Color Management | Munsell Color System: A Distinctive Heritage with a Long History

Whenever archaeologists discover tiny artifacts, such as a pottery piece, a few beads, or some bone fragments, they can weave a story about how people lived in the centuries before us. Most of these incredible stories are revealed through color, especially through a color standard designed by Albert H. Munsell.
What is the Munsell color system?
Driven by a passion to convey color in an objective, non emotional way, just like musical notes convey specific melodies, Munsell began researching color theory in the late 19th century. At that time, this was an almost undeveloped science. In 1905, Munsell released a color system based on three dimensions: hue and hue (the color itself), brightness (the brightness of the color), and saturation (the purity or brightness of the color). By assigning numerical proportions to each dimension, Munsell's system creates a standard that accurately identifies colors and defines relationships between different colors. ‍‍

A World That Changed Forever - The Application of Munsell System
Munsell's groundbreaking work quickly gained international recognition and remains a standard for regulatory agencies worldwide to this day. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the Munsell system to accurately assess and measure food, and only the safest and most mature crops can enter stores for sale. It is also the color standard for wires, cables, and components of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) uses it to define skin and hair color in forensic pathology. Dentists use the Munsell system to select colors suitable for dental restoration, while brewers use it to match the color of beer. The Munsell system even affects every moment you drive, as its system defines the "correct" red for parking signs and the "correct" green for highway direction signs.
Digging into the stories of the past
In addition to food safety, USDA has another important use, which is to standardize soil color using the Munsell system. Contrary to common belief, hundreds or even thousands of years later, it is not the pottery or bones themselves that reveal the story, but the surrounding soil. The characteristics of soil color tone, brightness, grayscale, or black infiltration provide archaeologists with important information about different periods, human activities, and natural events. That's why the Munsell soil color chart has been an important tool used by the archaeological community for over 60 years. ‍
The long-standing legacy left by Munsell to all of us.
Some tools can shape the most scientific thinking and creative visions, and Munsell's color system is one of them. It has sufficient structure and precision for scientists to use, and for artists without a scientific background, it is also simple and easy to match and compare colors. ‍

Although others have attempted to surpass Munsell's color system, no one has been able to establish a more precise or widely accepted standard. Since 1917, Munsell Color Company has continued its mission to improve color communication, education, and service. Now, Munsell Color Company has been acquired by X-Rite, which also owns Pantone. We are grateful for Munsell's work as he has laid the foundation for color calibration and matching techniques in fields such as fashion, interior design, and graphic design. In other words, because of Albert H. Munsell, we live in a more colorful world.