Looking for Hue
LOOKING FOR HUE
Using Google Image Search to explore the visual relationships between colour terms
Eleanor Maclure
Introduction
We all use colour terms to describe things in everyday life, but how well do we use these terms? How consistent and precise are we when it comes to defining what is claret, wine, maroon or burgundy? Would we feel confident asserting that something was beige rather than taupe? Do we know the difference between lilac and lavender? Is there even a difference? Building on the methods used to create ‘Searching for the Rainbow’, this book continues the process of using Google Image search as a tool to produce visual interpretations of colour terms, and offers one approach to responding to questions such as these. I have extended the process by broadening the search to commonly known, but less widely used colour terms. As before, the colour names were used as search terms in Google and the first thirty images from the results have been presented in the pages of this book. The colour terms have been ordered by hue, so it is possible to compare the results of different searches or similarly coloured images. In contrast to Searching for the Rainbow the images have not been subjected to any additional digital processes. This study is purely concerned with the comparison of Google Image search results, for colour terms that go beyond the rainbow. Google Image search has allowed me to capture an interpretation of colour terms across a medium, which is still relatively democratic and where content is less mediated and regulated. The results of each search add to the collective understanding of what a colour term represents and it is possible for anyone and everyone, through their own contributions to the internet, to influence that understanding in some way.
The outcome of a Google Image search may not provide a conclusive answer, but as the results show, colour is rarely, if ever, definitive. Everyone’s idea of what a particular colour is, may equate to many subtly different shades. However, in all but a few cases, notably puce, there is some degree of colour consistency across the search results. This methodology has produced a body of images that are a reflection of how colour terms are often used or understood: sometimes it’s all a bit vague.
Looking for Hue
IVORY
BUTTERMILK
CREAM
ALMOND
BEIGE
NUDE
CHAMPAGNE
MUSTARD
GOLD
MARIGOLD
HONEY
AMBER
TANGERINE
RUST
SCARLET
TERRACOTTA
SIENNA
PEACH
SALMON
WATERMELON
CORAL
CERISE
MAGENTA
RASPBERRY
CRIMSON
CLARET
MAROON
BURGUNDY
WINE
FUCHSIA
PUCE
MAUVE
PLUM
AUBERGINE
DAMSON
GRAPE
LILAC
LAVENDER
VIOLET
INDIGO
PERIWINKLE
COBALT
ULTRAMARINE
NAVY
AZURE
CYAN
AQUA
AQUAMARINE
TURQUOISE
TEAL
JADE
MINT
SAGE
EMERALD
PISTACHIO
LIME
CHARTREUSE
HAZEL
OLIVE
KHAKI
FAWN
ECRU
TAUPE
MINK
MOCHA
BRONZE
TAN
RUSSET
CHESTNUT
MAHOGANY
CHOCOLATE
EBONY
CHARCOAL
SLATE
GUNMETAL
PEWTER
SILVER