COLOR 4-17

Triads
of
hues, two of which are related but not too nearly alike and the
third of which is approximately complementary to the average of the pair,
are often effective. The pair may be used together to establish the dom-
inant hue, or they may be used for accent and variety. It is usually best
to treat the neighboring hues of a triad in a similar manner, assigning ap-
proximately equal areas to each and using equal ranges of value and chroma.
All principles, such as the preceeding examples, may be violated success-
fully by clever designers, but greater care and ingenuity are necessary in
breaking the rules than in observing them.
Psychological and physiological sensations attributed to color. In almost
every discussion of the aesthetic factor in color schemes some correlation
between color and nonvisual sensations is suggested. The most popular
association consistently emphasized by artists is the supposed relationship
of the red colors (red purple, red, orange, and yellow) with warmth and the
blue colors (bluish purple, blue, and blue-green) with lack of warmth.
This appears to have no foundation in fact.
25
Color Selection, Grading, Matching, Control, and Tolerances
No factor is more important in problems of color selection, matching,
control, and grading than the spectral distribution (color) of the illumina-
tion on objects under observation.
Color selection. If the problem is one of simple selection, as for example
that faced by the housewife about to choose from an assortment of meat,
at the meat dealer's, or of fruit or vegetables at the grocer's, or from an
assortment of dress and upholstery fabrics, paints, or wallpapers at a de-
partment store; the decision will be based on the appearance of the object
on display and upon the customer's estimate of its probable appearance
under the conditions most likely to be encountered in use. The conditions
of display and use differ more often than they coincide. This is particu-
larly true of the illumination.
If spectrophotometric facilities are not available, color matches satisfac-
tory for many purposes may usually be assured by the simple expedient of
checking the match under each of two illuminants of complementary color,
red and green, for example, or yellow and blue. For many simple matching
problems a low wattage incandescent lamp and a blue or daylight fluorescent
lamp are adequate.
A perfect match under all conditions will be obtained by matching spec-
trophotometric curves of the type shown in Figs. 4-9 and 4-10.
Two
surfaces having identical curves are in general identical in color to each
other under all conditions although if their surface textures are not the same
(smooth paint and rough textiles, for example), their appearance may vary
slightly depending on the angle from which they are illuminated and viewed.
Color grading and matching. The market value of many thingsraw
cotton, tobacco, fruit, vegetables, furs, textiles, and so forthvaries with
their colors over a very wide range. In some instances such products are
accepted or rejected on the basis of color specifications or standards. They