An Approach to Identify Indigenous Color Palette: A Case Study of Majuli

Abstract

The main aim of the paper is to create a methodology for extracting the color palette to create a brand identity of a location through the study of artifacts/spatial architecture. In this paper, a case study of Majuli, a river island of Brahmaputra river, is considered. Majuli has 22 Satras; the religious institutions which came into existence after the Neo Vaishnavite movement lead by Sankaradeva in the sixteenth century. These Satras are center for Majuli’s performing arts and handicrafts. The thriving tourism industry of Majuli is dependent on the identity and restoration of these Satras. They also play a very crucial role in Majuli’s history and culture. The present study was done through extensive field visits and observations, ethnographic study, closed user group interviews, photographic documentation, and analysis of collected visuals through an image processing application image color summarizer. An approximate number of 150 colors were extracted from these visuals using image processing image color summarizer. These colors were clustered using their hues. Clustering of the colors showed major clusters of brick red, earth yellow, amber, camouflage green, tapa gray, stone gray, walnut brown, and bahama blue. Segregation of clustered colors can act as a color guideline for any practitioner. While designing, these colors can be taken into consideration, and the designers can create different color palettes that suit their context and product applications.