This article was written by Sam Schneider and Gabriel Mott.
Disclaimer: For the intended experience, this article is best viewed on a computer screen.
It’s the first day of the semester. You have been waiting all break to take this class, and you cannot wait for the first lecture. As soon as the class starts, the professor begins adding so many important definitions and key terms that you can barely keep up. But then, you have to lean forward and squint your eyes. Oh no! The marker your professor is using on their whiteboard has started to fade! You are now going to fail your final exam! You might have to change your major!
Has this ever happened to you? If so, you need to keep reading this article. We have thoroughly investigated the matter and arrived at the perfect remedy.
All joking aside, we were legitimately interested in determining which color of Expo marker is the best, and in doing so advocate for it to be better utilized by faculty at ONU (or for you to know what to buy yourself!). We are big fans of Expo dry erase markers, and we wondered if any particular colors had strengths and weaknesses.
Shane Tilton, Ph.D., says that “as an avid whiteboard user, I need a marker that can leave a dark mark on a white space as a reflection of my thoughts and efforts on whatever I am working on. In addition, those marks must be erased to give me the space to capture my words without me seeing the residue of past inspiration. It is disappointing to see black streaks on the board, like mascara on a crying face when I enter my office.”
Professor of History Robert Waters concurs; “Definitely I have opinions on this – it’s a silly but relevant topic that can draw readers … White boards are a pain. They don’t erase very well, sometimes they get stuff on them that makes what I write too light or even seems to actively resist being written upon (for some reason it always seems to be near an edge), the pens run out of ink quickly, and the pens mysteriously disappear in less than a week.”
We tested twelve colors: black, red, blue, green, orange, brown, plum, purple, aquamarine, pumpkin, lime, and pink. We tested three scenarios for each color, the marker being fully applied to a white board, the marker being fully applied then partially erased, and the marker being fully applied then fully erased. We were hoping to find a marker that both stands out when it is applied and doesn’t leave a stain when it is erased.
Our findings are summarized below:
Visibility
Erasability
Iconic
Visibility
Erasability
We can’t think of another joke
Visibility
Erasability
Similarity to the food
Visibility
Erasability
Intimidation
Visibility
Erasability
How much Gabe likes it
Visibility
Erasability
Nature
Visibility
Erasability
Similarity to the food
Visibility
Erasability
Closeness to Sam’s favorite color
Visibility
Erasability
Extent to which it is the color of the sky
Visibility
Erasability
Extent to which it is underrated
Visibility
Erasability
Whimsy
Visibility
Erasability
Pink is just an awesome color
LEFT: Labels for each of the Expo markers’ colors for easier reference (Northern Review Illustration/Sam Schneider)
RIGHT: A collage of each Expo marker’s performance in our experiments (each object of this illustration has been brightened by a factor of 100% excluding the orange marker, which has been brightened by a factor of 50%) (Northern Review Illustration/Sam Schneider)
Oddly enough, despite what we may have guessed, black was not the most visible marker we tested. Purple left a much more uniform and solid line on the board, and combined with its dark color, it turned out to be the most visible marker. However, the erasability left much to be desired, leaving obvious and deep streaks that will likely endure long past the heat death of the universe.
It seems the classics are hard to beat. Black had the perfect blend of visibility, contrasting with the white of the dry erase board, and erasability, leaving next to no evidence it was even there. It is the optimal color for recreational, educational, and professional use.
Newell Brands, the company that owns Expo, declined to comment after we mailed in a “Technical Information Request Form.”
Dry erase markers are a staple of academic writing, and it is our hope that this experiment aids students and faculty in their pursuit in choosing the best writing utensil for their needs.