how do i know that people see colors the same way i do? for instance, what i see as green might be blue to another person; of course they wouldn't know that it is actually different because they were always taught that that was green, even though it's not. could this be true? could this explain why people have different colored eyes, and maybe color blind people are the only group that we are able to identify? could there be other groups too? this theory is possible, seeing as there is no real way to prove it true or false.

I think that what it comes down to is, humans all have the same physiology. Our brains and eyes are anatomically identical. So we would probably perceive colors similarly due to these similarities.

So, color-blindness gives no different result than what say Paul Klee (or you-name-your-artist) saw, then? If it all boils down to anatomy, that is what you got.

Well, it is clear to me that we can't all think the same way or follow the same logic.  It makes perfect sense that we don't actually see color in exactly the same way.

Cindi

I think its a fallacy to believe that a color is interpreted exactly the same by one person than the other. I'm not even talking about color blindness.

Some have more cones/rods (changes intensity), bigger eyes, cornea changes with age, deep set eyes (if the sun hits the eye, the color contrast will be lost), lens that are incorrect (astigmatism when high enough, subtly changes some colors, that what I have). That's just some of the changes to color caused by the eye apparatus.

Then, you've got the whole mind thing. Its obvious that some people have an uncanny ability to differentiate colors. Do they see the same thing as others. The mind interprets the color inputs from the eyes and puts a tag on it, I'd be surprised that this tag is the same for all.

When I see the color match that many make, I wonder if I'm the one who's brain misinteprets their colors or they have a different color pallette in their head

Katia, I'm sure you already know this but.... I only see two colors, black and white! >

tink

Well, as someone who works with color for a living, I'm pretty hip on what it is...

After all, there are simple visual tests that a person can do to determine their ability to see certain colors. I think Katia's initial message is more on how we INTERPRET what we're seeing. It's the same with spirituality or philosophy. We might all see the same thing, but how do we interpret it?

For example, this sentence might appear blue to some, yet purple to others.

Or some might think this line is orange instead of red.

It's all about interpretation. My job as a designer is to ensure that the colors I use will be accurate to start with... then we go from there.

Fun topic!