Color is an ever present measure of quality, even in a subliminal sense. Whether it be automobiles, food or appliances, we perceive quality by the color of the product and how well the colors match. If an automobile is repaired after an accident, do we first judge the quality of the repair job by the structure of the new part or its metal composition, or do we judge it by how well the color of the fender was matched to the door and hood? Unless the fit is horrible, the vast majority of people will judge the color first.
Too often in color, the lighting environment is taken for granted. We see a light source as "white" and are not concerned with its actual spectral output. If it appears white, it is white and therefore will render colors properly. Or so many people think. In actuality, what we call "white light" can have heavy biases toward the red, yellow, green or blue portions of the spectrum. Unless viewed in conjunction with each other, we perceive all of them as "white light." But the human eye integrates the information too easily, and therein lies the problem. Because the eye adapts so well to the various white light sources, it does not take into account the color reflectivity differences of the various objects we see. When it comes to color matching, this can be a very big problem.