Color of the Year 2010 Turquoise
by Mark ~ December 19th, 2009. Filed under: Color of the Year, art, business, nature photography.
Turquoise beaches
Something I have made somewhat of a tradition is paying attention to Pantone’s color of the year for the past couple of years. I find it interesting to see what they will pick next, the explanations they offer behind it, and to see if I have any photographs that might make some good matches. From the business side of things, I can’t say it has drawn much of a business increase because of these colors, but I find it an interesting exploration of my photo archive by color if nothing else. I rediscover new images that I haven’t looked at in awhile, and perhaps even some common themes relating to color. For 2010, they announced recently that it will be Turquoise, or PANTONE® 15-5519.
Pantone offers the selection philosophy of:
“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”
Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.
Turquoise abstract
Turquoise is a peculiar color when it comes to nature. It isn’t found in many places, and perhaps that is why it becomes cherished as mentioned above. It certainly can be inviting and attracts attention as it stands out. The vibrant glacial lakes come to mind, of course those tropical Caribbean beaches and the rock of the same name found in the Southwest and other regions of the world. The gemstone has quite a long history, dating back to King Tut’s burial mask and was associated with the Egyptian goddess Hathor.
For 2009 I assembled a separate tribute gallery, this year I simply tagged images I already had in my gallery. Turquoise photos are tagged in my normal online portfolio.
For the difficult year we have just had around the world, I can understand the desire for an escape to a tropical paradise. With winter now having a firm grasp on us in Michigan, a warm sandy beach with turquoise tropical waters sounds pretty good right now. So long Mimosa, you are soooo 2009! 
December 20th, 2009 at
Ah yes, Turquoise, the first two things that come to mind are American Indian Jewelry and glacier melt pools — a strange combination. Being of the red haired sun burning persuasion, tropical beaches with turquoise waters while nice to look can only be enjoyed for short periods.
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Mark Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at
Ha! Sunscreen Earl, sunscreen – SPF 85.
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December 21st, 2009 at
What an excellent idea to focus on the color of the year. I love you mimosa gallery. Seeing image after image featuring the same color was marvelous, allowed me to immerse myself in the color and marvel at its many manifestations. Excellent images. Thanks so much for sharing.
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Mark Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at
Thank you Anita.
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December 21st, 2009 at
Turquoise or not, I wish I was on the beach right now! Beautiful.
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Mark Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at
Me too Ron. But don’t you live right near the water?
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December 22nd, 2009 at
Aah, turqoise, that’s really tough to be found in nature if not counting carribean or other coastal places with crystal clear water. I’ll try to bear it on my mind when I’ll be outside with a camera looking for something interesting. Thanks for sharing!
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Mark Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at
Tomas, I think we would encounter many more interesting things before finding this color.
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December 23rd, 2009 at
Great post Mark. When I first went to learn to dive in the Red Sea I dreamed in turquoise. its a wonderful colour
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December 23rd, 2009 at
[...] colour is turquoise. A colour dear to my heart as an underwater photographer. Check out his post here. We all need a bit of tropical cheer in this snowy weather so here is a few turquoise images from [...]
December 23rd, 2009 at
This is a great tradition you have. I need to perk up my ears to their press releases on this. Always a fun read and it makes you think about the popularity of certain design trends and color palettes. To be honest I’m surprised green didn’t make it this year. With all the hype around green technology I’d have thought that it might surface as one of the more popular colors.
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December 28th, 2009 at
Thanks Jim. I have never seen any statistics on actually how much the industry incorporates such things into their designs. It would be interesting though.
I would like to see Green when we actually make some huge steps towards that goal!
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December 28th, 2009 at
I’ll second that sentiment Mark. Green as a talking point is a lot less interesting than as an achievement. Seeing photography that reflects that would be great.
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January 1st, 2010 at
One of my favorite photography writers, Brooks Jensen, says he keywords all his images by color along with other odd characteristics, such as distance from the camera, for example. This allows him to identify bodies of work after the fact that share some common visual quality that otherwise would have been missed. I like the idea…
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January 1st, 2010 at
Bob, I tend to do the same for the same reason – because it allows to find groupings of images that may fit will together for certain projects. I am constantly asked by print buyers what images may look good together, and this is one aspect that helps.
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January 29th, 2010 at
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