1. A system for processing information signals, the system comprising: a processor operative to compare a first information signal to a second information signal in response to a user query, wherein the first information signal is selected by the user and the second information signal is stored in a database associated with the system, wherein the processor extracts color and texture information from at least the first information signal using a predetermined vocabulary comprising one or more dimensions, and generates a distance measure characterizing the relationship of the first information signal to the second information signal by applying a grammar comprising a set of predetermined rules to the color and texture information extracted from the first information signal and corresponding color and texture information associated with the second information signal.