More about seeing color differently
My last post Seeing Color Differently inspired by realizing Kevin can’t see my favorite iphone game generated a interesting comment string.
Cathy Moore said “color alone isn’t a reliable way to deliver a message.” That really got me to thinking how often I rely on color to convey a feeling or communicate emotion. Then I realized Kevin, and others with red/green challenges couldn’t see my logo colors. I went back to the Vischeck tool to run some more examples.
And those with blue/yellow challenges see something else entirely.
When I think about my brand, it is the colors I think about. I have a whole wardrobe of clothing in lime green and orange that I wear when I am in ‘business’ mode. I print handout covers on my color. I even have toys in my logo colors to play with during training classes. Lets say I am color identified. I made a comment to Kevin on the last post,
Now I also see my logo colors are out of the range you can see, so you see everything on my sites as yucky yellow brown.
and he comes back with
The thing is, I don’t attach characteristics or feelings to color as you might. The colors are yellow-brownish, but I wouldn’t call them ‘yucky’. I wouldn’t call them anything – just there. I have never really noticed your colors before – again, they were just what they were but I largely ignore color altogether.
Because I am deficient in the color world, I have almost disassociated color with everything. Yes, it is there, but I don’t make decisions by it or attribute anything to it. For example, on a traffic light, I go when the bottom light lights up and stop when either the middle or top light up – but it is according to position, not color. When I approach a flashing intersection light in the country I never know if it is caution or stop.
Wow. This has been a slow seeping in of realization of how totally different my day to day reality is from Kevin’s. I started noticing how driving down the highway at night is not the same for us.
It seems like it would take a lot more effort to discern taillights without the color contrast as a cue. Virgina Yonkers reminds us,
I know from my cross cultural training, that it is difficult to get people to recognize that they may perceive things differently than others, and how others perceive those things.
I would say it even goes deeper than that. Even when we intellectually understand the difference, and even see examples, we may not really fully understand until we can put the information into a context that makes sense to us personally. Not being able to play an iphone game, see my logo colors and realizing taillights are red did that for me. My understanding of seeing color differently deepened considerably.
Thanks Kevin for sharing a piece of your reality that I didn’t really fully understand before.
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Kia ora Christine!
This is an interesting one, as was your last post on this topic. I have heard of people who see sounds in colour, and can describe the hues in terms of colours that you and I can identify. Studies have been done on this and it is indeed fascinating.
The thing about colour and associated emotions for me are to do with connotation. I know this from memories of childhood associated with colours (I have vivid memories of my childhood – in fact, I have vivid memories; I’ve got a too good memory for things).
Given that it’s the connotation, and not the stimulus that’s the important factor, I can appreciate Kevin’s point of view.
Take music, for instance; it’s really just another spectrum. But how do we know that we all hear sounds the same way? It’s well known, for instance, that the elderly hear a different part of the sound spectrum from the very young. Because of the spectral componentry of individual sounds, a note played on a clarinet, for instance, will sound different to those two groups of people.
It’s also known that some people have hearing loss from birth. Though they can hear sound, their spectral sensitivity is different from ‘normal’. From the connotative perspective, it may well be analogous. But to attempt to interpret what is being seen (or heard) by someone who has quite different frames of reference imposed on their perception may well be too presumptive.
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Indeed, when Keats wrote the immortal lines on the nightingale, he made the assumption that we all perceive the sound the same way. Perhaps we don’t.
Catchya later
@Ken Allan: I’ve always wanted to see through another persons eyes to see how the colors looked, but I hadn’t thought about us possibly hearing differently also. I’ll have to add it to my wish list in case I ever run into one of those three-wish genies.
Kia ora!
Well you have sight and hearing on your wish-list for the genie.
What’s the third wish Christine?
Catchya
‘Seeing’ sounds is called synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia). I had a friend who had this and it was quite interesting quizzing her about it.
A funny little story… I was on a walk with my wife and three-year-old son when we came to a crosswalk. I said, “Bryson, we have to stop here and wait until we see the little green man on the other side.” My wife shot me a stupefied look and said, “WHAT?” “You know, the little green man. The little guy that lights up after the red hand goes away to tell you it is safe to walk.” She thought I was seriously going crazy.
We have laughed about that for years now.
Another great post. Thanks, Christine.
@Kevin Jones:
It would be fun to talk to someone who sees sounds.
Thanks for being willing to share with me and everyone else here. Just another reminder of how unique our perceptions really are, and how much richer it is when we can meet those differences with curiosity and respect.
@Ken Allan: that would have to be perfect health…. walking without it everyday finds me wishing for it . Selfish perhaps, but its what pulls my daily attention.