Assignment #1, Task #2 by Caitlin Baker

I have synesthesia. For as long as I can remember, I have associated every letter and as well as every number with a distinct, vivid color. Because of this, certain words or combinations of numbers can be beautiful or very awkward and ugly. I love the word moon, because M is deep purple, N is just a little bit lighter and more blue. The two encase two charcoal O's to create a velvety texture of (ironically) a moonless night. Certain letters are very similar in color, so if I am typing quickly I can mix up F, N, W, and M if I am writing a new word. I can never remember the numbers 6 and 9 in a sequence because they are an identical light aquamarine.

This is how my mind has always worked, but I am deconstructing these colors and associations for the first time with this project.

I began by searching sea coral, as A is a coral-pink. I quickly found that coral itself is a multifaceted organism with colors that range well beyond my alphabet spectrum, so opted to use it to find all my colors. This task has been a test of extreme concentration. The colors are always there in my mind, but are difficult to focus on with a left, analytical brain. While some colors came very easily, such as the letter H, others had me closing my eyes and running over words I have used for years, like the names of my family members, to seek out the right hue.

I started with blocks of colors, but became frustrated with the inaccuracy of the tones. I then switched to blurred and pixilated lumps of varying colors which I found to be a better representation of the fragmented way in which I "see" these colors.

Above: Original Alphabet with solid blocks of color. 

Below: Second version of color alphabet using pixels as representative of a varying, shifting spectrum.

Once I had an alphabet, I chose one of my favorite books and found a quote I liked to "translate". Once I saw words laid out in this format, I could judge my accuracy. While I didn't get the colors perfect, I can see a resemblance, like I face I recognize but can't quite place where I know it from.

"She was a doll with the stuffing falling out, her button eyes hanging by threads." -Chip Kidd, The Cheese Monkeys

I like the idea of a color language, even if it's one only I can understand. I am most curious to know if other people who see letter and numbers this way would have the same associations as I do.