C0/M98/Y90/K40

Sultan, yes as in Aladdin, is actually German; well its roots are German. Sultan means ruler in the Islamic world and represents spiritual authority, yet its roots are German. There are many directions I could go with this, but I’ll stick to color. For me Sultan is in that really great area of red-burgendy-merlot that is so deep and rich. In fact my office is painted a mix of Sultan-Merlot (fun fact number one). The description words, however, throw me a bit. As I admitted before when it comes to Eastern culture I’m a dunce, but I don’t understand how Sultan is ‘oriental’ if its roots are German (again, lots of places I could go but will not bother).

Tags: Red

C84/M40/Y48/K0

As it turns out, Dolphins are pretty intelligent. Thus Dolphin Blue is suppose to represent Grace, and Profound Rational. In fact, in Ancient times they were given God-like stature as the conveyance of the maritime gods. Dolphin Blue can also represent the beautiful seas in which they occupy.

Tags: Blue

C24/M22/Y20/K0

Oyster Gray comes from the murky waters of the Atlantic, oh you thought the Atlantic was clear? No, it’s as murky as Tonawanda Creek. The value is intended to represent the rare delicacy of an oyster. While the value doesn’t truly represent the strange appearance of an oyster, nor the say “He was a bold man that first ate the oyster, the chicness of the value is an addition to its natural feel. Oyster Gray is also, apparently, huge in the fashion world. Which seems like nonsense to me since all my hoodies are navy blue.

Tags: Gray

C20/M35/Y100/K5

Nankeen Yellow, known for the color of plain woven cotton in China’s Nanjing region. The cotton is a thick, strong yellowish brown. The color can also be found in the yellow flowers of the Chinese tallow tree or Nanjing Beans.

I will be honest and admit that I don’t associate many colors with China. It is ignorance on my part but I don’t know much about Chinese art or culture, nothing more than what I read online or hear on the news. This value, however, is inspiring to me. It is not a color I associated with China before hand, but now I feel a particular charm and pride by learning the background of this color.

Tags: Yellow

C40/M0/Y55/K0

Hailing from France, Light Paris Geen is inspired by the parks, gardens and relaxing spots that Paris is famous for. The green is refreshing and meant to convey the spaciousness of the Paris streets. Perhaps when I went to Paris I went to the wrong sections because the streets were cluttered with peddlers, Canadians (French of course) and newsstands. The value is relatively refreshing, perhaps it’s the wrong time of year to be presenting such a color since Buffalo is starting to turn cold and dreary, alas Light Paris Green will be useful come springtime.

Tags: Green

C0/M90/Y90K0

Mango Spice, the spice girl who couldn’t keep up with the choreography, is a South Pacific Color reminiscent of Mango. The color value is distinctive, much like mango itself which is known for its fragrance and juicy flesh; along with its parallels and popularity of the papaya.

Mango Spice is an interesting value because of how vivid it is. It certainly is an attention grabber. It reminds me of old hollywood and the starlets that use to occupy that time period. While exotic, there was dignity and class; both of which I’m reminded by Mango Spice.

Tags: Red

C100/M100/Y30/K10

Westminster comes to us from across the pond, and our former motherland, the United Kingdom. For those of us who are privy to the UK we know that Westminster refers to the the autonomous region in the center of the city, made famously by Westminster Abbey. The deep purplish blue is reminiscent of Westminster which sits on the northern bank of the Thames River in London.

It’s an interesting color, what I find is that you really do notice the prestige and the dependability in it. The United Kingdom has very ‘blue’ colors in their national landmarks, flags and buildings and such. I tend to accredit prestige with the UK, despite decades of “big brother” undertones in pop/punk culture.

Tags: Blue, United Kingdom

C/M/Y/K is a daily blog about color. Color is important. Color can completely change the mood of your film. Color can make or break your design, and it’s something that they don’t talk to you about in those gnarly psd tutorials or even in a media department in art school.

Every day, I will use a resource to post a new C/M/Y/K value, discuss the roots of the value, and post an example.

Tags: Introduction