Welcome to the Colour Literacy Project!
Our mission is to provide foundational, hands-on resources for learning about colour as a true meta-discipline — not just for artists and designers.
Fluency with the language of colour sharpens our visual intelligence, expands our perceptions, and enhances our ability to communicate.
Colour literacy is not just for artists and scientists
— it’s for everyone.
WHAT IS COLOUR LITERACY?
Colour literacy is the ability to understand, describe, and consciously use colour in daily life, art, design, communications and across industries. In the 21st century, colour literacy goes beyond simply naming colours, involving an understanding of how light, context, and culture affect how we perceive and experience colours.
THE FOUNDATION
The project is built on understanding colour Fundamentals and dispelling common colour Misconceptions.
THE FRAMEWORK
The exercises on our website are organized under four foundational Cornerstones - Experiencing, Perceiving, Describing and Creating with Colours.
THE EXERCISES
The hands-on exercises invite educators and their students to engage with colour as a rich and rewarding field of inquiry that spans many disciplines.
All Exercises
TWO PATHWAYS TO EXPLORE
The Jumpstart Pathway provides a quick introduction to the CLP curriculum with engaging "Eye-opener" exercises.
The Cornerstones Pathways are scaffolded in three levels organized by the CLP Cornerstones.
Note: All the exercises can be modified to make them age appropriate for your students. We welcome your suggestions for variations on the exercises depending on age and abilities.
See FAQ entry: Can the exercises be adapted for students with limited colour vision?
Call for Entries
AIC2027
COLOUR EDUCATION EXPO
Valencia, Spain
4-8 October, 2027
The AIC Study Group on Colour Education (AIC-SGCE) and the Colour Literacy Project (CLP) invite university level educators to submit proposals for sharing innovative exercises for teaching 21st Century Colour.
Abstract Deadline: December 7, 2026.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Recent forum:
MATERIAL LIVES OF COLOUR: FROM HERITAGE TO INNOVATION
FORUM 16: Friday July 17, 2026
Advances in Colour Literacy, Volume 1
Edited by Ingrid Calvo Ivanovic
This volume is the first of a series. Advances in Colour Literacy is conceived as an ongoing publication dedicated to documenting and advancing the collective project of understanding colour more fully and teaching it more responsibly.
Watch the Book Launch with authors
From Friday September 25
Thank you to the authors of the volume for a stimulating roundtable discussion!. Presented by the Colour Literacy Project and the AIC Study Group for Colour Education.
