Colours
 
 
                         
 
Since we know that a pot full of gold is to be
found at the end of a rainbow, we all feel the
need to chase for the capture of light in all its
scattering and glittering variations. Some of
us that were successful in this with paint and
brushes are called artists, an indication at
the same time of the very kind of human
beings that nevertheless usually die poorly
which than often also reflects the lack of
general appreciation in their time.
Even bright physicists are also scientifically
in this game and they have indeed succeeded
recently to catch some light in a special
designed crystal, but still it has to be seen
whether this will make their fortune. For
some others it certainly will, but that has
more to do with the colour of money itself
than with prismatic or electronic interests.
Anyhow, it might be clear by now that the
appreciation of colours is as subjective as
one's love for oneself.
So, it is perhaps time than to wonder what
this phenomenon is. The basic definition that
generally is accepted nowadays, is that
colour is the sense perception of light in a
particular wave length or in particular wave
length areas.
(Click here or this button:   if you are
also interested in an introduction how this
visual perception is realized.)
However, the names of colours and the
various hues or tints are subjective. Usually
a limited number of main colours are
distinguished about which more or less
unanimity exists. But there is a large number
of colours and tints in between that are called
differently by many observers. This you may
try at home yourself. Just ask someone of
your family, another relative or a friend to
point out to you the colour 'beige', for
example, but another one like 'pink' could do
as well the trick and most certainly if you add
'light', or 'dark' or so to a colour, and a lost
night of quarrels is guaranteed or even a life
long feud could have been started, provided
you stick firmly to your own opinion.
Also the circumstances in which colours are
perceived exercise their influence. An
important aspect that never is forgotten by
colorists or (web site) designers. And also
that some of us, one in twelve human beings,
actually do see colours even differently due
to variations in, or the lack of, the colour
sensitive pigments in the cone cells of the
retina in their eyes. (Just click here for some
explanation)
In the next page some more information is
displayed concerning the mixing of colours
(Colours II). In page 'Colours III' a list is
displayed with over 666 colours by name.
Each of them you can compare to all others
to see to what effect a combination will lead.
In the 'Colourwheel' tool you can pick up
colours as you like and you will instantly also
know their codes to use in a web page. Also
some attention is given to the perception of
colours by people with a different colour
vision (other ways of colour vision). In the
test attached to that page you might also
come to experience or to understand even
how important colour vision is for being able
to make distinctions in the world you see
(QCB test). The tool in that section
('webcolour vision' tool) will help you to see
yourself how colours are perceived by people
with a different colour vision and so how your
web pages are or will be experienced by
them.
  
-- Colours, part II --
(next page)