Pretty Colors

August 30, 2011 12:36 AM

Pretty Colors This is a tumblr to which people can submit colors they find pretty. Why do they find them pretty? Who picks them? Is there some deeper sociological/anthropological message behind which colors get picked and which don't? I can't say. I don't even know if my computer screen is properly calibrated, maybe I'm not even seeing the same colors. Still, the presentation is good and it does do what it says on the tin. Which is commendable.
posted by From Bklyn (41 comments total)

"OH NOES: Can't queue more than posts. "
posted by pracowity at 12:49 AM on August 30, 2011

Scrolling through the archive is fun to watch.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:59 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is either subtle satire or the product of a disturbed mind. Its the '1080 posts' that does it for me.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 1:07 AM on August 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Good call, LIB. Also the "a topherchris joint". Problem is, satire of what?
posted by kittensofthenight at 1:26 AM on August 30, 2011

Scrolling through the archive is fun

There's so much red and more red and then you get mustard or teal or dildo. Not random but random anyway. Thanks I love this.
posted by longsleeves at 1:29 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

That's a color? Maybe you've got synesthesia.
posted by pracowity at 1:39 AM on August 30, 2011 [7 favorites]

FFS it's colour. English motherfucker, do you spell it?
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:56 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I like teal. Dunno why. It just does it for me.

Also "green tree frog" green is rather lovely.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 2:02 AM on August 30, 2011

They don't have my favorite pretty color. But I'm not gonna say what it is, cause I'm gonna start my own tumblr color blog, and just post that color. Every single day.

The archive ain't gonna be fun to watch.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:18 AM on August 30, 2011

Maybe it's because I work on Photoshop all day, but I thought this was stupid and pointless... I know, not on the Internet, right?
posted by 00dimitri00 at 2:32 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Maybe it's a girl thing. I once had a Saturday job in a decorating shop which taught me that most men see about eight different colours all told, while every woman can differentiate between a hundred and nine shades of pinky russet at fifty paces.
posted by joannemullen at 3:04 AM on August 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Then you ought to do a lot better on this test than I will (I have just looked at the first couple of pages so far).
posted by pracowity at 3:38 AM on August 30, 2011

69%
posted by pracowity at 3:50 AM on August 30, 2011

FFS it's colour. English motherfucker, do you spell it?

Nah-unh. Iz a cactuz.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:00 AM on August 30, 2011

Maybe it's a girl thing. I once had a Saturday job in a decorating shop which taught me that most men see about eight different colours all told, while every woman can differentiate between a hundred and nine shades of pinky russet at fifty paces.

We can tell the difference, we just don't care.
posted by doublehappy at 4:06 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Well, that's not entirely true either, because I do care, and I'll spend half a day fretting about whether the white of my new desk will be okay with the off-white of my new chair, but from conversations I've had with guys, yeah, they can differentiate, but what's the point most of the time? Staff that shit out.
posted by doublehappy at 4:08 AM on August 30, 2011

I saw this post and thought to myself, 'hey, I follow a tumblr blog that's just colored squares, I should post a link.'

Then I checked my feed and, oops, it's the same one. Should've seen that coming.
posted by box at 5:19 AM on August 30, 2011

Then I checked my feed and, oops, it's the same one.

Well, jeez, box, how many could there be?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:47 AM on August 30, 2011

Well, I mean, it's tumblr--would you really be surprised if there was more than one?

I just woke up.
posted by box at 5:56 AM on August 30, 2011

How many colours are there (within this hex space)? He's gonna run out at some point, eh? What then - "The Best Of"?
posted by Meatbomb at 5:57 AM on August 30, 2011

Glad you asked, Meatbomb.
posted by box at 5:58 AM on August 30, 2011

#CC8898 makes me wanna puce.

Then again, #006599 has its appeal.
posted by ShutterBun at 6:07 AM on August 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Well, I mean, it's tumblr--would you really be surprised if there was more than one?

Truthfully, no, not at all! Haha!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:13 AM on August 30, 2011

Well, my rods and cones are all screwy now so I can't be sure, but is this color not us?
posted by obscurator at 6:26 AM on August 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Crap. Both uglycolors.tumblr.com and uglycolours.tumblr.com are taken.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:28 AM on August 30, 2011

1080 posts, just 16776136 left to go.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:30 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Crap. Both uglycolors.tumblr.com and uglycolours.tumblr.com are taken.

Maybe try Pretty Flowers?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:35 AM on August 30, 2011

We're #069, which expands to #006699, obscurator; that's #0076a7, which is very close, but not the same.
posted by motty at 6:49 AM on August 30, 2011

It just makes me sad to see everyone talk about colours as RGB triples. It's a really confusing way to think about color. For most simple editing purposes it's easier to work with HSV.
posted by Nelson at 7:09 AM on August 30, 2011

Yves Klein Blue (jeans)
posted by xod at 7:58 AM on August 30, 2011

or, for the purest: IKB
posted by xod at 8:00 AM on August 30, 2011

or purist...
posted by xod at 8:13 AM on August 30, 2011

Yves Klein. Nice work, if you can get it.
posted by chavenet at 9:11 AM on August 30, 2011

It just goes to show, some photons wiggle more purrty than other photons. Ayup!
posted by Goofyy at 9:12 AM on August 30, 2011

I cannot explain it, but I find this strangely fascinating. My favourite colour is blue.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:43 AM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Graphic Designers are not funny. It's an attribute. I knew one who actually had a sense of humor and they demoted him to management.
posted by pistolswing at 9:57 AM on August 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

from conversations I've had with guys, yeah, they can differentiate, but what's the point most of the time? Staff that shit out.

It's all about context.

Ask yourself which sex is more likely to agonize over the TV colour calibration for hours on end. And again whenever the ambient light in the room changes. And again when switching from movies to games.

We can also pick our favourite out of dozens of pint glasses of beer at 50 paces. (Stout at 20 paces)
posted by CaseyB at 10:16 AM on August 30, 2011

What's up with all the aqua, red, and pink? Blech.
posted by Gordafarin at 10:52 AM on August 30, 2011

It just makes me sad to see everyone talk about colours as RGB triples.

You need more significant tragedy in your life.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:07 PM on August 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

The most megalomaniac career specialty (relative to its actual importance) ever must be working for Pantone and getting to declare that "2012 Will Be the Year of Colors [X, Y, and Z]!!"

If you, the average consumer, hate this year's colors, you are screwed, especially for buying anything that you will own for a long time.

I have not linked to the company because I don't want to extend their world domination.

Consumer color trends also pass in longer-term waves (remember harvest gold and avocado?)
posted by bad grammar at 6:31 PM on August 30, 2011

It just makes me sad to see everyone talk about colours as RGB triples. It's a really confusing way to think about color. For most simple editing purposes it's easier to work with HSV.

HSV may be quicker, easier, and more efficient for *picking* colors, but it doesn't really lend itself to quickly describing a particular color as neatly as a hex code. (What is it about hex codes that you find confusing?)
posted by ShutterBun at 7:15 PM on August 30, 2011