Color Business: A Pigment of His Imagination?

SUNNYVALE, Calif. —  A businessman preparing for an important meeting with a client decides to wear his gray pin-stripe suit because he thinks it makes him look more professional.

For dinner that night, his wife chooses a blue, off-the-shoulder dress because it makes her feel sexy and romantic.

Picking the right color of clothing and accessories may not seem at first like a fertile area for hatching a new business. But then again, computer pioneer Nolan Bushnell has not been one to follow traditional trails to success.

“Color awareness is very much in vogue right now,” said Kip Atchley, director of project management for a new Bushnell company called I’ro. “There’s an awareness of how to dress, not only growing in the women’s market, but the men’s market. It’s in fashion to be in fashion.”

Color analysis, which is a relatively new field, previously depended on the individual judgment, taste and preferences of a trained analyst. Consistency however, was sometimes missing.

Bushnell, who brought the world Atari computers and Chuck E. Cheese pizza restaurants, wanted to deflate the cost of color analysis to a price that the average man or woman could afford. That meant automating the process, which may cost $100 or more when performed by a specialist.

Enter the computer, which can be programmed to match different skin, hair and eye colors with appropriate clothing, accessories and makeup.

No Bias From Computer

“The advantage of having a color consultation is that it will help you find the right colors in clothing and cosmetics to enhance and show off the coloring in your skin pigmentation and hair and eye colors,” said Atchley.

“If a consultant likes certain colors or dislikes a certain color, the tendency may be to make recommendations on that bias,” he said. “If they hate green, do you think they are going to go around and say green looks good on you?”

I’ve started out late last year with just one store specializing in color analysis, makeup and accessories sales. The company is waiting to see how the public accepts its first venture before deciding on expansion.

Workers at the I’ro store in a Sunnyvale shopping mall take skin readings with a light probe that relays the information to a small personal computer.

The computer automatically takes five readings of the light probe, Atchley said.

An operator then enters into the computer other data like eye color, height and weight. In minutes, the machine is able to come up with an individualized analysis that includes a range of color recommendations.

Cosmetic Analysis

Women can also get a cosmetic analysis with suggestions for different combinations of makeup, lipstick and nail polish--plus fragrance recommendations. Preferred colors for jewelry and eyeglass frames are also suggested.

Included in the cost of the basic analysis ($35) is a color wheel with samples that customers can refer to when shopping. Each customer also gets a computer printout including all color recommendations in a range of categories.

For men, the recommendations include colors for suits, shirts, ties, sports jackets and slacks. The computer also lists four of the best colors for each individual and advises the customer of colors to be avoided.

Color recommendations are made for women for dresses, business suits, skirts, blouses and accessories. There are also suggestions for evening wear, skirt and blouse combinations and casual clothing.

For an additional fee, the computer will suggest makeup combinations for a variety of situations ranging from exotic to sporty to sophisticated.