Are there certain colors that make us feel better than others? We can experience some colors as calming and others as irritating? We dislike certain colors and prefer others. What is it that affects our choices concerning color, and does color have the power to make us feel better? In a meeting with Berit Bergström, Managing Director of the Scandinavian Color School and President of the International Color Association, we shed light on these questions through Berit's vast experience with color.
Nordic Color Preferences
Nature in the Nordic region - light, water, forest, open landscapes - has an impact on the foundation of Nordic colors. Concerning colors preferred in Scandinavian cultures, Berit reveals that “..the experience of nature is our reference, meaning we tend to choose toned down color which has more blackness in it” (see the short information about NCS below). According to Bergström, the Gustavian period in Sweden (late 1700's – early 1800's), which emphasized pastel colors toned down with grey such as pink, medium blue, apple green and hay yellow as well as umbra, the brownish earth color, has been a permanent source of color inspiration in this culture.
Carl and Karin Larsson who lived at the turn of the 20th century had a great impact on Nordic choices of color in different areas, especially interior design with green and red as primary colors. White is a natural color choice in a part of the world where people try to compensate for the darkness during winter. So the range is wide, but there are certain colors that Scandinavians may register as familiar and comfortable because these are the hues that have inhabited their cultural expression for some time.
Color and Culture Bergström's encounters with people from all over the world has made her aware of color traditions in other parts of the world. These aren't always the sort of things that you can learn from a book or in an eight-week course. Berit relates the story of a man in China, grounded in the traditions of Feng-Shui, who was upset because a library was topped with a red roof. The man explained that red symbolized fire and that it was not appropriate to use that color on a roof for a building with books and paper. Berit asked the man his opinion about the common practice of having red wood houses in Scandinavia. His answer was that Scandinavians had to be excused because their cold climate required red houses in order to keep their buildings warm.
Color and Ecology
Are there colors that are perceived as being more or less environmentally sustainable than others? Bergström reflects that during the 1990s products that were considered to be 'natural' were without exception a shade of porridge. If toilet paper was white, the customer became suspicious. This has changed with better technologies and improved consumer knowledge (e.g. such as the ongoing development of environmental classifications for products). Now almost any color, even white, can be ecological.
Are there certain colors that make us feel better than others? We can experience some colors as calming and others as irritating? We dislike certain colors and prefer others. What is it that affects our choices concerning color, and does color have the power to make us feel better? In a meeting with Berit Bergström, Managing Director of the Scandinavian Color School and President of the International Color Association, we shed light on these questions through Berit's vast experience with color.
Nordic Color Preferences
Nature in the Nordic region - light, water, forest, open landscapes - has an impact on the foundation of Nordic colors. Concerning colors preferred in Scandinavian cultures, Berit reveals that “..the experience of nature is our reference, meaning we tend to choose toned down color which has more blackness in it” (see the short information about NCS below). According to Bergström, the Gustavian period in Sweden (late 1700's – early 1800's), which emphasized pastel colors toned down with grey such as pink, medium blue, apple green and hay yellow as well as umbra, the brownish earth color, has been a permanent source of color inspiration in this culture.
Carl and Karin Larsson who lived at the turn of the 20th century had a great impact on Nordic choices of color in different areas, especially interior design with green and red as primary colors. White is a natural color choice in a part of the world where people try to compensate for the darkness during winter. So the range is wide, but there are certain colors that Scandinavians may register as familiar and comfortable because these are the hues that have inhabited their cultural expression for some time.
Color and Culture Bergström's encounters with people from all over the world has made her aware of color traditions in other parts of the world. These aren't always the sort of things that you can learn from a book or in an eight-week course. Berit relates the story of a man in China, grounded in the traditions of Feng-Shui, who was upset because a library was topped with a red roof. The man explained that red symbolized fire and that it was not appropriate to use that color on a roof for a building with books and paper. Berit asked the man his opinion about the common practice of having red wood houses in Scandinavia. His answer was that Scandinavians had to be excused because their cold climate required red houses in order to keep their buildings warm.
