Colour Systems - Pantone vs NSC

Seeing the beautiful Moose & Bird photo collage in blue earlier this month, got me thinking back to the 2010 Colour of the Year from Pantone - Turquiose.

{Image: Moose & Bird}

Pantone is an International colour system. Graphic designers, fashion designers, homewares, stationery etc etc, you name it - basically the design industry lives by this colour system.

I had a bit to do with it last year when I was studying 'Colour Design' at iscd (International School of Colour & Design). For the projects I was completing, it wasn't very flexible. For me anyway, the gurus would be yelling at me now. I can hear them!

{One of my colour projects from my Diploma}

My educator for this course, just happened to be of Swedish background as is her husband, so they travel back to Sweden quite regularly. She introduced us to Natural Colour System (NCS) - a colour system from Sweden (and not a Crime Scene investigation unit).

Apparantly everyone over there lives and breathes this system, just as the rest of the world does with Pantone. The theory with this system is quite indepth. And they're are on their way to being embedded in the design arena to the same level as Pantone.

Anyway, my point is, that whatever we do, see or buy, has some sort of connection to colour somewhere along the way from raw materials to finished product, including packaging of our foods!

Interesting, I thought, how colour is SO connected to our everyday life. Not just the magnificent colours Mother Nature provides for us.

We know what we like when we see it, but there is a heck of a lot of colour theory that goes on behind the scene.

{is White a colour??}

I always thought my favourite colour was green or orange (different versions of each depending on what and where the colour is intended).

Turns out recently, through unconcious choices, I've found that blue probably is my favourite colour. When choosing a blog template for my new blog (that's still a way off, secret squirrel stuff), the one that appealled to me was - another blue one! Same for my recent projects - Baby Love, the Tote Bag and Pin Cushions.

What's your favourite colour?

Possibly not the one you think it is. Really take a look around your environment, and see which colour stands out the most! Maybe you'll come to the same conclusion I did - It's not actually the colour you think it is! Who knows, maybe it is. And maybe it's more than one.

But do you ever really think about it? I didn't until recently.

PS I still like greens and oranges and I'll still probably buy what I like. Betcha it'll be either green, orange or BLUE!