10th June ’17: Important indigo

Welcome to the weekend, folks 👖👾🌂
There’s nothing like an expert or enthusiast. Whatever the subject, these are the people who help us to venture, discover and dream. But let’s not get too romantic. They are only human and sometimes, inevitably, they squabble amongst themselves, just like us mere mortals do. Since time immemorial, every field of expertise has had its flash points and interfaces where experts disagree and clash and postulate (Round world/flat world? Milk first/tea first?). The subject of colour is no exception, as you’ll understand from the story of indigo. Like me, you’ll no doubt know indigo from the rainbow, right? Newton’s ROYGBIV (one colour for each musical note), set in stone, right? Well, not according to some folks. They say it shouldn’t be in the rainbow because, amongst other things, it’s a tertiary colour (i.e mixed from three colours) rather than a primary or secondary colour so it’s something of a colour cuckoo in the nest. Indigo the imposter. But as far as I’m concerned, indigo isn’t marginal or faux – it’s pivotal and pure. Argue all you like but a rainbow, no, a WORLD without indigo is not complete. It ranges from solid blue-purple, like in this @kaleidoscope_ukAW17 rug (bottom right), through to the colour of favourite pale denim, washed to the point of buttery softness, like in this dainty, nostalgic @cathkidston_ltd dress (bottom left). There may be science behind excluding indigo, but from what i can see, it isn’t going anywhere. Thank goodness. Have a tip-top day.

Martha, The Colour File x

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