-----Original Message-----
From: Rocky Entriken <rocky@tri.net>
To: Mark Sirota <msirota@isc.upenn.edu>; Madurski, Ronald M.
<RONALD.M.MADURSKI@saic.com>
Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 12:05 PM
Subject: Re: Paint colors and numbers
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mark Sirota <msirota@isc.upenn.edu>
>To: Madurski, Ronald M. <RONALD.M.MADURSKI@saic.com>
>Cc: Rocky Entriken <rocky@tri.net>
>Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 9:52 AM
>Subject: Re: Paint colors and numbers
>
>
>>"Madurski, Ronald M." wrote:
>>> Any of you old timers have a copy of a message that covered car
>>> color and number color? I think it was written by Peter Raymond.
>>> It went into great detail on which number colors would show up
>>> best on which car colors, and also what didn't work very well.
>>
>>I can't find anything in my e-mail archives, but there was an
>>excellent article written for SportsCar a few years back by our own
>>Rocky Entriken. Rocky?
>>
>>Mark
>>
>
>January 1997, Pages 26-28 (that was the first issue of the "big format").
>
>Not my article, actually, although I did write a sidebar and did some
>editing. Terry Scott Reed wrote a piece on race car graphics, and Peter
>Raymond did the one Mark is thinking of, explaining how color works to
>create true contrast.
>
>I've done similar articles in SportsCar at least twice before (going back
to
>the '70s), but Peter introduced a concept not only new to me, but which
>explained my own number problem at Heartland Park one time. "Luminosity."
>Or, how bright the number is against its background. On an overcast and
>dingy day at Heartland Park my yellow number on my blue car became
>indistinct. My fix? I did not outline it. I did not change the color. I
>merely laid strips of yellow Scotch Plastic Tape right over the yellow
>numerals. Thing is, the numbers were made of matte finish contact paper.
The
>tape was a much brighter shade of yellow and made the number snap out of
its
>background. I increased the luminosity.
>
>Basic rule: light against dark. Not as easy as it sounds. Avoid red on
>black. Despite what most people think, red is NOT a bright color. White on
>yellow is not too good either.
>
>Also: a number is not an artistic statement, it is an identifier. It's sole
>purpose is so people can see you and know who you are (think timing &
>scoring). Not to say it cannot be stylish, but foremost make it clear,
>unambiguous, easy to read at speed and from a distance. What looks good in
>the driveway may be illegible at 60 mph on the far end of the lot. Bigger
is
>better. The rulebook dimensions are a minimum. If you have the space, make
>it bigger.
>
>--Rocky
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