Advanced edition #07 Super basic colors
If you collect data on colors in various fields such as fashion, interior design, products, and landscapes, you will find that there are colors that have been used for many years across fields, even as times change. This is called a super basic color.
It is a color that suits Japan's climate and natural features, and is also a uniquely Japanese color that is different from other countries. It is a color that has been traditionally used in Japan's differentiated lifestyle, and can be said to be a very familiar and easy-to-use color. Therefore, it is also an easy color to sell. It would be a good idea to use this perspective when creating products and spaces.
| Color name | Characteristics | Field of development |
|---|---|---|
| ivory | In the 20th century, slightly saturated colors that were close to cream were popular, but in recent years there has been a trend toward softer colors such as ivory, which is close to off-white. Even with the same color name, the tone of brightness and saturation will change depending on the era, so keep this in mind. | Fashion, products, interior, architecture, landscape |
| beige | It is used in a wide range of colors, from bright tones similar to ivory to highly saturated tones like camel. Changes in hue and tone are also influenced by trends. The hue ranges from YR (yellow-red) to Y (yellow), so when it comes to fashion, it is necessary to consider harmony with an individual's skin color, and advice is effective. In spaces such as interiors, you can change the expression by leaning towards red or yellow, so this is a great place to show off your skills. Also, since it is similar to the color of plain wood, it is a very important color in the interior design field. |
Fashion, products, interior, architecture, landscape |
| Brown | With wood-like materials being used in interiors and exteriors, this color is becoming more recognized than ever before. It is also the basic color of leather, and is popular in shoes. Since the color of the material itself, such as wood or leather, tends to determine the quality of the impression, the quality of the material tends to be determined by its texture.In recent years, there has been an eye-opening effort in the field of building materials to improve surface finishes such as unevenness. |
fashion, interior, architecture, landscape |
| White | It's such a basic color that there are stores that sell only white T-shirts. Even in the interior, a catalog with only white wallpaper can be over 10 centimeters long. There are many variations, such as white with a color similar to ivory and white with a bluish tint, and the fact that the particular white attracts attention is proof that it is the basic of basics. Depending on the surface finish, a variety of images can be created, such as a store that uses glossy white to express a very modern look. It is a color that has a wide range of uses, both as a base color and as an accent color. |
Fashion, products, interior, architecture, communication |
| gray | As a typical example, a color close to medium gray is shown here, but depending on the trend or field, light gray or dark gray may be appropriate. I would also like to consider metallic materials such as silver. In the Showa era, a gray suit was considered an example of a style with poor fashion sense and no individuality, but in recent years it seems to be increasingly being used in cutting-edge styling for women's fashion. |
Fashion, products, interior, architecture, landscape, communication |
| black | Black became popular in the product field in the 1970s as a professional color and took the world by storm. In the 1980s, it suddenly gained attention as a fashionable color for designer brands. It used to be such a coveted color, but now it can be said to be a basic color that has become completely established. In the field of architecture, glossy black materials have been used to express modernity, black stone has been used to express a sense of solidity, and in the field of interior design, black materials that do not leave fingerprints have been developed. |
Fashion, products, interior, architecture, communication |
| red | Red has been used since the era of ancient tomb murals. Its power has not diminished. In the fashion field, colors fluctuate depending on trends, but they remain popular in fields such as sports, outdoor activities, and automobiles. It can almost be called a men's color. It is also an important color as a company's corporate color. |
fashion, products, interior, communication |
| navy blue | Japan has a long tradition of indigo dyeing, and is recognized around the world as Japan Blue. As it has been used as a color for school uniforms for many years, it can be said to be a very familiar color. It is a color that is popular in everyday life as a color for denim materials, and has recently been reconsidered as a fashion color. It is once again being used in commercial facilities as the color for noren curtains. It is a very popular color that can be used by anyone, young or old. |
fashion, products, interior, communication |
In addition, blue is also a well-established color in the product and men's fields, but it is not included because its usage in spaces and daily necessities is rather low.
You will need to think about the important colors in each field based on data.
May 29, 2019
Text by Japan Color Design Institute
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