Color Revolution

andlt;Pandgt;When the fashion industry declares that lime green is the new black, or instructs us to andquot;think pink!,andquot; it is not the result of a backroom deal forged by a secretive cabal of fashion journalists, designers, manufacturers, and the editor of andlt;Iandgt;Vogueandlt;/Iandgt;. It is the latest development of a color revolution that has been unfolding for more than a century. In this book, the award-winning historian Regina Lee Blaszczyk traces the relationship of color and commerce, from haute couture to automobile showrooms to interior design, describing the often unrecognized role of the color profession in consumer culture. Blaszczyk examines the evolution of the color profession from 1850 to 1970, telling the stories of innovators who managed the color cornucopia that modern artificial dyes and pigments made possible. These andquot;color stylists,andquot; andquot;color forecasters,andquot; and andquot;color engineersandquot; helped corporations understand the art of illusion and the psychology of color. Blaszczyk describes the strategic burst of color that took place in the 1920s, when General Motors introduced a bright blue sedan to compete with Ford's all-black Model T and when housewares became available in a range of brilliant hues. She explains the process of color forecasting--not a conspiracy to manipulate hapless consumers but a careful reading of cultural trends and consumer taste. And she shows how color information flowed from the fashion houses of Paris to textile mills in New Jersey. Today professional colorists are part of design management teams at such global corporations as Hilton, Disney, and Toyota. andlt;Iandgt;The Color Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt; tells the history of how colorists help industry capture the hearts and dollars of consumers.andlt;/Pandgt;

Color is a vivid subject: the ground where moods meet physics. The colors of a particular moment live on in our memories, yet history is too often colorblind, oblivious to the powerful role color has played in the development of our florid consumer culture. The Color Revolution takes a big step toward opening our eyes and minds to the way in which a varied cast of characters standardized, refined, and expanded the use of color to create the vibrant, often garish, lives we live now. The MIT Press

The twentieth century produced a new tribe of experts: the color gurus. At the intersection of fashion, psychology, chemistry, marketing, product design, and even military engineering, these men and women used the stability and consistency of modern synthetic organic dyes to create a brave new polychrome world that we now take for granted--in software and electronic devices, too. Combining formidable scholarship with memorable personalities and vivid stories, The Color Revolution will fascinate historians, marketing professionals, and consumers alike. < b=""> Thomas Hine <> , author of < i=""> Populuxe <> and < i=""> The Great Funk <>

Regina Lee Blaszczyk, who deftly combines ground breaking scholarship with an engaging style, has produced an important and lively account of the individuals, organizations, and industries that made color an inventive and transforming force in modern American culture and design. < b=""> Edward Tenner <> , author of < i=""> Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences <> and < i=""> Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanity <>

The Color Revolution unites the visible history of the color chart with the hidden history of imperfect information, mood, and perception. The narrative arc of this beautifully illustrated book starts with the technical achievement of color in describing the timely development of a reproducible color system among specialists who became 'colorists.' An insightful must-have for the student and historian of business enterprise, industrial psychology, advertising, and the predictive modeling of nuance and effect. < b=""> Dilys Blum <> , The Jack M. and Annette Y. Friedland Senior Curator of Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Art

This fascinating book details how a group of unheralded 'color engineers' created and standardized palettes for the American mass market…Blaszczyk, a design historian, illuminates the economic forces and shifting cultural values that have influenced consumers' color preferences -- and she shows how industry has sought to fathom those trends and to anticipate and alter those preferences. < b=""> William Lawrence Bird, Jr. <> , Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Read this marvelous book and your eye for color will snap back into brilliant focus. - < -="" i="" -=""> - The Atlantic - < -="" -="">

Exploring the use of color by American manufacturers from the mid-1800s when scientists, like Perkin, were inventing new industrial pigments and dyes, until the mid-2oth century, [this book] shows what a powerful force color has been -- socially, culturally, and economically. < b=""> Jude Stewart <> - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Imprint - < -="" -="">

The Color Revolution…is a result of sheer research rigour…it's also suited for an academic setting, its heft and tone destined to be a primer for the growing number of American Studies, Design History, and Management programmes. Full of rich historical imagery, vintage advertisements, annotated footnotes, and an index, the book catalogues a crucial period in the history of Western consumer culture. < b=""> Alice Rawsthorn <> - - < -="" i="" -=""> - The New York Times - < -="" -="">

