6 Explanations for the Color Schemes we use in our Daily Lives

Ever wondered why certain things are designed to be a certain color? A lot of color schemes that we use in our daily lives (ranging from airplanes to traffic lights) have a logical explanation. The following discussion will uncover the secrets of some of these specific color schemes.

Traffic Lights

Originally, traffic lights were designed for trains and followed a slightly different color scheme than what we see these days. Initially, it had two colors (red for stopand white for go). However, the white light soon became a problem as train drivers often got confused between the white signal light, distant stars, and other white light sources. Consequently, green light was introduced for caution which ultimately replaced the white light and signal lights for trains were standardized to red and green.

The very same system was implemented when road vehicles became the norm. In this case, a yellow light was added for caution. The selection of this color scheme was done on the basis of their wavelengths. Red has the longest wavelength and is thus visible from a distance. Similarly, green has the shortest wavelength of the three while the wavelength of yellow lies in-between red and green. You can enjoy the following video for a comprehensive summary of traffic signals’ history here

Taxis

Taxis all around the world are mostly yellow but that was not always the case. A few decades ago, taxis came in varying colors: blue, green, and red. All of this changed when John Hertz, the Owner of the Hertz rental car company, set the color of all his taxis to yellow. His reasoning was that yellow is the most visible color on a car and it can be seen from a distance which will help them in attracting more customers.

The success of his idea urged other companies to follow the suit. Having said that, Hertz was not the first one to paint taxis yellow, Albert Rockwell was. Rockwell even went on to name his taxi business the Yellow Taxicab Co. but he had no practical reason for picking the color, aside from the fact that his wife liked it. This color scheme became so common that states like New York amended their laws to require all taxis to be painted yellow.

Zebra Crossings

In the late 1940s, Britain was experiencing a surge in motor vehicle ownership. This became a problem as drivers often mowed down crossing pedestrians, who were not used to sharing the roads with cars. The government created pedestrian crossings but they proved inefficient for reducing the number of accidents. This was because the crossings were marked with metal studs, which were almost invisible to the drivers. Thankfully, the government of the time determined that black and white was the most visible pattern by observing that drivers could see it from farther distances than other colors. In addition to that, zebra crossings also enhance the visibility of crossing pedestrians (for drivers).

Airplanes

A lot of thought process and analysis is involved in selecting the most suitable color out of several color schemes that are proposed for a product. Civilian airplanes are usually white and one of the main reasons is to cut costs because it is cheap and easy to maintain white color. Similarly, it absorbs and radiates less heat than dark colors which helps in keeping the interior of airplanes relatively cooler. A white paint job allows maintenance crews to detect cracks, dents, and leaks easily. It also reduces the possibility of air strikes because birds can see white better. Lastly, white airplane parts are easier to spot on the ground or ocean after an air crash.

Tires

Tires were once white because the natural color of rubber is white. Unfortunately, those tires were not very durable. They wore quickly, reduced handling, and used to crack frequently due to the ultraviolet rays from the Sun. Tire manufacturers solved this by adding carbon black to tires around 1917. This is why black tires last for tens of thousands of miles, while white tires barely went 5,000 miles before they were due for replacement.

Toilet Paper

Toilet paper is usually white because just like paper, it is bleached (its natural color is brownish-grey). Bleaching regular paper makes sense because we write on them. But why bother bleaching toilet paper? Firstly, bleaching removes lignin, a substance that makes paper harder. Secondly, humans perceive white things to be clean. Bleaching gives us the best of both worlds and that is exactly what you need to get from a commodity of daily routine.