A brief journey through the HISTORY of COLOURS

Colour is more than just a visual experience—it’s a language, a cultural marker, and a storyteller that has shaped human expression for thousands of years. But here’s a mind-bending truth: we don’t actually “see” colour the way we think we do.

What is Colour, Really?

Colour isn’t something that exists out there in the world like a rock or a tree. It’s a perception. What we experience as colour is our brain’s interpretation of different wavelengths of light. When light hits an object, certain wavelengths are absorbed and others are reflected.

The reflected light enters our eyes, where special cells—called rods and cones—pick up the vibrational frequency of that light.

Cones, in particular, detect colour. There are three types, each tuned to a different range of wavelengths (red, green, and blue). Your brain takes those signals and turns them into the full rainbow of colours we know and love. So, in essence, colour is a symphony of vibration that our brains translate into the world we see.

Ancient Origins

Early humans harnessed nature to make pigments—earthy reds, blacks, and whites—using ochre, charcoal, and chalk. Red ochre dates back over 75,000 years and was used in everything from cave art to rituals.

In Ancient Egypt, colour was rich with symbolic meaning. Blue, crafted from lapis lazuli, symbolised the heavens and divine truth. Green represented rebirth. Their colours were not only beautiful—they were sacred.

Colour Gets Scientific

During the Renaissance, artists began experimenting with colour in more technical ways, blending pigment and light to add depth to their work. In the 1600s, Sir Isaac Newton’s prism experiment revealed that white light contains all colours, forming the visible spectrum—and the basis for today’s colour wheel.

From Rare Pigments to Synthetic Shades

For centuries, artists depended on natural materials. Royalty adored Tyrian purple, a dye made from thousands of crushed sea snails—so rare it literally cost a fortune. Fast-forward to the 19th century, and synthetic dyes changed everything. Colour was no longer rare—it became accessible to everyone.

Colour and Culture

Colour meanings vary across the globe. While white may symbolise purity in Western cultures, it represents mourning in parts of Asia. Red might mean danger, luck, or love depending on where you are. For modern designers and storytellers, these cultural nuances are key to creating meaningful work.

Digital Colour and Design

Now, we design in pixels and hex codes. Software gives us access to millions of colours at our fingertips—but the impact of colour is just as emotional and symbolic as ever. Whether you're branding a business, creating digital art, or setting the tone of a video, colour remains one of the most powerful tools in your creative toolkit.

Colour isn’t just what we see—it’s what we feel, remember, and connect with. From vibrations of light to visual language, the history of colour is the history of how we make sense of the world.

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