Interesting discussion.
I can honestly say, no one has ever come up to me to ask me what ball I am throwing when the ball is solid black or blue. However, if I am throwing something colorful which is noticeably neat looking due to my high rev rate, I have been asked the question.
And I'll catch a colorful ball out of the corner of my eye a few pairs away and may go watch the guy and see what the ball is, where as a solid black ball, I wouldn't notice going down the lane. It is not going to stand out and catch my eye while I'm casually looking around.
For example, when someone on the league I bowl brought out his bright yellow DV8 misfit, I noticed it from 8 pairs away and went to find out what the heck it was and see how it rolled. If it was a black Versamax for example, I wouldn't have given it a 2nd thought.