Introduction to colour specification

The aim of this course is to enable you to specify colour more accurately and efficiently, and increase your knowledge of colour. It takes about one hour to complete and has been approved for RIBA CPD.
A certificate of completion is awarded

It explains:
• Why we need a colour system
• How the NCS System works

and offers practical advice on:
• Cross references, colour matching, colour harmonies and contrast
• Which NCS products suit particular types of work

Natural colour

For many of us our reference point for colour will be in nature:
the blue of the sky and the sea, the green of foliage, the varied reds, browns, ochres and greys of earth and rock. Simple colour names are used as shorthand for a multitude of different colour experiences that change with the time of day and the seasons.

Tara Hanrahan MA RCA: Sky colour chart & seasonal swatches
Aim: To challenge our perception of the colour of the sky. It is not (despite dictionary description) by definition, blue.

• Go to case study

Which blue?

To describe these colours individually, we need more precise words than blue, grey and green.