ima moteki, a design duo in japan, has just created a set of nameless paints that aim to completely change the way children learn and think about color. instead of using color names, each white tube of paint is labelled with an “equation” showing which primary colors, and in what proportions, were used to make the color inside.

the designers, yusuke imai and ayami moteki, believe that color labels are problematic. “by not assigning names to the colors we want to expand the definition of what a color can be, and the various shades they can create by mixing them,” said imai.

in addition to rejecting labels, the paints also teach color theory. the equations on the paint tubes help children understand some of the basic concepts behind color theory and how to mix and create new colors. by lb