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August 25, 2007

Paint Color Naming Not a Game

Product naming for a paint company is one of the more challenging assignments for a naming consultant. Or, as Michael Marturello says, it's "nothing to sneeze at."

He learned about the myriad of naming issues that one encounters given the thousands — millions — of possible colors out there, wondering in his excellent column what color "canary green" should be (yellow? green?). Turns out it's a greenish yellow. Go figure.

He jokingly suggests a paint called "sneeze green," which sounds a little crazy until you realize there really are product names out there like "pickling spice" and "twisted knot" and "marsh misery."

Spare a thought for Crayola, who has to think up colors that are both useful and child friendly. You can play a color game on their site if you are so inclined. Just don't make the same mistakes they have made in the past by creating famously politically incorrect names like "Indian Red" and "flesh" (which is pink, but not always). They still have "Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown," which in some circles is considered racist.

Paint companies have an assortment of names on offer. Check out the Sherwin-Williams site for an "online color visualizer" or swing over to Behr Paint and Wood Stain and "Paint Your Place".

But if you really want an idea of how hard it is to match color naming schemes to the actual colors, go on and play the online paint game from the Dulux range.

I dare you to tell me what color "Labrador Sands" is. Or "Party Surprise."

Technorati Tags: Paint, Color, Color Names, Crayola, Sherwin Williams, Behr

Posted by William Lozito at August 25, 2007 11:11 AM
Posted to Household Goods | Product Naming

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