This week a federal appellate court will hear arguments in a case  involving this very question. The issue arises in connection with shoes, specifically, the vivid red soles beneath Christian Louboutin shoes. The high-end designer says four separate styles of Yves Saint Laurent shoes infringe its trademarked sole. All four shoes are red all [...]

  by Jude Stewart Color-fans can now channel their fascination into a worthy cause: Ownacolour.com, sponsored by Glidden Paint, is auctioning off shades of the digital rainbow for charity. For a $2 donation to UNICEF (or more if you wish), you can select and name your very own shade. OwnaColour also provides real-time infographics tracking [...]

According to a study published in the International Journal of Biotechnology, colour matters when it comes to medicine. Researchers at India’s SIES College of Management Studies found a direct correlation between pill colour and patient expectations. A series of interviews determined that patients formulate predictions for both the taste and effectiveness of medicine based on [...]

Born of a desire to create a brand of fit, function and lots of fun, Hook and Albert could be the next best source for adding some color to menswear. Colored ties are good but crocheted floral lapel pins (who needs a carnation?) add a handmade color appeal to blazers and suits. And though brightly-hued [...]

  Even though racy red sports cars capture the imagination of many too-young-to-drive dreamers, the most popular vehicle color in the world is, well, white. Plain vanilla. A sheet of paper. A blank canvas. The most neutral of the neutral of the neutral tones. The absence of color. White. The color of something that’s waiting [...]

Are you among those embracing old school letter writing, thank you notes and postcards? While they are being considered the new old personal communication, you can add another level of personalization with the “Pioneers of American Industrial Design” stamps from the United States Postal Service.  The collection, announced earlier this year, have recently been released [...]

There are stand-up comics who do entire routines about trying to get a clamshell package open, and a couple of months ago Core 77 Tweeted a link to Quora’s “What is the worst piece of design ever done?” query, to which the most popular answer was Anita Schillhorn’s response: “Plastic clamshell packaging. Design should help [...]

The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival is one of the highlights of summer here in Washington DC.  Running June 30th - July 4 and July 7  -11, it is a multi-cultural celebration on the Mall, America’s  front yard. This year the energy, beauty and craft of Colombia will be on display just before the CMG 2011 Latin American [...]

  While more and more US cities surrender their identity to uniform development, San Antonio avowedly remembers its past without getting stuck in it. For your next budget-friendly escape, consider an antidote to “Anywhere USA” with the city that consistently provides a sense of place – even, or especially, at its most visited attractions. Better [...]

Inspiring, disturbing, jaw dropping, empowering, revelator – the reactions and words are as vast as the inspirations at “Savage Beauty,” The Alexander McQueen exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, currently on display through July 31. Shown chronologically, McQueen’s collections force you to rethink standards of beauty while marveling at the artistry of couture. Cut, [...]