Color theory lecture at the University of Fashion (Image courtesy of the University of Fashion)
Every day we are surrounded by color. But how often do we stop to ask where colors come from and why we see the way we do? Is there science behind color? And who were the pioneers who first tried to understand it?
This blog explores the founders of color theory, from its early scientific discoveries to designers of the systems we still rely on today. The University of Fashion’s color theory classes are steeped in history and provide a gateway to a world where art, science, and perception intersect.
Newton Started: The Color Theory Saga
Although he didn’t realize it at the time, Isaac Newton laid the foundation for the study of color. You probably know the story. He captured sunlight with a prism, split it into seven colors, and then used a second prism to recombine those colors back into white light. Through this experiment, Newton proved that color comes from light itself. It does not come from a mixture of light and dark, as previously believed.
These seven colors are remembered as ROY-G-BIV: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. Newton believed that red and purple were related, so he arranged them in a circle. This archetypal model allows you to see how colors are related to each other, including complementary and ternary relationships. We’ll look at this in more detail in the next video.
Michel Chevreul: The Law of Simultaneous Contrast
French chemist Michel Chevreul made another important contribution to color theory. He discovered that colors, when placed side by side, affect how we perceive each other. In 1839, he published the Law of Simultaneous Contrast, which states that adjacent colors influence each other. He argued that it is impossible to see colors in isolation because they change shape depending on the colors around them.
Color Harmony – Similar Yellow (Image Source: University of Fashion)
Chevreul made this discovery while studying carpets in the Aubusson workshop in France. He noticed that when a pure white thread was placed next to a purple thread, it appeared yellow. This effect occurs because the eyes seek balance. White appears slightly yellow to complement the adjacent purple. This shows that color perception is relational rather than fixed.
Albert Munsell: Color Notation
Albert Munsell introduced a more structured way of understanding color by identifying three main components: hue, value, and saturation (now called intensity). He developed a three-dimensional “color tree” where each color extends outward from a central axis. There’s white at the top (highest value), black at the bottom (lowest value), and various shades of gray in between.
In 1905, Munsell created a system called Color Notation to accurately measure and describe colors. His goal was to standardize colors so manufacturers could reproduce them consistently. This system and others like it are still essential today and allow designers to accurately match colors across fabrics, leathers, and other materials.
Josef Albers: The Law of Simultaneous Contrast
The influential artist and educator Josef Albers developed these ideas further in his 1963 book. Interaction of Colors. Building on Chevreul’s work, Albers emphasized how color constantly changes depending on the situation. His teachings remain central to how we understand color relationships today.
University of Fashion lecture on color relationships. (Image source: University of Fashion)
After completing this two-part lecture series on color theory and color relationships, you’ll never see color the same way again. What once seemed intuitive will emerge as a dynamic interplay of light, perception, and context that will transform the way we design, observe, and experience the world around us. So have you ever had a color dream?
