Did you know that blue was once more expensive than gold? It's surprisingly true! To create blue in the real world required a lot of sweat, risk, and travel. We'll be exploring that history today.

This episode was created and produced by Janine, a member of the IKB token collective, a decentralized community created in mid-2024, federated by a blockchain token.

📚 References & Further Reading

National Gallery (London), “Ultramarine” — history, making, and use
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/meaning-of-colours-in-western-art/ultramarine

Victoria & Albert Museum, “Blue: Ultramarine” — materials and trade
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/blue-ultramarine

The Met Museum Timeline of Art History, “Lapis Lazuli”
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lapi/hd_lapi.htm

Cennino Cennini, Il Libro dell’Arte (The Craftsman’s Handbook) — classic recipes for ultramarine (English trans. excerpts)
https://www.noteaccess.com/Texts/Cennini/

Britannica, “Prussian blue” — discovery and properties
https://www.britannica.com/science/Prussian-blue

Musée des Arts et Métiers / CNAM, “Ultramarine, a synthetic pigment” (history of Guimet ultramarine)
https://www.arts-et-metiers.net/musee/bleu-outremer-un-pigment-synthetique

Centre Pompidou, “The untold story of the International Klein Blue (IKB) of Yves Klein”
https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/pompidou-plus/magazine/article/the-untold-story-of-the-international-klein-blue-ikb-of-yves-klein

“Pigments through the Ages” (web archive of pigment histories)
http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/ultramarine.html

Getty Conservation Institute, “The Color of the Sky: Ultramarine” (materials & conservation)
https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/15_3/ultramarine.html

In this episode we're asking the question: Can you own a color? We’ll sort myth from law, discussing American luxury brand Tiffany, French artist Yves Klein, and the International Klein Blue token — a community-made blockchain token on the Solana chain — all real-world examples that, spoiler alert, do not imply actually owning blue.

📚 References & Further Reading

Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co., 514 U.S. 159 (1995) — when a color can act as a trademark
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-1577.ZO.html

Christian Louboutin S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent America Inc. (2d Cir. 2012) — red sole protectable only in contrast
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/11-3303/11-3303-2012-09-05.html

Tiffany Blue — brand statementsTiffany & Co. Press page on Tiffany Blue (trademark and Pantone “1837 Blue”):
https://press.tiffany.com/our-story/tiffany-blue/

Yves Klein & IKB — myth-busting the “patented color”Centre Pompidou, “The untold story of the International Klein Blue (IKB) of Yves Klein”:
https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/pompidou-plus/magazine/article/the-untold-story-of-the-international-klein-blue-ikb-of-yves-klein

Material note (binder/pigment example)MoMA object text for Blue Monochrome (1961):
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80103

In this episode, produced by IKB token collective member Maryann, we're exploring common beliefs about colors, such as yellow is "happy" and blue is "sad".  Where does this come from and is it even true? You'll discover that it has some significance for International Klein Blue.

📚 References & Further Reading

Schloss, Karen & Witzel, Christoph & Lai, Leslie. (2020). Blue hues don't bring the blues: questioning conventional notions of color–emotion associations. Journal of the Optical Society of America A. 37. 813-824. 10.1364/JOSAA.383588.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339965016_Blue_hues_don't_bring_the_blues_questioning_conventional_notions_of_color-emotion_associations

In this episode, prepared and hosted by IKB collective member Simon, we're diving into the fascinating psychology of blue in digital spaces, exploring how this powerful color shapes our online experiences and influences our behavior. We'll uncover the science behind blue's emotional impact, examine its role in building trust, and discover how it's revolutionizing design in the Web3 era.

📚 References & Further Reading

Global Preference for Blue

YouGov (2015). Blue is the world’s most popular color.
https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2015/09/11/blue-most-popular-color

Blue, Emotion, and Cognition

Mehta, R. & Zhu, R. (2009). Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances. Science, 323(5918).

Küller, R., Mikellides, B., & Janssens, J. (2009). Color, arousal, and performance: A comparison of three experiments. Color Research & Application.

GF Smith & University of Sussex (2019). The World’s Favourite Colour Project.
https://gfsmith.com/pages/worlds-favourite-colour

Trust, Retention, and Website Color

Cyr, D., Head, M., & Larios, H. (2009). Color appeal in website design within and across cultures: A multi-method evaluation. MIS Quarterly, 33(3).

Alberts, H. & van der Geest, T. (2011). Color and credibility: Website color schemes rated by users.

Palumbo, R., et al. (2017). Color in marketing: A review of research.

Conversion Rate Experiments (CTA Buttons)

HubSpot / Performable (2011). Red vs. Green Button Test — red outperformed green by 21%.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/button-color-perform

CXL Institute Case Study. Blue CTA vs. Orange CTA — blue button ~9% higher clicks.
https://cxl.com/blog/button-color-testing/

Blue in Art & Value Perception

Ma, Y., et al. (2019). Color and bidding behavior in art auctions.

Smithsonian Magazine (2019). Blue paintings sell for more, study finds.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-paintings-sell-more-study-finds-180972356/

NFT & Visual Traits

Nadini, M., et al. (2021). Mapping the NFT revolution: market trends and visual features. Scientific Reports, 11(20902).

DappRadar (2022). NFT Market Reports.
https://dappradar.com/nft

Crypto Branding & Community

Coinbase Brand Guidelines.
https://brand.coinbase.com

Syrjälä, H., et al. (2022). The role of color in online community branding.

Accessibility & Technical Use of Blue

W3C (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

Anecdote: The Value of Hue Shifts

BBC News (2014). Google’s “41 shades of blue” test added $200m revenue.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978

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