color representation

I would love to see the ability, in HTML, CSS, and forthcoming SVG, to provide
meaningful names to colors, and to allow the CMYK and HLS/HSB (hue,
lightness/brightness, saturation) color models. With the addition of
(separate) attributes like transparency, spot/process, overprint/knockout, and
values none and inherit, this would provide each form of markup language with
capabilities like those of Adobe's and Macromedia's programs, with which most
artists are familiar. Support for color libraries, such as Pantone colors,
would be needed too.

Yes, I'm aware of the 16 predefined HTML/CSS color names, and yes, I'm aware
of the additional 140-some colors supported by many browsers. If you look at
the definitions in hex of those 140 colors, some, e.g. Brown, are not very
close, either on-screen or in-print, to what most would consider that color
name to be.

For examples of what I'm suggesting, something like:

P { color: cmyk(100%, 50%, 0%, 0%); } /* Cyan-Blue */

or 

color-def ( #FF8000, "Orange" );
P { color: Orange; }

or 

color-list {
	color-def (#FF8000, "Orange");
	color-def (cmyk(33%, 83%, 100%, 0%), "MyRust");
	color-def (hls(210deg, 50%, 100%), "Cyan-Blue");
	}

I made a similar suggestion in www-style awhile back, and the List of
Suggestions for CSS3 and discussion suggest something like this will be done.

It seemed to me that SVG should consider this too.

Keep on drawing and coding! I'm eager for SVG1 to appear and be a standard
browser component.

Ben Whisman
oakbw@aol.com
MWhisman@aol.com

Received on Friday, 5 March 1999 16:21:28 UTC