Color plays an imperative role in visual communication. Throughout history the only colors that were available by production were those that were created from dyes that came from the local areas. Eventually the possibilities were widened through the trade routes of the region. In our current society we are inundated with a myriad of variations of color. To the point where it is nearly impossible to define a specific hue with the naked eye. Immanuel Kant stated that genius was "a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given... and that consequently originality must be its primary property," (Kant, 1790).
As Michel Foucault suggests that "discourse is a body of knowledge that both defines and limits what can be said about something," (Cartwright, 2009), is it possible that our scientific endeavors have made it possible to produce every spectrum visible to the human eye? With the readily available capabilities of high-definition televisions, paints for houses and cars, as well as print mediums, are we enhancing our visual communications or are we diving into sensory overload?
By defining the color spectrum have we eliminated the possibility of a visual genius in colors as originality has been removed by limiting the possibilities through definition and discourse, or is this the moment that a genius is needed to take us to the next step in visual communications through colors?
