Color Systems

• Albert Munsell


  American painter, color theorist, inventor. 1858-1919. Developed the Munsell color system, the first subtractive color notation system - precursor to CIE (additive), Pantone (additive/subtractive). Proposed a Color system Standardizing color measurements & communication. He holds several patents for a Color-Sphere and Mount, artist's easel, and photometer; and developed his own Munsell Crayons in 1906, which were sold the Binney & Smith Company in 1926 and were then referred to as Munsell Crayola Crayons.
• Munsell Book of Color


  Each color is labeled with a hue, a value, and a chroma. Contains 1,600 physical color chips representing a gamut of paint.
• Gamut


  Color range for a given medium such as paint / toner/ dye.
• A Color Notation


  The precursor to Munsell Book of Color. became a standard in US, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Book was based on Runge's Color Sphere.
• Atlas of Munsell Color System


  Organized colors to Coherent language of color chips in numerical scale & classifying by hue, value & chroma.
• Color tree


  Evolved from "A Color Notation." This diagram addresses all variables of color. It depicts a 3-dimensional model of the Color Characteristics of Hue, Value, & Saturation at once.
• Pure Hue, Value and Chroma


  • 3 main parts of the Munsell System Color Tree
• Pure Hue


  This first dimension of the Munsell System. In the diagram, it is laid out in a 3D circle surrounding central core/axis. Level 5 of this component acts as the middle range. In this part, there are 10 equidistant hues circling the axis.
• 10 hues that make up the Color Circle of the Munsell System

  • Yellow
  • Yellow Red
  • Red
  • Red purple
  • Purple
  • Purple blue
  • Blue
  • Blue green
  • Green
  • Green yellow
• Value


  The second dimension of the Munsell System. It is a 9-step value scale which is the central axis of the diagram. The trunk is Level 0 (Black), the middle part are graded grays and the top is Level 9 (White).
• Chroma


  The third dimension of the Munsell System. It represents color saturation. It acts as the branches of the 3D color system structure with different colors stretched out according to chromatic intensity. Chroma level 0 is the core having gray & extends outward.
• Hue code + Value Level / Chroma Level (e.g. 5RP/8 which mean 5 Red Purple / 8)


  H V / C stands for...
• Wilhelm Ostwald


  German chemist and amateur painter. 4 years later, he won a Nobel Prize in chemistry. He paralleled to Munsell but had more variety in saturation, & more solid like a 3D of the color tree.
• Die Farfenfibel


  Wilhelm Ostwald's published book in 1916 which is also known as "Color primer."
• Die Harmonie der Farben


  It was published in 1918 following Die Farbenfibel. It translates to ""Die Harmonie der Farben."
• Achromatic and Chromatic


  Ostwald classified these two color systems.
• Ostwald Color System


  This color system is made from three pairs of complementary hues from the 10 original hues. This system was used in Bauhaus for color classes. The proponent was concerned with hue, white content, and black so he created a triangle based on this.
• The Color Harmony Manual


  It is made up of charts of colored chips representing a color space. The overall shape of a chart is an equilateral triangle made up of 28 samples.
• Michel Eugene Chevreul


  French chemist and Director of the Goblin Tapestry in the 19th Century. He also contributed about the study of Simultaneous Contrast. He wrote book about Principles of Harmony & Contrast of colors.
• Color Hemisphere


  An adaptation of Newton's hue circle by locating the six subtractive "primary" (red, yellow and blue) and secondary (orange, green and violet). Chevreul's 72 color Circle is based on Primaries & Secondaries with their intermediate mixture.
• James Clerk Maxwell


  Scottish scientist who identified the primary colors: Red, Green and Blue. He based his discovery on Young & Helmholtz's Trichromatic Theory of Light.
• Trichromatic Theory of Light


  This theory is where RGB originated, where 3 colors combine to make other colors.
• RGB


  This color system is used in digital imaging such as computers and television; An ADDITIVE color system with primaries of Red, Green, Blue. Red + Blue = Magenta, Red + Green = Yellow, Blue + Green =Cyan
• CMYK


  A color system or model used for printing, that creates colors by blending different levels of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This is a SUBTRACTIVE color system which means it is composed of Subtractive primaries (they absorb all color wavelengths). Yellow + Cyan = Green, Yellow + Magenta = Red, Cyan + Magenta = Blue
• Lawrence Herbert


  Founded the Pantone Company. He created an innovative system to solve color communication which is the Pantone Matching System (PMS).
• The Pantone Company


  World renowned authority on color & color provider system and offers commercial color specification & guides for printing ink. They give important to accurate color communication & marketing.
• Pantone Matching System


  A universal color matching system that is based on ink colors used in the printing industry, also known as PMS colors. Includes over 1,000 shades of color. Updated annually, and is used as a color reference tool for printers. It uses a six-digit numerical code.
• Pantone Hexachrome


  • Cyan
  • Magenta
  • Yellow
  • Orange
  • Green
  • Black
• Print & Packaging and The Pantone Fashion & Home Interior System


  The two systems under Pantone.
• The Pantone Fashion & Home Interior System


  This Pantone system has 2,310 colors in cotton (textile) or paper forms.
• Pantone 12-3456 TC/TCX (e.g. Pantone 14-4510 TCX or Aquatic)

  The format for the Pantone color reference numbers: two digits followed by a dash and four digits with either a TCX or TC suffix