 Thru-hole resistors are so commonplace that you likely don't notice their unusual aesthetic. So why are they the only component that displays its value using painted stripes? In the early days of electronics, printing tiny numbers on little cylinders was a relatively costly process. To keep costs low, manufacturers established the resistor color code and used simple stripes instead of characters. Capacitors got a similar treatment, often using dots and resulting in a decidedly funky look. But only resistors still use the color code today. And that's because the system works so well. The stripes can be read quickly from pretty much any angle, and unlike a text label, they can't be hidden by installing the resistor flat on a PCB. And that is how the resistor got its stripes. And kept them.