vira (courage)- wheatish brown, Bhayanaka (fear)- black, Bibhatsa (disgust)- blue and Adbhuta (wonder)- yellow.

In ancient Egyptian usage colours broadly had the following meanings: Green was for new life or fertility, Red was for victory(during celebrations they used to paint their bodies red), White for purity (the name of the holy city, Memphis, meant White Walls), Black for death( Osiris the king of afterlife, was known as the black one), Yellow or Gold for eternal (Gold was used during mummy masks and cases), Blue for continuity (The phoenix, a symbol of rebirth was depicted in shades of blue).

There are similar, extremely insightful and interesting examples from different ancient cultures. Clearly, colours in the ancient times meant a lot. What about today? Are we losing the meanings behind colours and using colours a tad too frivolously?

The Colour Palette Today:
Looking at the globalized, commercialized, almost kitsch, postmodern canvas that the world is, you see colours smeared across with no apparent meanings. More so in the world of brands. There are very few times when the colour meanings are used with care. A retrospective effort to slap on meanings for the colours used in logos or branding is extremely different from arriving at the values of a brand and the colours they should therefore adopt.

Overabundance of Red and White:
Looking around at some of the popular brands, there seem to be an overabundance of red, almost always paired with white or appearing with white on a backdrop of black.

Vodafone, CocaCola, Virgin, Adobe, Puma, Levi’s, KFC, Colgate, Honda, Esprit, Pizza Hut, Youtube, Toyota, Marlboro, HSBC, Oracle, Budweiser, Canon, Kellogg’s, Sanyo, Toshiba, LG, Nintendo, Xerox, Nestle, Kitkat, Audi, Reuters, BBC, CNN, Smirnoff, Bacardi, are all popular international brands that have condensed their entire brand identity in logos of red and white.

The Communist flag, the Nazi symbol, the Japanese flag, the AIDs awareness symbol, the Red Cross symbol, even Santa Claus come adorned in red and white.
Why is Red and White so popular? Why is it a powerful combination?

Getting to the root of Red and White:
Red and White: A Roman Colour Symbol by Phillip L. Thomas points out how in the Latin literature used red and white metaphors to symbolize life and death. Through blood and bones, roses and milk, roses and bones, poppies and lilies, wine and milk, etc.

The Japanese ‘hinomaru’- or the rising sun, is based on the belief by most Japanese that the sun is red in colour. The sun is the basis of all primal energy and is the beginning of the cosmos. Even the national flag is of the hinomaru on a white background. Combinations of red and white signify auspiciousness in the Japanese traditions and white and red strips of cloth are hung during the wedding ceremonies there.

The Chinese Yin and Yang principle is one of the classic explanations of the perfect blend of two opposing forces. The Yin Yang symbol is seen either in black and white or in red and white. Yin, the darker element, red in this case, is feminine, passive, associated with valleys, night, the waning moon, slightly negative, etc. Yang, on the other hand, is the brighter element, white, that is active, masculine, positive, associated with day, the hills, the full moon, etc.

The Hindu philosophy also offers an explanation on the power of red and white as a combination. Purushais the male principle and Prakriti is the female principle. Purusha is associated with the white of the seminal fluid, therefore male, and Prakriti is associated with the red of the menstrual blood. Like the previous Yin Yang symbol, the Purusha-Prakriti combination is believed to be of supreme significance. The union of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses are represented in caste marks of the Shiva worshippers and the Vishnu worshippers. Shiva and his consort, Parvati are represented by three horizontal white lines and a red dot. Vishnu and his consort, Lakshmi are represented by a white V mark and a red line in the centre. Most Hindu temples have red and white striped walls.

What do we learn from these two colours?
The fire and potency of human life are symbolized in rituals by the colour red (heat) and control by white (cooling) substances. These two colours, in short, symbolise warm or feminine traits on the one hand, and cool or masculine traits on the other.
The perfect blend of these two opposing forces signify a balance, with no skew towards either side.

The underlying reason for the widespread usage of complementary colours should also be the same. That a shade of colour from the warm side of the colour wheel balances well with a shade of colour from the cool side of the colour wheel.

Dominant Values of a Brand: Masculine or Feminine?
The most important exercise for a brand is to determine whether the dominant brand values are masculine or feminine. This determines the choice of colours or the colour palette for the brand. The colour wheel is divided into the cool/ masculine side and the warm/ feminine side.

Mapping Values and Traits on the Colour Wheel:

Values that a brand stands for can be mapped onto either side of the colour wheel, depending on whether they are feminine/warm traits or masculine/cool traits.
Masculine Traits are Strong, Rough, Muscular, Competitive, Providing, Rational, Aggressive, and Logical while Feminine Traits include Gentle, Sensitive, Soft , Pure, Nurturing, Emotional, and Passive. Masculine and feminine traits could be debated, but there are some values and traits that are broadly agreed upon as falling under one of the two sides.

Depending on what the brand custodians agree as the most important values of their brand, this mapping exercise can begin. A larger number of cool traits would imply the selection of more colours from the cool side of the colour wheel or a larger number of warm traits would imply selection of more colours from the warm side of the colour wheel.

Competitive Colour Scan:
While we are at the colour analysis of brands, a competition scan based only on colours can also prove helpful. This results in an understanding of the most popularly used colours in this category in your market. This could mean either of two things: these colours are very important in that category therefore we should not disregard them, or there is way too much of these colours, so we should stay away from them. This is a call that needs to be taken after a deeper understanding of the category.

Cultural Colour Symbolisms of the Category:
Rather than choosing colours randomly from the colour wheel, some logical reasons would make this exercise more robust.

For example, if we are in the education business, what are the cultural symbols associated with education in a specific culture? If this is in India, we look at certain age old symbols that go hand in hand with education.

• Saraswati is the goddess associated with knowledge, and is represented by the colour white.
• The custom of lighting a lamp is a symbol of auspiciousness, and is usually done before you begin any sort of learning. The flame thus becomes a symbol here, and the colours associated with it- yellow, orange or probably gold.
• Turmeric is associated with wisdom in ancient Indian traditions. Therefore, the colour yellow.
• Saffron is associated with ascetics who are in search of greater wisdom. Therefore, the colour orange.
• Another common symbol of learning is the dancing god Shiva, crushing the demon of ignorance, the ‘Apasmara Purusha’. Shiva is depicted either with black or blue.
We have the following colour palette based on cultural symbols:
Warm: Yellow, Orange, Gold
Cool: White, Blue/Black
Depending on the brand values and this cultural symbols exercise we arrive at the brand colours of the education business.

Conclusion:
Brand gender determination is as important as freezing on the brand values and brand personality. Knowing the gender and expressing the same through the most appropriate colour palette makes the brand more congruent with its personality. Colour symbolisms when used carefully could make your brand reach out to your target audience in the most genuine manner. Colours are not there for no rhyme or reason, they are pregnant with meaning, and we as brand custodians should reflect on the colours that exist in our category and more specifically on colours that are right for our brand’s gender mix (dominantly masculine, with a few feminine traits or vice versa).