Anyone who lives in the north knows that the color white means that the snow has arrived and spring can’t come soon enough. When Hirshfield Paint Mfg sponsored a color naming contest in conjunction with the Home and Garden show in February they received nearly 1500 entries for color names that describe how the northerners feel about color and their surroundings.

Memory Evoking Color Names!

When Hirshfields, a member of The Color Guild asked me to judge the contest as well as be a speaker at the Home and Garden Show, my first thought was, “great, it will be a great source for color names!”

Little did I know how creative the entries would be or that their descriptions were as memory evoking. I name thousands of colors every year and envied the fact that they only had to name 1 or all 12 colors, and they had the time to tweak, dig and explore each color.

 I selected the 12 colors from the Color Is palette used by the Color Guild members for their chameleon like qualities or their mysterious undertones that allowed them to speak a different language to each observer. For example; a description for the same color ranged from “vibrant” to “shy”.

 As judge I used the criteria of a descriptive name with a logical connection to the mood described but also a name that would evoke memories for the majority of the population. The Color Is color “Lord Baltimore” is a dusty, muted mid range rose with a yellow cast and the winning name is “First Date” described as “Not out of hand yet noticeably attractive. Like blush on a cheek it’s the finishing touch to give the room dimension and depth. The hue gives off the impression of being easy to get along with”.

 Color Is “Skinny Dip” is a tan beige with equal parts red and yellow undertones and the winning name is “Doo Wah Ditty” described as “I give this hue a 10. It has an amazing beat and easy to dance to!”

 The name “Secret Diary” describes a warm neutral caught between beige and gray and Color Is color “Young Colt”, portrayed as “this is a color that has a mysterious feel to it-like an unopened diary rich with secrets”.

 “Skipping Rocks” depicts a yellow based beige with caramel highlights from Color Is “Tan Hide”. “I was fortunate to grow up and live on a lake in northeastern Minnesota. Skipping rocks was a common pastime that is a great memory for me!”

 As a beach love myself I connected to “Ahhh Sand” illustrated as “Laying on the warm sand at the beach it almost massages your body into a calmness”. It is Color Is “Sassafras” is a beige with a definite yellow undertone verging on green.

 Color Is “Greensleeves” is a neutralized green that could be described as a khaki color. The winning name “Honeyed Hazel” was described as “Like being swallowed up in a beautiful gaze from honeyed hazel eyes…”

 “Garden Bench” wins for an olive toned Color Is color “Bamboo Forest”. It is portrayed with “Wood achieves a contented hue when it spends it life outside. Nothing to prove, neither newly milled or silvery—just comfy”.

 The warm gray “Everlasting Sage” from the Color Is palette is a winner with “Storm Tossed”. “Minnesota is known for its tumultuous weather; not every color is meant to be calm. This color has the electric vibrancy of a Northern storm”.

 The dusty blue green color “Kathleen’s Garden” from The Color Is palette is renamed “Sidewalk Chalk”. Described as, “My daughter drew a beautiful picture of us at a cabin in sidewalk chalk. It is enjoyable to see drawings big and little done by precious hands”. What mother could not relate to those sentiments?

 “Northwood’s Nocturne” is the new name for Color Is “Beacon Fog”; a steely gray that is described as “Think full moonlight on snow or open water. This mysterious mixture of pastel shades captures the nuances of reflected light; it is watery, ever changing, enchanting and full of deep and secretive beauty!”

 Not all color names are romantic or memory evoking and the new name” Digital Gray” describes Color Is “Techile”, an extremely neutral gray. “Digital cameras can be ‘taught’ to record colors correctly if they are first exposed to a neutral gray (i.e. RGB values are equal) target in ambient light. I measured this color in Photoshop and it IS neutral gray”.  If only I had the time to do this to every color it would be easier for me to name colors.

 The last new name selected is “Different Drum” illustrated as “it doesn’t follow traditional neutral colors. It is a unique blend with its’ own beat. This color is like the vibrating membrane of a drum”. It depicts Color Is color “Cloudy Today”, a taupe like color.

 Let us all congratulate the winners and all the other entrants, your names and descriptions bowled me away and made it difficult to select just 12 of the new names. I know when I name colors after personal recollections and memories or even names of family and friends they are easier to remember and it gives me a sense of pride that I was able to touch so many people with a simple name.

-Pat Verlodt, Color Guild Colorist