Opinion Is Olo a ‘real' colour? That's the wrong question

In 2014, the world encountered a colour that seemed to bend reality. It wasn't bright, it wasn't bold — in fact, it wasn't even really seen. Vantablack — short for Vertically Aligned NanoTube Array black — wasn't just the darkest colour humans had ever created. It was an absence made visible. Absorbing 99.96 per cent of visible light rendered any surface coated into a void. No shadows, no texture, no form — just pure, unnerving black.
Originally engineered by Surrey NanoSystems for scientific use — telescopes, stealth tech, and heat-sensitive instruments — Vantablack was never meant for the art world. But word spread. Designers, artists, and technologists became obsessed with its potential. It was a black that erased shape, a colour that turned three dimensions into flatness. To witness it was to question what your eyes were telling you.
Then came the twist in the tale: Anish Kapoor, the British Indian artist, blocked the colour for himself. He acquired the exclusive usage rights for Vantablank in artworks. And just like that, the blackest black wasn't just a pigment — it was a controversy. Could one artist own a colour? Should they? Kapoor, already known for creating giant reflective voids and sensorial paradoxes, saw it as a tool to continue his life's work — exploring the unseen, the formless, and the spiritual. But his monopoly sparked outrage among other creatives. What began as a technological marvel has now become a cultural battleground over access, authorship, and the politics of perception.
While the world argued about who could use the deepest black, something else was happening: A quieter but equally radical expansion of the colour universe.
Five years before Vantablack made headlines, a lab in Oregon accidentally stumbled upon a new kind of blue. YInMn Blue — named after its chemical components (Yttrium, Indium, Manganese) — wasn't discovered for art but for durability and energy efficiency in coatings. Still, its brilliance was undeniable. It was pure, bold, stable, and non-toxic, unlike cobalt or ultramarine. This colour generated a lot of curiosity among designers and artists. Here was a blue that didn't just look new; it felt like a missing piece in the spectrum. The hue made you realise something had been absent all along.
And from there, the imagination stretched further. What if there were colours we hadn't even named yet? Enter 'Olo' — a fictional, conceptual hue that lives between known digital colours — not invented. It's more like revealed. 'Olo' doesn't sit neatly in a Pantone book or appear in a screen's RGB settings. It shimmers at the edge of familiarity, changing subtly with light and angle. Like an emotion you can't quite name, 'Olo' is a colour that seems beyond language.
But the story of Olo isn't really about whether it's real. It's about what its idea represents — the ever-expanding edges of human perception. Because colour is not fixed, it's a relationship between light and matter, biology and culture, memory and mood. What we see is shaped not only by our eyes but also by our tools, our technologies, and our collective imagination.
That's why colour discovery still matters — not because we're uncovering new wavelengths of light but because we're learning to see more precisely. And in this discovery, finding ways to articulate subtleties — emotional, perceptual, expressive — that we couldn't until now. Systems like NCS (Natural Colour System) and Coloro help designers describe colours and how they feel.
In design, colour is a strategic tool. It can infuse trust, create urgency or suggest calm — all without saying a word. It influences whether we buy, believe, or feel welcomed in a space. In that sense, colour is a soft-power tool with measurable impact. With new pigments and systems of perception, designers can work with greater nuance. We now have the agency to operate with greater specificity — ascribe colours to mirror the emotional complexity of the consumer. Think of Tiffany Blue — more than a shade, it's an idea of luxury, timelessness, and aspiration. Think of Jio Pink — a colour of energy, accessibility, and youthful confidence. These aren't random choices. They're deliberate emotional codes embedded in visual language. A choice that more brands, creators and experts can continue to use to decode and trigger the desired emotion in the society.
We live in a global attention economy and novelty matters. Discovering a new colour — or naming and standardising one that was previously unformulated — offers a competitive edge. As our emotional and sensory worlds grow more layered, so does the palette we use to express them. New colours — whether lab-born like YInMn, engineered like Vantablack, or imagined like Olo — are not just additions to a colour gamut. They're shifts in consciousness. They give form to new feelings.
We live in a world saturated with colour — in ads, apps, objects, spaces. Yet, we often forget to see it until something jolts us. A sickly green hospital wall. A brand colour that feels 'off.' A sunset we can't quite capture. That's the paradox: Colour is everywhere — but we treat it like background noise. These moments remind us that colour is omnipresent and invisible — always around us, yet rarely noticed unless it misbehaves or surprises us.
So maybe a colour like 'Olo' or a black so black it eats light, isn't just a novelty. Perhaps it's a call for attention. A reminder that perception is fluid. Even in a world where we think we've seen everything, there's still more to perceive. More to feel. More to invent.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

First Post

5 hours ago

• First Post

When Karisma Kapoor was traumatised after breakup with Abhishek Bachchan: 'I was forced to deal with my...'

