I do agree with Munsell that most people refer to colors very loosely and will never be able to verbally describe a color accurately. But this is because most people never have to know the color systems well enough to go on with their lives. If anyone has stopped by a home decor store, one would realize how much variations of colors are available in the form of swatch cards. We will never have to describe a color to anyone when we have a visual reference. The truth is, anything visual can hardly be precisely described without any visual aid. Try to describe anything visual such as a person's features, a piece of clothing, the interiors of a home etc, you will realize how hard it is to explain something visual without actual visual references.
Make no mistake, though, I am impressed with Munsell's color sphere system. It is indeed very comprehensive as he said himself. It is definitely invaluable to the creative professionals as it provides an accurate way to describe colors, consisting of the three critical qualities (dimensions as Munsell called it) - hue, value and chroma. But even with the most comprehensive color systems, designers should never attempt to present their works without visual references. Likewise, the best way to describe music is to actually perform the music for the audience to hear.
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