Color and Ecology
Are there colors that are perceived as being more or less environmentally sustainable than others? Bergström reflects that during the 1990s products that were considered to be 'natural' were without exception a shade of porridge. If toilet paper was white, the customer became suspicious. This has changed with better technologies and improved consumer knowledge (e.g. such as the ongoing development of environmental classifications for products). Now almost any color, even white, can be ecological.
The Power of Color
Berit points out that while your preference for a certain color might make you feel good, there is no unambiguous science that can explain that preference. “Each person has his or her own associations and preferences regarding colors: if a color makes you feel good, that is good, but there is no unambiguous scientific evidence that can indicate that it is good.”
The Natural Color System (NCS), the main tool of the Scandinavian Color School, is built up around scientific research. While one cannot scientifically explain personal color preferences, work with color overall can have therapeutic effects in the sense that it is creative and inspirational. An American lawyer who attended the NCS Gripsholm course (see course information, below) during his vacation soon shifted careers to work with color instead. Another participant had troubles convincing his wife of the pure innocence of his recent Swedish adventure. She was suspicious that his ecstatic mood upon his return was not purely to do with the color course.
“What color should I choose?” is a question Bergström is used to hearing. Her answers turn people to look more carefully at their surroundings and into themselves for the answer: The colors of fabrics, furniture, the china in the dining room and so forth. The most important question, she emphasizes, is “What color do you like?”
The holiday season is upon us. What are its colors? A red cloth is laid on the table. Is it flame red or red-brown? Which one of all of the red color tones is this holiday season red? After my conversation with Berit Bergström and her overriding view that we should look within for the answers, it feels as though precise color descriptions are not always that important. My daughter likes purple. Perhaps we can create a purple Christmas.
Johanna Svenonius
Purple in this case is the color of my dayghters summershoes: NCS S 5030-R50B. Remember that your screen migth have different color settings. To view my notation of purple you need the NCS sample collection.
Berit Bergström is managing director of the Scandinavian Color School and President of the International Color Association. The Scandinavian Color Institute was founded 1978 and eventually took over courses from Färgskolan (the school of color) arranged by The Swedish Society of Crafts and Design (Svenska Slöjdföreningen, now Svensk Form).
In 1993 The Scandinavian Color School AB was established. Bergström took part in the development and expansion of the course program and is now managing director for The Scandinavian Color School. The courses first started in the 1950's and have developed ever since, now with a broad international focus. Attendants come from all over the world, especially to take part in the popular summer course at Gripsholm where Swedish nature is part of the experience and study of color (next course:
June 13-18, 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, see detailed program at ncscolour.com). Teaching now takes Bergström on frequent travels to Hong Kong to communicate the NCS-language in a project aimed at renewing a worn housing area.
Communicating Color
There are different “languages” for communicating colors on the market. For example, in the US there are systems called Munsell and Pantone that are frequently used by architects, designers, decorators, paint maufacturers, advertising companies, printing houses, clothes designers, etc. One unique system emanating from Sweden is NCS, the Natural Color System, which is a visual description of colors, as we see them on any material. The courses at The Scandinavian Color School appeal to a diverse audience and cover a wide range of color-related fields, besides teaching the NCS-system. These include color in science, in architecture and interiors, in industrial design, color materials adapted for the building industry and more.
NCS notation, for example 1050-Y90R In the NCS color circle you find 4 of the 6 elementary colors: yellow, red, blue and green. All other colors are described by their degree of visual resemblance to the elementary colors: yellowness, redness, blueness et.c.
Here the color Y90R were the notation describes the degree of resemblance between yellow and red. 10% yellow and 90% red.
The two non-chromatic elementary colors, white and black, are represented in the color triangle. There is a section through the color space for all the different hues. The base is the grey scale from white to black and the top of the triangle is the maximum chromaticness in the chosen hue.
Here the nuance of the color with the visual amount of whiteness, blackness and chromaticness. 1050 describes the nuance of the color. Blackness 10% and chromaticness 50%, the whiteness (40%) not shown in the notation.
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Berit Bergström, managing director of the Scandinavian Color School
Stiftelsen Svenskt Färgcentrum/The Swedish Colour Centre Foundationcolorspot.se With the aim to encourage scientific research within the colour field, spread new knowledge and experience within the field and to be a natural centre for colour and colour research.
