COLOUR IS DISAPPEARING FROM OUR WORLD
In his book ‘Chromophobia’, artist David Batchelor reveals how colour has been consistently undermined and marginalised throughout history. He advocates for a re-evaluation of colour’s role in art, culture, and thought.
A recent study published by the Science Museum Group shows how monotone our world is actually becoming.
The study documented 7000 items in the museum’s collection, from the 1800’s to 2020.
200 years ago, black, white and grey tones made up around 15% of all items. Now, 60% of items are black, white or grey.
Currently 3 cars sold out of 4 are black, white or grey however, in 1952 the three quarters were red green or blue.
The most popular carpet colour is grey.
The most popular paint colours are grey, beige and white.
Companies like Apple have pioneered sleek, minimalism and with it we supress character in favour of function.
As the internet accelerates these trends, spaces become more and more similar. You could be in a coffee shop in Texas or Tiwan, and the menu would be the only way to tell the difference.
Even our celebrities are beige. Kim Kardashian is so obsessed with neutrals, that she enforces that all workers at her home wear "greys, heather grey, black, white, navy, cream or khaki”.
Neutral colours don’t evoke any strong feelings, they’re… well… neutral.
It’s easier to sell something that’s okay, something neutral. The strong, bold personalities of the 80’s and 90’s are too much of a risk nowadays. ‘Love it or hate it’ design, excludes 50% of potential customers!
Other than shareholder value, is there any benefit to losing colour?
We can’t see any. When we lose colour we lose diversity, excitement and joy.
Colour affects our mood and cognitive function and the benefits are well documented.
Colour research has proven that white walls can cause anxiety, depression and lack of focus.
Bright colours on the other hand, can make us feel more comfortable, energetic and engaged.
Colour is rebellion. We refuse to be dragged into a boring and bland existence, instead we’ll build our own colourful world.