All Color Matters

Meant to ...“bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer”, Pantone LLC the global authority on color has announced next year’s feature color. Honeysuckle (Pantone 18-2120) takes its name from the deciduous (sometimes evergreen) climber and or vine. About 180 species are known to exist mainly in the Northern Hemisphere with China taking the lead in being home to over 100 of them. Pantone appears to have been inspired by the reddish-pink unopened blossom of honeysuckle variety Lonicera periclymenum . Not unlike the hummingbirds that are attracted to the nectar of the flower, Pantone anticipates public reaction to be just as receptive to this hue which aspires to ...“instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.” It will be interesting to see if this color makes its way into mainstream fashion beyond the makeup blushes, women's apparel...

A very lyrical text which you may be tempted to leave on your coffee table for others to page through. Colors: Symbols, History, Correlations gives each color (except orange) its due by reviewing color cliche's while explaining their symbolic, cultural and scientific origins. With beautiful dream-like tri-color photos, this book’s intent is definitely not directed toward the education of theory or design business practices. It is more of a linguistic survey which tries to make sense out of the many multi-cultural western traditions and their psychological influences on practical and impractical color choices through time. By unraveling common myths and anecdotes, Boccardi gives us the opportunity to understand how they have all become integrated in our daily musings. Colors: Symbols, History, Correlations By Luciana Boccardi 

Not nearly as rare or as arduous to produce as imperial purple, red’s early history was fraught with just as many challenges. With the passing of many centuries and conquests, it took a long time before a source was discovered that had the desired vibrancy and fade resistance we’ve since grown accustom to. The first reds used by ancient civilizations were taken directly from the soil. The earth’s crust during the Pangaea period had a red cast due to the high concentrations of iron oxide (red ocher) and manganese. During the Upper Palaeolithic period (15,000 BC) cave paintings found in Lascaux France reinforce the theory that the color was taken from local soil. The Egyptians were masters at creating a range of colors for their tombs, statues, papyrus and domestic objects. To make red pigments, they used realga (ruby sulphur) and/or red ocher. A common plant like that of madder was most often used for garment dying. Up until the 19th century England also made use of madder as an in...