Q Talk

[GingerPeach]

I've been wondering for a long time whether hosts receive any formal training in how to tell one color from another.  

OK, this is not earthshaking, but it is a pet peeve.  There are whole industries based on color and color naming, ranging from Pantone itself to departments within beauty, clothing, household, and other lines of products.  I have worked with clients who take great care in naming new lines of lipsticks as well as other products.

Some hosts have good color knowledge and others seem to sometimes  simply parrot whatever they've heard elsewhere or whatever is on their little info cards.

Some of them have trouble  knowing the difference between, for example, taupe, camel, and a neutral beige.  They are all pretty good in telling the difference between cool and warm reds, however.  

I do understand the difficulty of keeping things straight when you've been on air for long periods of time and also when there are many color options for one item.  That isn't what I'm talking about.

Does anyone know whether the hosts receive any special color training or is it expected to simply be something that happens over time?  

(Of course, no amount of training will overcome the faulty color-naming in place at QVC and for which there is no change allowed -- or so we've heard during multiple presentations.)

[millieshops]

I think the hosts absolutely have to use the cards for the names that buyers have to use when they are ordering.

Beyond that, some of the hosts occasionally say that the color given on the card is blue, but know that it's really green to my eye.  Or something like that.

The hosts don't name anything.  I even doubt that they choose what's in their shows ot how much time they can use to tell about it, etc.  I don't know that extra training about colors would help much.

The other thing I know is that when I have both of my TV sets on to the same station, the colors look different on the two sets.  There is no doubt in my mind that that's one of the reason I like to buy my clothing locally

[gmkb]

There was a lot of discussion about color during Bob Mackies's presentation today.

Evidently QVC selects color names, not the designer.  Mr. Mackie had to make corrections several times - one jacket very obviously royal blue but given the name teal.

[sidsmom]

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@GingerPeach wrote:

I have worked with clients who take great care in naming new lines of lipsticks as well as other products.

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@GingerPeach

Cool job. =

[JCF]

I think some do like, Pat, Jill, Mary Beth and Jayne B., but it has seemed to me that someone else names the colors and the host has to go by what is on the card, because the same color information is online.

I have noticed at times the host has the correct color name, but they give out the incorrect color, because of what is on the card.  They will say this is called, but it looks like real and whatever color it is.

[Carmie]

I doubt that anyone receives formal training in color...ever.

Everyone sees and interprets color differently.  What is blue to one person looks more green to another,

My husband sees many orange items as yellow,

Medical problems such as cataracts can cause colors to look muted and dim. 

[GingerPeach]

I realize the hosts do not name the colors.  I'm referring to instances when they describe the colors.

I'm glad @gmkb brought up today's Bob Mackie show with Jackie Jacque in which they presented the fleece jacket with the faux leather collar.  Jackie Jacque kept saying "camel' when even the name on the screen was "beige" and there is nothing "camel" about the tone of beige of that jacket.

"Camel" is a yellower beige; "taupe" is a grayer beige, and "beige" can be any of those or it can be simply neutral.  In this case, the jacket was a neutral beige.

Edited to correct the spelling of Jacque's name.

[SHIRAZ]

I seriously doubt there is ANY color training.  I have noticed a host or two that obviously had no clue what color "taupe" or "mauve" was supposed to be - not even the general color family.

I also find it annoying that on cosmetics shows, they don't bother to get right the tone of a foundation.  For example in Bare Minerals, Fairly Light is a light shade for NEUTRAL undertones.  As often as not, the host will say that it is for Golden undertones.  (It's even printed out correctly on the shade chart on the screen.  They would only have to read.)

[insomniac]

I think hosts should tell what the colors are (according to QVC's view), but I like it when they describe whether or not, for instance, a color is more green than blue.

I think many hosts just don't do their homework.

[GingerPeach]

I do think that, this being the business they are in, the hosts ought to teach themselves about color.  Some of them do seem to know and care but others, as you said, "don't do their homework."