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