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CROMOCON METER
Hilary Dalke Emeritus Professor of Design Director of CROMOCON
®
Masterclass
What is that colour and contrast?
Hi-‐Tec……..Lo-‐Cost
• This is a Masterclass on the Hi-‐Tec, Lo-‐Costanswer to colour matching and LightReflectance Value (LRV) measurement
• You and your suppliers will never get a colourmatch or paint mix wrong again
• Always be able to specify LRV
Measures, finds & matches colour!
First Nme and every Nme! Measures contrast too!
Gets it right!
The CROMOCON METER
WHO….
• …has never got a paint colour wrong? • Some of us?
WHO….
• …has done a quote for a job and then wasted loads of Nme with sample pots of paint?
• All of us!!!
WHO….
• …..has had a client wanNng you to paint a building with their corporate ID colour, match a painted wall colour to their furniture, flooring, their car, even a child’s toy etc…?
• Yes it does happen – its not easy is it!!!
WHO….
• …..has gone to decorate a house or room and been asked to find or match to an old conservaNon or heritage colour that is already there…?
• OK – yes – loads of us but its simple with this colour meter!!!
WHO….
• …..has had to get colour right under a wide variety of light sources?
• The meter excludes ALL ambient lighNng so its a universal measurement!!!
The meter is not a ‘gimmick’….
• Our happy customers who use it all the Nme
call it a ‘no-‐brainer’!!!!!
It is ‘cheap’
• The meter is £395.00 - but a Spectrophotometer costs £12,000 approx
• Not difficult to decide on which one to get eh?!
You only use one manufacturer’s paints and
you can use a shade card to select colour?
• OK – but why not offer your customers a choice of the full potenNal of paint industry colours from over 19 paint libraries
Interested in measuring Light Reflectance Values for older, visually impaired people?
• Don’t let a rival company get ahead with local builders, architects, borough councils because they can specify the LRV of the paint finishes they will be using on doors and walls!!!
Problems finding paint references or match conversions for
Pantone numbers in any paint?
• All a thing of the past ……..if you use the meter…!!!!
Measuring Colour…
How to use the meter • Press the ON/OFF buhon • PosiNon the 5mm aperture on flat, mah to low sheen surface – small texture/pahern OK but will average
• Check if the library you want is showing on screen • Or select a new library from 19 on the meter • Measure by pressing down three Nmes/hear beeps • It averages the three readings • Paint and LRV refs will be shown immediately on screen
• So easy!
So why is it handy…?
Mapping exisNng RAL colours of London Transport site materials -‐ we needed to find out the paint colour root of each colour – was that grey a blue or green for example
CREAM AND GREY We need to know what the root colour is in any scheme Especially subtle colours like OFF WHITES and GREYS Gejng this kind of thing wrong makes colours look grim in a scheme The meter defines these roots for your colour scheme
Would that GREY be a GREEN GREY?
Or that OFF WHITE be a RED based colour?
Would that GREY be a BLUE GREY?
Or that OFF WHITE be a YELLOW based colour?
John Galsworthy building -‐ Ove Arup ®
Syncing all the ‘grey’ colours and materials in this project was vital for harmony of the interior paint work and specificaLon of furniture – meter measured every grey to find the root
Important example…
Minimal visual sLmulaLon for children with auLsm is required so tonal colour schemes should be implemented
Tonal
Ideally everything in the classroom had to be from the same colour group -‐ this causes the least visual disturbance. Flooring, walls, tables – a meter can check all these matches using the NCS library
Colour is processed here in the brain – over sNmulaNon is not easy for people with aspergers or auNsm.
FLOORING
WALL COLOUR
TABLES
Measuring Contrast…
Be Professional
• Large building projects may require you to know the LRV specificaNons – LIGHT REFLECTANCE VALUE – of a paint colour
• The meter can do that too!
• This is important accessibility informaNon for architects and designers dealing with environments for visually impaired people (VIP)
Be Professional
• Architects and designers use the LRV numbers to check on visibility for VIPs
• Measuring LRVs of two adjacent surfaces gives you the CONTRAST level needed to see an obstacles in a building
• A Rule-‐of-‐Thumb is a difference of 30 contrast difference between two LRVs
• The light reflectance value (LRV) of adjacent surfaces
• Press down three Nmes and it averages the LRV
• Meter gives you the LRVs and the difference
Cromocon Meter
Sample ‘A’ LRV 60%
Sample ‘B’ LRV 10%
Contrast 50
Contrast is needed for VIPs to see these kinds of things.....
WALL
Contrast difference will be Background LRV -‐ Object/element LRV
Object is 10% Light Reflectance
Value (LRV)
Background is 60% LRV
So Contrast = (10% -‐ 60%) 50 points of contrast difference
WALL DOOR Adjacent edges
Let’s look at an example of where contrast is needed
GREY PALETTE
Designers must know the LRV of building elements like paving slabs or paint for example in todays’ ‘GREY’ Environments important for visibility
Making an Entrance Using Colour & Contrast…
• We undertook this work for Thomas Pocklington Trust
• Assessing and researching accessibility of entrances to domesNc homes
• Case Study for TPT of refurbishment of one of their resident’s accommodaNon in London
• Full details available from the trust
Making an entrance Colour, contrast and the design of entrances to the homes of people with sight loss
This London basement flat occupied by one VIP was upgraded in October 2013 by Dalke & Corso/AATi/TPT hTp://www.pocklington-‐trust.org.uk/Resources/Thomas%20Pocklington/Documents/PDF/Research%20PublicaLons/RF39%20Making%20an%20Entrance.pdf
Successful result is now an accessible entrance for this visually impaired resident to be able to see stairs, door and lock
The right tools for the job
Cromocon Meter Cromocon App The Contrast Guide
Measures LRV & Colour Sopware App Guide supports users Calculates contrast Predicts visibility Best pracNce examples
Architects, painters & decorators, access consultants, designers, surveyors, interior designers, Borough Councils, builders, manufacturers, OT, faciliLes management………..
The Cromocon System
Try it
It’s not rocket science!
PublicaNons, training, consultancy
