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 The Standard Color Reference of America (and its supplement the U.S. Army Color Card) is a book of reference fabric swatches of different colors produced by The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), each color specified by “cable numberâ ...
(formerly the Standard Color Card of America).
Purpose
As industry exploded after the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
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 the publication of the "
Standard Color Reference of America The Standard Color Reference of America (and its supplement the U.S. Army Color Card) is a book of reference fabric swatches of different colors produced by The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), each color specified by “cable numberâ ...
", and other swatch books.
History
Prior to the creation of the TCCA in 1914, later to become The Color Association, hat makers took on the responsibility of color forecasting in the textile industry. Following the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
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 United States government, especially in the military. The TCCA, under the managing direction of
Margaret Hayden Rorke
Margaret Hayden Rorke (June 19, 1883 – March 2, 1969) was an American color standards expert, actress, and suffragist who was for nearly 40 years the managing director of the Textile Color Card Association of the United States. She is kno ...
, 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
The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...
uses specific colors selected and named by the TCCA (Old Glory Red and Old Glory Blue).
Through the 1940s and 1950s 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.
Publications
The Color Compendium
by Augustine Hope and Margaret Walch
A fully illustrated encyclopedia focused entirely on color including scientific, technical, historical, and artistic concepts.
Color & Human Response
by
Faber Birren
Faber Birren (11 September 1900 – 30 December 1988) was an American writer and consultant on color and color theory.
Life
Faber Birren was born in Chicago, Illinois on 11 September 1900, the son of Joseph P. Birren, a landscape painter, and ...
A hypothetical and scientific look at color and the human response.
References
History of The Color Association from the official organization site*
*
Design Section of Wikipedia entry on the Flag of the United StatesColor Forecasting article on HGtv.com
External links
*
International Color Consortium sitePantone siteColor Marketing Group*Th
Inter-Society Color Council records at
Hagley Museum and Library
The Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. Covering more than along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, the museum and grounds include the first du Pont ...
contain materials from the Color Association of America including corporate files, general files, special color promotions, Paris reports and swatches, publicity scrapbooks, color cards, home furnishings color cards and color selection systems, and a card catalog.
{{Color topics
Color organizations
Textile industry of the United States
Textile industry associations
Organizations established in 1915
1915 establishments in the United States
Entertainment companies of the United States