Bob Hambly - Pink Flamingos and the Yellow Pages: The Surprising Stories behind the Colors of Our World

Copyright 2022 by Bob Hambly.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Hambly, Bob, author.

Title: Pink flamingos & The yellow pages : the stories behind the colors of our world / Bob Hambly.

Other titles: Pink flamingos and The yellow pages : the stories behind the colors of our world

Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2021031510 (print) | LCCN 2021031511 (ebook) | ISBN 9781452180496 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781452180618 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Color in designMiscellanea.

Classification: LCC NK1548 .H355 2021 (print) | LCC NK1548 (ebook) | DDC 701/.85dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021031510

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021031511

Design by Allison Weiner.

Typesetting by Frank Brayton.

Typeset in Graphik.

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For Barb and Emma

When I was a kid, the last week of summer meant one thing: Mom was taking us shopping. A new school year was beckoning, and my sister, brother, and I needed to be prepared. Clothes topped the list, but the best part of the day was loading up on school supplies. Id search out a crisp-edged alphabetical stencil sheet and a drawing set complete with compass and protractor. Without a doubt, though, my most prized purchase was a pristine box of Laurentien Pencil Crayonsthe twelve-pack.

The package design is etched in my memory. Below the drawing of a cozy chalet, nestled in a snowy landscape, sits an oval-shaped infographic highlighting the sharpened ends of two pencils. One depicts the point of an Ordinary Leadits tiny and sheepish. The other, the Laurentien Lead, is nothing less than brazena pencil anxious to leave its mark. Once home, Id sharpen the wooden crayons, gradually revealing their core values, and return them to the box in their original rainbow sequence.

Over time, the pack of twelve became a pack of twenty-four, then thirty-six. When I graduated from colored pencils to markers, the cardboard boxes gave way to thin metal cases housing sets of forty-eight and sixty-four colors. Markers led to paintwatercolor, acrylic, gouache, and oil. Infinite possibilities lay before me, my palette no longer limited to a single pencil or pen. At art school I was introduced to Color-aid, a collection of individual sheets of colored paper: 314 unique hues silk-screened in a rich chalky finish. We experimented with these papers in a color theory class, exploring the unforeseen relationships that emerged. This is the very same color paper system used by Josef Albers, the Bauhaus-trained artist and professor whose knowledge of color is legendary.

All of this has honed my understanding of color, impacting my decisions as an artist and designer. I realized years ago that color is a never-ending study. Fine art, design, nature, literature, history, and sociology are forever expanding my appreciation of the subject. It may be the surprise of discovering how a boobys blue feet help it attract a mate or why a color can have a starring role in a movie. This book is a collection of my favorite stories about color. I hope they bring you a sense of joy similar to the one I experienced as a kid, drawing with my coveted colored pencils.

SINCE IT WAS FIRST introduced in 2000, the color of the year has included Radiant Orchid, Living Coral, and Tangerine Tango. All captivating names. All easy on the eyes. But how does a particular color rise above the others to warrant top billing? And who makes a decision like this?

Officially, the chosen color is referred to as the Pantone Color of the Year, named after the U.S. firm that determines and promotes the yearly selection. The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is the premier resource designers use to maintain color consistency. PMS color standards are invaluable for many professions, including graphic design, industrial design, automotive design, fashion, and home furnishings. All design studios have Pantone color books with their vast selection of clearly organized, removable color chips.

Choosing the color of the year is an extremely involved process. Consultants visit major fashion centers like London, Paris, and Milan and then report on new color directions showing up on the runways. They scrutinize motion pictures, the art world, and new technologies for clues to rising trends. And lets not forget flora and fauna, which present new and interesting color variations and combinations to consider. Notes, photographs, interviews, and constant observation inform the selection committees investigation. In the end, the color of the year may not resonate with you personally, but you can be sure a thorough and adventurous journey led to the final outcome.

THE ICONIC STRIPED BARBER poles symbolism goes back centuries. Before the 1500s, barbers performed many services for the public, not just the cutting and shaving of hair. Barbers would remove lice from scalps, pull teeth, and perform minor surgeries like bloodletting. Yes, bloodletting. Draining ones body of blood was an ancient method meant to keep body fluids, or humors, in balance. A barber pole is an amalgam of symbols derived from the procedure. Lets take a closer look.

The brass ball atop a classic barber pole represents the vessel used to capture a patients drained blood. The pole itself is symbolic of a rod that patients would firmly grip in their hand to expose their veins to the barber. The alternating stripes on the pole signify the bandages used during a bloodletting procedurewhite for clean ones and red for the blood-soaked aftermath. Postoperative bandages, once washed, were hung out to dry on a pole, where they would invariably twist together in the breezehence the red-and-white spiral motif.

Some barber poles consist of red and white stripes but many, especially in North America, are tricoloredred, white, and blue. There are several theories behind the addition of blue to the design. One story says it represents a persons bluish veins, another posits that blue joined the mix when barber poles came to the United Statesechoing the colors of the Stars and Stripes. No one knows for sure. Personally, I like the blue vein story.

So the next time youre visiting a barbershop, ask about the bloodletting services that they advertise and see what kind of response you get.