The Color Association of the United States
Encyclopedia
The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), known until 1955 as the Textile Color Card Association of the United States (TCCA), is an independent color trend forecasting and color consulting service to the business community, known for its textile color swatch book, the Standard Color Reference of America (formerly the Standard Color Card of America).
certain industries especially in the textiles trade found the need to be able to better predict and set upcoming color and style trends. The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), then the Textile Color Card Association of the United States (TCCA), was formed to accomplish this goal. By implementing a standard, business could then plan upcoming product releases and marketing with better hope of success.
The central purpose of setting trends and maintaining color standards is accomplished to this day in part through publication of the "Standard Color Reference of America", and other swatch books.
the information and supplies the milners were using from Europe, especially France, was cut off. Textile manufacturers who had grown dependent of these color decisions decided to form their own committee, the TCCA, which immediately published a Standard Color Card.
Early on the TCCA set out to create what they termed "staple colors" that would facilitate the color coordination and consistency, especially among unrelated trades.
By 1930 the TCCA had built close ties to the US Government, especially in the military. The TCCA played a major role in defining the colors and their names for all manner of government related items such as uniforms, ribbons, medals, and flags. For example, the modern Flag of the United States uses specific colors selected and named by the TCCA (Old Glory Red and Old Glory Blue).
Through the 40s and 50s the TCCA membership increased, including international companies. This expansion led to the creation of industry specific trends and color books sponsored by those industries and more direct consulting to individual companies.
To this day CAUS plays a major role in the determining of color trends for industry.
A fully illustrated encyclopedia focused entirely on color including scientific, technical, historical, and artistic concepts.
A hypothetical and scientific look at color and the human response.
Purpose
As industry exploded after the Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
certain industries especially in the textiles trade found the need to be able to better predict and set upcoming color and style trends. The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), then the Textile Color Card Association of the United States (TCCA), was formed to accomplish this goal. By implementing a standard, business could then plan upcoming product releases and marketing with better hope of success.
Mission
- Issue color forecasts in the form of cards twice a year
- Give directions in color trends to the market
- Enable different segments of the market to coordinate their products by offering the formulas for the production of each forecast color
- Buy products worldwide knowing they would coordinate at the point of sale
- Serve as an information center for all kinds of color information.
The central purpose of setting trends and maintaining color standards is accomplished to this day in part through publication of the "Standard Color Reference of America", and other swatch books.
History
Prior to the creation of the TCCA in 1915, later to become The Color Association, hat makers took on the responsibility of color forecasting in the textile industry. Following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the information and supplies the milners were using from Europe, especially France, was cut off. Textile manufacturers who had grown dependent of these color decisions decided to form their own committee, the TCCA, which immediately published a Standard Color Card.
Early on the TCCA set out to create what they termed "staple colors" that would facilitate the color coordination and consistency, especially among unrelated trades.
By 1930 the TCCA had built close ties to the US Government, especially in the military. The TCCA played a major role in defining the colors and their names for all manner of government related items such as uniforms, ribbons, medals, and flags. For example, the modern Flag of the United States uses specific colors selected and named by the TCCA (Old Glory Red and Old Glory Blue).
Through the 40s and 50s the TCCA membership increased, including international companies. This expansion led to the creation of industry specific trends and color books sponsored by those industries and more direct consulting to individual companies.
To this day CAUS plays a major role in the determining of color trends for industry.
Process of creating palettes
Many Color Cards or palettes are created for various industries each year. For each area of focus a committee panel is formed consisting of eight to twelve people, referred in the business as the "Color Czars." Each member of the committee performs their own research on what colors they feel will, should, dominate the next few years in that industry. The committee then convenes and they debate the merits of the member selections. In the end they choose 44 colors that will make it to the palette. According to Forecaster Ken Charbonneau, the process is a lot of debate before consensus.The Color Compendium
by Augustine Hope and Margaret WalchA fully illustrated encyclopedia focused entirely on color including scientific, technical, historical, and artistic concepts.
Color & Human Response
by Faber BirrenA hypothetical and scientific look at color and the human response.