16 Nov How is color like an Iceberg?

Interesting question –  How is color like an iceberg? Is it the many shades of blue or the hues of white, or possibly the streaks of brown that make icebergs so beautiful? That is part of it of course. Color is visual and hopefully, so are icebergs.

The comparison is more than the obvious, it is also symbolic.

The reflection of light is what makes both icebergs and colors visible to the human eye. But color is not there all by itself. In case of the iceberg, what we can see, we see because of all the ice we cannot see. It takes 80% of an iceberg to hold up the 20% that we can see. Without the hidden 80%, we would see very little if anything at all.

Color is very similar. When we see in a vivid red, a powerful yellow or a soft blue, it is of course the reflection of light. If all we want to do is enjoy natures beautiful and inspiring colors, the 20% we see is more than enough to take your breath away. But if you want to reproduce that color on an object, you will need that 80% of the color that you cannot see.

All of the properties necessary to produce a color are included in the unseen 80%. Substrate compatibility, fastness properties, compatibility with the other colorants needed to produce the color. flare characteristics, environmental and sustainability ratings are very important to make sure that the color your pick can be reproduced on your substrate.

Are you looking at 100% of the color you are specifying for your products? Do you know for sure they will do the job you need them to do?