Lighting, Metamerism, and Color Design
Featured Author:
Igor Asselbergs
Igor Asselbergs started out as illustrator. He co-founded Tricolore, a color design consultancy in Amsterdam. Currently he is CEO of Colorjinn, a software company specialized in applications for color visualization. Igor is guest lecturer at a design college, a consultant for the paint industry, and has his own color blog, Livelygrey. http://livelygrey.com
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Igor Asselbergs
Color is an event that occurs among three participants, lightsource, object and observer. It should therefor come as no surprise that one and the same object will look different under differing lichtsources. Your clothes do not have the same color under a fluorescent tube, a regular light bulb or in sunlight. However, most of the differences are ‘corrected’ in our brain by a fascinating psychological process called ‘color constancy’. For today, however, I’ll focus on another interesting subject related to lighting: Metamerism.
A color is always composed of light of different wavelengths. Sunlight, for instance, can be deconstructed to the colours of the rainbow. But also a surface can be deconstructed in a spectral analysis.
This is the spectral analysis of a certain shade of red
This is the spectral analysis of almost exactly the same color red
There’s something peculiar about these two colors: they are metamere. Which means that perceived in a certain light, in this example sunlight, they will appear exactly the same to our eyes. But under another source of light, say an electric bulb, they will appear different.
Metamerism is a quite common phenomenon that can cause problems in color schemes. If, for instance, the same color is ordered from different manufacturers, there’s a distinct possibility that they will be metamer. Which means they will not be the same in all circumstances. This is because different manufacturers use different pigments. Metamerism is something to keep in mind when trying to match two colors. You should therfor make sure to match the colors under the proper lightsource. If you’re trying to match colors for the facade of your house you should evaluate them in sunlight. If you’re comparing two colors for interior use, match them under the kind of light you’re planning to use in your room. If the colors will be utilised in differing circumstances (clothes come to mind) all bets are off…
helshawk
2 months ago
242 comments
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Precisely. I haven't seen it tried on paintings as a purposeful technique but I'd love to see it or, perhaps, try it myself. (thanks for the suggestion)
Jesse_D_Hughes
2 months ago
54 comments
helshawk, Sounds cool. I don't know if I have much opportunity in my current position to attempt something like this, but hope to in the future. I have toyed with different textures yet same color in the past in some of my oil paintings, basically using liquin or the like as a medium itself. The liquin creates a luminous/shiny surface that can be seen at some angles and not at others.
helshawk
2 months ago
242 comments
Jesse, we printed a bag that used that idea, somewhat, one time. The store was called Jekyll and Hyde and they had a small blue logo that printed allover the natural kraft bag, similar to brown grocery store paper bags. However, we matched the ink to the color of the bag to produce a large logo that couldn't be seen straight on. Only when the bag turned at an angle did the logo appear (didn't Hyde) due to reflective differences.
helshawk
2 months ago
242 comments
Dealing with metameric matches are very common in ink, dye and paint business. Many times lightfastness has a great deal to do with what pigment is used to match a clients color. We certainly couldn't have Coke cans that turn a bluish pink just because they sat in the sun for 1 day but it would happen if the right pigments are not used. Does it make it difficult to match "Coke" red, which is a registered color? Yes and it becomes harder to match under the 3 major light sources of daylight, incandescent and flourescent. As a hint, never, ever take a color sample into a hardware store and match one of the printed color tiles. Those two colors will look totally different under store lights (flourescent) than the ones you have at home (incandecent, usually). Always take the color tile(s) home to look at them under those light conditions. It could save you spending money on gallons of paint that never quite looks right.
Jesse_D_Hughes
2 months ago
54 comments
I wonder if this can be used to create art or design where this "problem" is embraced instead of avoided. In my mind you could basically create a hidden message in a piece that would only be visible in certain lights. Certainly, we as a civilization, have played with hidden messages in a similar fashion, but why not create art with it instead of trying to conceal something from an unknowing eye? Being a color blind designer + artist there are times where I make an incorrect color choice simply because I can't tell the difference (sometimes water ends up purple instead of blue). While I sometimes have difficulties seeing certain colors, I have also found that I can see some colors that others can't. It would be interesting to see a piece that made use of this "handicap" to give different eyes different images, making the experience truely personal.
CANADA93
2 months ago
808 comments
Very instructive and great article. Thanks for sharing. I never had heard of that term before.
kyra
2 months ago
3538 comments
I learned so much! Thank you.
Strangefire
2 months ago
328 comments
Great info!
DonnaMe
2 months ago
1716 comments
Matching colors and dye lots can be a challenge when necessary, I was unaware that metamerism was to blame! I like how subtle differences can add depth and interest.
brokencolor
2 months ago
5126 comments
Although I was aware that the same color from different manufacturers might look different, this was the first time I came across the term metamere. Interesting article.
anotherGauguin
2 months ago
264 comments
Superb article. Thank you for researching the subject and writing about it. I really enjoyed reading this