Paint chips can be confusing to many people, especially the male population, stereotypically speaking. But more than that, colors in general mean different things to different people. For some, there are associations of color that contradict others. For example, turquoise is a light blue, similar to a baby’s blue for some people. For others, turquoise is an electric combination of blue and green that almost jumps off the walls because it’s so bright. We all have different ideas of colors depending on how we’re first introduced to them, and that doesn’t mean that we’re wrong or right, just unique.
For those who want a standardized guide, though, that talks about the generally accepted colors out there, there is the color thesaurus by Ingrid Sundberg, an illustrator who has spent her whole life looking at color and wanted to put a name to each of them. She’s quick to share that these are just her conceptions of each shade and that a standardized guide could never truly exist, but it’s nice to see that someone’s creating a little guidebook to help us all out.
More info: ingridsnotes.wordpress.com | sundbergstudio.com | Facebook (h/t: lustik, boredpanda)
“There was no official color guide,” “This was something I made for myself based on color words I liked and the colors the words evoked for me.”
“I use it all the time when I write. It really helps in revision as I try to make my work fresh and vibrant. My blog readers say they’ve been using the thesaurus in their writing processes as well.”
“I’ve learned that we all have different associations with color words. For example the color sapphire is a light blue to me (since that’s the color of the sapphire on my engagement ring), but a sapphire can also be a very dark blue. I doubt there can be an “official color guide,” as color is so subjective.”
“I’m currently working on a visual hair-color thesaurus and a visual emotions/facial expressions thesaurus. They’re really fun to make.”
