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Is the World Getting Less Colorful?

3 min readFeb 16, 2023

Ever wondered why most industries offer us primarily black, white, silver, and grey colors? I notice more and more colors being embraced by most products nowadays.

While some colors may have their seasons, good colors will endure for years, even centuries, despite their usage fluctuating over decades. Colors have the power to captivate our subconscious culture for a long time. But somehow we find ourselves in a monochromatic world.

Color Changes From Current to Current

Color changes in objects over time (Cath Sleeman, PEC, Nesta, Science Museums Group Collection)

The graph on the left shows how the color within an object has changed over time. Each object has been grouped by year (spanning 20 years), based on the earliest year associated with the object. Then, color blending calculations are made between objects in each group.

If you feel the world is becoming more colorless, you’re not imagining it. Look at cars, for example.

Monochrome colors now make up three-quarters of globally produced cars compared to less than 50% in the past.

The diagram below shows the difference in parking in the 1980s compared to now.

These changes have also happened to the interior design.

These are the most popular colors of the Dulux paint brand in 2020:

Comparison of 1970s houses with most modern houses. Some people argue that painting the interior walls with neutral colors makes it easier to decorate. Additionally, it is also easier to match with various colored furniture.

There is also a trend of whitening everything — whether made of wood, brick, plaster, or anything else

Gray is the most frequently used carpet color.

Here are the most popular kitchen paint colors from 2019–2020.

Neutral colors are the most popular in fashion.

The color black is the most commonly used color. Many believe that black clothing appears more elegant, stands out, and makes their bodies look slimmer.

The fashion analysis firm, which tracks online merchandise, has shared some charts regarding the distribution of clothing colors in markets worldwide.

This trend encompasses almost everything. Consider this study, which analyzes the colors of everyday objects over time. The conclusion is clear: neutral colors and gray scale are more frequently used than before.

In your opinion, what are the causes of this change? Do you feel this change is for the better or for the worse?

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