The internationally well-known Swedish research into colour, which began during the 1920s and resulted in the Natural Colour System (NCS), is based on user requirements and the human perception of colour. The basic idea for the system was taken from “Das natürliche System der Farbempfindungen”, which was published by the German physiologist Ewald Hering in 1874.
The Swedish Colour School brought together many well-known architects and designers to develop and expand the possibilities of using and communicating colour. Research into colour and attempts to create a visually descriptive colour system, the NCS, continued for more than 10 years at the Swedish Colour Centre Foundation. The work was led by NCS’s originator, Dr Anders Hård, in co-operation with other world-famous colour researchers such as Dr Lars Sivik and Prof Gunnar Tonnquist.
The Colour Institute was founded in 1946 and was given its present name in 1978. The company is responsible for and has at its disposal the rights to the NCS. From the beginning it has developed and marketed different pioneering colour systems for the wider and better use of colour in the environment.
If you would like to find out more about the NCS AB (head office for NCS) visit their web site at www.ncscolour.com
The NCS COLOUR CENTRE SA for South Africa and SADC has been appointed by the NCS AB in Stockholm, Sweden as official distributor for the Natural Colour System.