The duo, who had been in a five-year relationship, called off their marriage after announcing their engagement. Karisma had revealed that it was a traumatic experience for her, and the Kapoor clan helped her get out of this tough phase. read more Karisma Kapoor was engaged to Abhishek Bachchan in 2002. While everything was going smoothly and the actress was all set to become 'Bachchan Bahu', the engagement was broken off after a few months. The duo, who had been in a five-year relationship, called off their marriage after announcing their engagement. Karisma had revealed that it was a traumatic experience for her, and the Kapoor clan helped her get out of this tough phase. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It is time I spoke. I owe it to everyone. The beginning of this year was traumatic for me. I wouldn't wish any girl to go through it. I was forced to deal with my hurt and pain on my own. I guess time is the best healer. Though I have been through a lot, I have come to terms with whatever has happened. All I will say is, whatever is destined is bound to happen. I was emotionally unprepared to confront my problems. Life deals you different cards. You have to just go with the shuffle," Karisma told Subhash Jha. 'I want to thank the media for being so understanding and supportive. Everyone left me alone. I don't want to say anything more on this except that I couldn't have come out my trauma if it wasn't for my parents [Babita and Randhir Kapoor], sister [Kareena], my Dadiji [Krishna Raj Kapoor], my two Buas [Rima Jain and Ritu Nanda] and my close friends," she added. While the real reason behind this breakup is only known to them, in 2005 when Big B and Abhishek Bachchan appeared on Koffee With Karan, the veteran actor said, 'It was a sensitive moment. Relationships are being formed, relationships are being destroyed. It can be distressing for any young man, and obviously distressing for the family. We don't wish that to happen to anyone, but if the circumstances are not conducive for a union, then it's better that you go different ways. That's what happened."

Time of India

a day ago

• Time of India

Actor Ram Kapoor wasn't the first Indian. Which cricketer beat him to the Rs 5 crore Lamborghini Urus?

Ram Kapoor has recently drawn significant public interest—not only due to his reappearance on screen but also because of his latest addition to his luxury car collection : a Lamborghini Urus SE . Several media outlets had earlier speculated that the popular actor was the first Indian to own this high-performance SUV. However, Kapoor has now addressed those claims and provided a more accurate version of events. While promoting his upcoming digital series Mistry, Kapoor spoke exclusively to NDTV , sharing his perspective on the excitement around his new vehicle. During the interaction, he clarified that he was not the first Indian to purchase the Lamborghini Urus SE. In fact, according to him, nearly four or five others had already bought the same model before him. However, what sets his car apart is its unique shade—making him possibly the first Indian to own the vehicle in that particular colour variant. Adding further context to the discussion, Kapoor mentioned that cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also owns the same SUV model. This effectively quashes the notion that Kapoor was the original Indian buyer of the car. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mini House for 60 sqm for Seniors with Toilet and Bath (Click Here) Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo For those unfamiliar with the model, the Lamborghini Urus SE is a luxury plug-in hybrid SUV that officially debuted in the Indian market in April 2024. With a starting price tag of approximately ₹5.21 crore, it caters to an elite clientele. Kapoor's acquisition of this automobile added to his already impressive fleet, which includes names like the Ferrari Portofino M, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Range Rover Autobiography, and the Mercedes-AMG G 63. When the photos of his new Lamborghini surfaced online, they quickly went viral, especially since his wife, Gautami Kapoor, appeared alongside him during the delivery of the vehicle. On the professional front, Kapoor is preparing for his return to acting with the web series Mistry, which is set to premiere on JioHotstar starting June 27, 2025. The series also stars Mona Singh, who joins him in a story filled with suspense, drama, and crime. In Mistry, Kapoor takes on the role of a private investigator entangled in a complicated web of deception, danger, and secrets. As his character delves deeper into a mysterious case, startling revelations begin to surface, driving the narrative forward with twists and surprises. Mona Singh plays a law enforcement officer whose journey intersects with Kapoor's, creating a dynamic and layered storyline. With a lavish new car and a compelling role on screen, Ram Kapoor continues to remain a figure of fascination for fans and media alike.

Time of India

2 days ago

• Time of India

'Karisma Kapoor ne picture maang ke lee,' says Pahlaj Nihalini as he slams Anil Kapoor for his comment on the controversial song from Andaz: 'Jhooth hai no 1'

A song from Anil Kapoor , Juhi Chawla and Karisma Kapoor 's 'Andaz' created a huge stir for its double meaning lyrics. This song called 'Khada Hai Khada Hai' faced immense backlash. In an old interview, Anil had called 'Andaz' a B-grade movie and said that he did the film just for money as he didn't have work that time. He also had said that he didn't know about this song in the film and had also opposed to it. In a recent interview, when producer Pahlaj Nihalini was told about Kapoor's comments, he retorted. Nihalini said during an interview with Vickey Lalwani, "I know of this interview. I told him off also once. He called Andaz a B-grade movie. Woh tarasta tha Andaz karne ko. Karisma ne picture maang ke liye. People were desperate to work with me, and Anil Kapoor was one of them. He's done so many B-grade movies in his life, how can he say that he did Andaz for money?" When the interview told him about Kapoor's comment on the song, he said, "Jhooth hai number one. This never happened. He must've heard the song 'Khada Hai Khada Hai' 50 times before we shot it. Usne bola, ke yeh gaane se hi picture hit hogi." He said, "Sirf Juhi (Chawla) ne bola tha yeh kya movement hai? Toh maine kaha aise koi movement hi nahi hai." He added, "Anil Kapoor was mad. Usne toh kaha yeh gaana hit hai. Toh aise sab jhoothe interviews deke doosre aadmi ko neecha dikhate hai. I've never made a B-grade movie in my life!"