With a focus on America, the book is a lively account of how individuals and industry made colour a transforming force in our culture and design. < b=""> Aileen Kwun <> - - < -="" i="" -=""> - Icon Magazine - < -="" -="">

andlt;Pandgt;andquot;Color is a vivid subject: the ground where moods meet physics. The colors of a particular moment live on in our memories, yet history is too often colorblind, oblivious to the powerful role color has played in the development of our florid consumer culture. andlt;Iandgt;The Color Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt; takes a big step toward opening our eyes and minds to the way in which a varied cast of characters standardized, refined, and expanded the use of color to create the vibrant, often garish, lives we live now.andquot;andlt;Bandgt; -- Thomas Hineandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt; Populuxeandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Great Funk andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;andquot;The twentieth century produced a new tribe of experts: the color gurus. At the intersection of fashion, psychology, chemistry, marketing, product design, and even military engineering, these men and women used the stability and consistency of modern synthetic organic dyes to create a brave new polychrome world that we now take for granted--in software and electronic devices, too. Combining formidable scholarship with memorable personalities and vivid stories, andlt;Iandgt;The Color Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt; will fascinate historians, marketing professionals, and consumers alike.andquot;andlt;Bandgt; -- Edward Tennerandlt;/Bandgt;, author of andlt;Iandgt;Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequencesandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanityandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;andquot;Regina Lee Blaszczyk, who deftly combines ground breaking scholarship with an engaging style, has produced an important and lively account of the individuals, organizations, and industries that made color an inventive and transforming force in modern American culture and design.andquot;andlt;Bandgt; -- Dilys Blumandlt;/Bandgt;, The Jack M. and Annette Y. Friedland Senior Curator of Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Artandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;andquot; andlt;Iandgt;The Color Revolution andlt;/Iandgt;unites the visible history of the color chart with the hidden history of imperfect information, mood, and perception. The narrative arc of this beautifully illustrated book starts with the technical achievement of color in describing the timely development of a reproducible color system among specialists who became 'colorists.' An insightful must-have for the student and historian of business enterprise, industrial psychology, advertising, and the predictive modeling of nuance and effect.andquot;andlt;Bandgt; -- William Lawrence Bird, Jr.andlt;/Bandgt;, Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institutionandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;"This fascinating book details how a group of unheralded 'color engineers' created and standardized palettes for the American mass marketand#133;Blaszczyk, a design historian, illuminates the economic forces and shifting cultural values that have influenced consumers' color preferences -- and she shows how industry has sought to fathom those trends and to anticipate and alter those preferences." -- andlt;Iandgt;The Atlanticandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;"Read this marvelous book and your eye for color will snap back into brilliant focus." -- andlt;Bandgt;Jude Stewartandlt;/Bandgt;, -- andlt;Iandgt;Imprintandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;"Exploring the use of color by American manufacturers from the mid-1800s when scientists, like Perkin, were inventing new industrial pigments and dyes, until the mid-2oth century, [this book] shows what a powerful force color has been -- socially, culturally, and economically." -- andlt;Bandgt;Alice Rawsthornandlt;/Bandgt;, andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;" andlt;Iandgt;The Color Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt;and#133;is a result of sheer research rigourand#133;it's also suited for an academic setting, its heft and tone destined to be a primer for the growing number of American Studies, Design History, and Management programmes. Full of rich historical imagery, vintage advertisements, annotated footnotes, and an index, the book catalogues a crucial period in the history of Western consumer culture." -- andlt;Bandgt;Aileen Kwunandlt;/Bandgt;, andlt;Iandgt;Icon Magazineandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press

andlt;Pandgt;"With a focus on America, the book is a lively account of how individuals and industry made colour a transforming force in our culture and design." -- andlt;Iandgt;Design Talksandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Pandgt;

When the fashion industry declares that lime green is the new black, or instructs us to "think pink!," it is not the result of a backroom deal forged by a secretive cabal of fashion journalists, designers, manufacturers, and the editor of Vogue. It is the latest development of a color revolution that has been unfolding for more than a century. In this book, the award-winning historian Regina Lee Blaszczyk traces the relationship of color and commerce, from haute couture to automobile showrooms to interior design, describing the often unrecognized role of the color profession in consumer culture. Blaszczyk examines the evolution of the color profession from 1850 to 1970, telling the stories of innovators who managed the color cornucopia that modern artificial dyes and pigments made possible. These "color stylists," "color forecasters," and "color engineers" helped corporations understand the art of illusion and the psychology of color. Blaszczyk describes the strategic burst of color that took place in the 1920s, when General Motors introduced a bright blue sedan to compete with Ford's all-black Model T and when housewares became available in a range of brilliant hues. She explains the process of color forecasting--not a conspiracy to manipulate hapless consumers but a careful reading of cultural trends and consumer taste. And she shows how color information flowed from the fashion houses of Paris to textile mills in New Jersey. Today professional colorists are part of design management teams at such global corporations as Hilton, Disney, and Toyota. The Color Revolution tells the history of how colorists help industry capture the hearts and dollars of consumers.

Regina Lee Blaszczyk is Leadership Chair in the History of Business and Society at the University of Leeds and an associate editor at the Journal of Design History. Her books include Imagining Consumers: Design and Innovation from Wedgwood to Corning, Producing Fashion: Commerce, Culture and Consumers, and American Consumer Society, 1865-2005: From Hearth to HDTV.