ColorADD is a sign code for aiding color blind people to recognise colors, developed by Portuguese graphic designer and professor at the University of Minho, Miguel Neiva. [1] It consists of geometric shapes representing colors and color combinations. The app won the accessibility category of the 2013 Vodafone Foundation Mobile For Good Europe Awards. [2] [3]
The code is based on five base signs: two triangles (one angled upwards and the other angled downwards), one diagonal line, one solid square box and one empty square box representing black, white and the primary colors: red (magenta), blue (cyan), and yellow. Colors derived from other colors have the symbols of the combined colors, creating derivative colors (orange, green, purple and brown) and dark or white tones. Metalized colors like silver or gold are shown with a left parenthesis on the symbols.
Since its creation, ColorADD has been applied in various services, mainly in Portugal:
It was also recognised by Buenos Aires University and TEDx Oporto.
In September 2017, Mattel launched a colorblind-friendly version of Uno that utilizes ColorADD. [10]
This system is copyrighted; it is not in the public domain, nor is it free licensed. Usage must be licensed by the for-profit private company Miguel Neiva & Associados - design gráfico, Lda. [11] and fees are not public. According to ColorADD "license fee is adjusted to the partner's profile". [11] There is a pro bono model only for schools and universities managed by the nonprofit NGO ColorADD.Social. [12]
One of the main criticisms of the ColorADD system is that, similar to how the six (6) and nine (9) [Arabic numerals] are mirror images of each other, some of the color symbols can be confused if they are inverted. [13] For example, the symbols for red and blue both use the same triangle oriented in a different direction. Given the composability built into the system, the symbols for green and orange are also mirror images of each other.
In some uses, this problem has been addressed by adding a baseline to indicate where the bottom of the symbol is. This is similar to what is done with the six and nine Arabic numerals (see Regional handwriting variation). This still adds noise to the design and can slow down the identification of some ColorADD symbols. While Arabic numerals came into existence centuries ago, the much more recent ColorADD system could have been designed with this in mind.
In many cases, colors are used as a code for something else. In these cases, the choice of color is often arbitrary. The use of color symbols can add an unnecessary layer of indirection and other more direct symbols are better choices.
For instance, the colors assigned to lines on a transport map are arbitrary. As well as a color, they are often assigned a letter or number. Instead of repeating the ColorADD symbols, it would be preferable to repeat the letter or number throughout the map or to choose a colorblind-friendly palette. Another example is the color coding of [waste sorting] bins. In this instance, symbols representing what can be put in each bin would be more useful.
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A color code is a system for encoding and representing non-color information with colors to facilitate communication. This information tends to be categorical though may also be sequential.
Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. The severity of color blindness ranges from mostly unnoticeable to full absence of color perception. Color blindness is usually an inherited problem or variation in the functionality of one or more of the three classes of cone cells in the retina, which mediate color vision. The most common form is caused by a genetic condition called congenital red–green color blindness, which affects up to 1 in 12 males (8%) and 1 in 200 females (0.5%). The condition is more prevalent in males, because the opsin genes responsible are located on the X chromosome. Rarer genetic conditions causing color blindness include congenital blue–yellow color blindness, blue cone monochromacy, and achromatopsia. Color blindness can also result from physical or chemical damage to the eye, the optic nerve, parts of the brain, or from medication toxicity. Color vision also naturally degrades in old age.
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Uno, stylized as UNO, is a proprietary American shedding-type card game originally developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins in Reading, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, that housed International Games Inc., a gaming company acquired by Mattel on January 23, 1992.
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Azure is the color between cyan and blue on the spectrum of visible light. It is often described as the color of the sky on a clear day.
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Unified English Braille Code is an English language Braille code standard, developed to encompass the wide variety of literary and technical material in use in the English-speaking world today, in uniform fashion.
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Egyptian vehicle registration number plates are used for official identification purposes for motor vehicles in Egypt. The international vehicle registration code for Egypt is EG.
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