The Science of Colour
Colour is the thread that runs through every wardrobe decision.
Before talking about palettes and combinations, it helps to know
what colour actually is — and that turns out to be a
surprisingly deep question, with answers from five different
fields that all have to agree.
The five pages below walk the topic end-to-end. Read in order,
or skip to whichever piece you're curious about.
- 01 Physics of Light Where colour comes from: wavelengths, photons, the visible spectrum.
- 02 Biology & Vision How the eye and brain turn light into colour perception.
- 03 Psychology & Perception Context, contrast, adaptation — why the same swatch looks different.
- 04 Cultural History Pigments, dyes, and the social meaning of colour across centuries.
- 05 Colour Systems RGB, CMYK, HSL, CIE Lab — how we name, measure, and communicate colour.