Identification color

An identification color is a specific signal color that enables identification - i.e. direct association or assignment - to a specific group. A set of identification colors and the associated rules form a color identification or a color code.

See also : color symbolism

politics and society

Identification colors are used to identify political groups and associations ; the identification colors are often also associated with pictorial symbols .

Examples of political identification colors are:

• Red for communist (mostly dark red) and socialist / social democratic groups or parties
• Braun for National Socialist and Neo-Nazi groups or parties
• Green for environmentally friendly and in Islamic countries for Islamic democratic, conservative parties and groups
• Rainbow colors for peace movements or gay movements , see rainbow flag
• Yellow and / or blue for liberal and liberal / free-thinking parties and groups
• Black for conservative , Christian Democratic groups and parties close to the Italian version of fascism .

Identification colors are common in heraldry and vexillology , they can also be found in the coats of arms and flags of the respective organizations or groups.

• Heraldic color rule for coats of arms
• Pan-African colors

References can be found in other cultural contexts

• liturgical colors for ritual purposes
• the Tibetan religions as yellow hats and red hats
• Hankycode to identify personal sexual orientation

Many companies use identification colors for easier identification of their products in the course of their corporate design . A well-known example is the "Postgelb" used by postal operators in many countries.

Technical color coding

Color codes for twisted pair cables

In addition to the selection of certain colors, a color code also includes the syntax , i.e. the regulations on how the colors are to be arranged in relation to one another in order to achieve a certain assignment. The identification colors can have a position-dependent meaning. In this sense, a color code can be viewed as a rudimentary language .

Color coding systems play an important role in many areas of human information , communication and documentation . In the social science context, they are part of non-verbal communication .

Examples:

• Color code for multi-core cables according to DIN 47100
• Pipe marking according to DIN 2403 media leader for marking pipelines
• Marking of gas cylinders according to DIN EN 1089-3
• Resistor color code for marking electrical resistances (similar even with capacitors )
• Color of the protective collar on wire end sleeves to identify the maximum cross-section of the cable strand
• Identification colors for control elements and indicator lights according to IEC / EN 60073 (VDE 0199), IEC / EN 60204-1 (VDE 0113 part 1)
• Colored marking standards of individual cores of an electric cable (power supply) to identify the potential reference of the respective core green-yellow , black , blue (according to DIN VDE 0293-308 ) with the main purpose of identifying dangerous live contacts.
• Colored marking standards of individual cores of an electronic cable for message transmission ( telephone cable ) or data transmission ( TIA-568 , DIN EN 0815 ) to identify the signal affiliation with the main purpose of time-saving installation and utilization of the best possible interference immunity of the cable.
• Identification of circuits in overhead line systems
• On PCs, the otherwise similar PS / 2 sockets for input devices: purple for keyboard , green for mouse
• On PCs, the otherwise similar jack sockets for audio devices: pink for microphone , blue for line-in , green for headphone output, for other sockets see the sound card
• Earphone plug in stereo - RCA -version: The r real audio channel is always r coded ot attributed to the joint letter R. In early versions is the l inke audio channel ge l b coded, again due to the joint letter L. However, if the same Adjacent there is also a composite video connection (see below), which is usually also coded in yellow, the left audio channel gives way to black or white.
• General audio stereo cinch connector: right channel always red, left yellow or black or white (see above for headphone plugs)
• Composite video cinch connectors: mostly yellow

Color coding in diagrams and other illustrations

Color scales in geographical maps for heights, vegetation or geological structure and in informative diagrams also represent identification colors with information content.

literature

• John Gage: Cultural History of Color. From antiquity to the present . Seemann, 1994, ISBN 978-3-363-00972-9 (English: Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction . Bulfinch Press, October 1993, ISBN 978-0-8212-2043-6 ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Color codes for fiber optic and loose tube cables  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.