Test your color imagination

Have some fun and test your imagination.

Assume that each of these two colors will be “The Color of the Year”. The challenge is to reinvent the color by giving it an evocative new name. You might even consider giving it a name that embodies a sense of calm.

#1 A light pink

The first color is a very light pink. Delicate and sheer. It’s floral like the palest pink roses; it’s sweet like the frosting on cupcakes, comforting like a stuffed bunny from childhood, and as feminine as ballet shoes.

If you had to reinvent this pink with a name that would get rid of all these associations – and have mass appeal – what would you name it?

Consider this: Some paint brands have named this tender hue “Pink Ground” or “Calamine” (Farrow & Ball), an almost identical color “Almost Pink” (Glidden), “Paris Pink (Portola Paints), “Pink Bliss” (Benjamin Moore), “Pink Elephant" (Behr), and coincidentally “Elephant Pink” (Benjamin Moore).

Pause for a moment. Use your imagination! It’s your turn to name it.

 Conclusion: Benjamin Moore has named this light pink “First light” - and it's "The Color of the Year 2020".

If ever there were a way for pink to shed its sweet, floral, and child-like associations, this does it. On the other hand, what is the color of first light? If you google it you’ll find images like the one below: In any event, it’s all in the name and this one is genius.

Here’s how it looks in the context of nature:

 #2 - A subtle green

This is a tricky one. It’s a very subdued light green. Sage? Or perhaps the color of a cooked artichoke or a murky swamp? It’s definitely earthy.

If you google sage, artichokes and swamp, you’ll find images such as these:

If you had to reinvent this color with a name that would get rid of all these associations – and have mass appeal – what would you name it?

Consider this: Some paint brands have named a similar shade of this hue “Canary Grass” (Glidden), “Soft Fern” and “Tree Moss” (Benjamin Moore), “Clary Sage” (Sherwin Williams), and Prairie Sage (Glidden).

Pause for a moment. It’s your turn to name it. Try not to use any reference to vegetation or food.

Conclusion: Behr has named this subdued green “Back to Nature” - and it's "The Color of the Year 2020".

The name embraces nature in general – and that’s a good thing if you find the term “sage” too common or if you don't like artichokes, olives, or over- ripe avocados. As for interiors, it’s a subtle paint color that serves as a perfect backdrop for a room that evokes the peace of nature.

Here’s how it looks in the context of nature:

All things considered, naming a color can make or break a color. As paint companies know, it has a lot to do with sales.

 
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