coloravo

Coloravo is a term used in color science and digital art to denote a hypothetical perceptual color space and accompanying design guidelines intended to improve color consistency across devices and lighting conditions. The concept characterizes color in terms of lightness, hue, and a chroma dimension scaled to reflect perceptual colorfulness, with the aim of maintaining relative color relationships more reliably than conventional RGB-based spaces under varying viewing conditions.

In proposed implementations, coloravo is described as a cylindrical or conical axis system with axes for lightness (L), hue (H), and chroma (C), where chroma is modulated by a perceptual factor to align with human vision. Advocates argue that it offers better perceptual uniformity than sRGB and can complement existing models such as CIELAB or CIECAM02 when used in color grading and branding workflows. It is presented as a theoretical model rather than a standardized format.

History and usage: The term appeared in online design discussions in the 2020s as a speculative concept. It has not been adopted as an official standard by major standards bodies, and practical implementations are limited to experimental software or educational materials.

See also: Color space, CIELAB, CIECAM02.