Color is a visual phenomenon
French color scientist Michel-Eugène Chevreul once said that color only exists if there is an observer. So true!
The scientist behind the NCS system concluded that very same thing. In order to develop a universal color system or language, one that can be used by everyone, it needs to be based on what we see. In other words, color is a visual phenomenon. But how do we see colors?
The scientist behind the NCS system concluded that very same thing. In order to develop a universal color system or language, one that can be used by everyone, it needs to be based on what we see. In other words, color is a visual phenomenon. But how do we see colors?
You need three things to see color
We see color when light is shining on an object that is seen by an observer. First, we need incoming light. When light hits an object, the observer can see the color as a nerve impulse is sent to our brain.
So, you need three things to see color:
1. Light
2. An object
3. An observer
So, you need three things to see color:
1. Light
2. An object
3. An observer
You can see up to ten million different colors
And we see color in a very similar way. Because we see all colors in the same way, we tend to describe colors in the same way. This was the first very important realisation before developing the NCS. This means that when you see a shade of red, we all see the same red color and will all describe it as the color red. The interpretation of a color may be different, depending on our personal relation to the color. But the perception is the same.
Six elementary colors
To be able to describe all ten million colors, we need reference points.
Scientists have proven that most human beings are born with an understanding of six main colors. These are the elementary colors of black, white, yellow, red, blue and green. Which is why a lot of children’s toys are those colors. Young children understand these colors.
Scientists have proven that most human beings are born with an understanding of six main colors. These are the elementary colors of black, white, yellow, red, blue and green. Which is why a lot of children’s toys are those colors. Young children understand these colors.
Why is green an elementary color?
Many people ask this question, and the answer is quite simple. We are not talking about the mixing of colors, which is what a lot of people base that question on. All colors can be mixed in different ways. But there is only one way to perceive a color. A pure green is not yellowish or bluish. It is green. All elementary colors can be defined in the same way. An orange color, however, will always be both reddish and yellowish.
Elementary colors in the NCS system
With these 6 elementary colors the scientists built the NCS System that makes it possible to describe all 10 million colors that we see.
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