They’re Stealing Colour from Your World

We must rebel...

The polar ice caps are melting.

Land masses are disappearing.

Animals are going extinct.

We’re even losing colour

This chart published by the Science Museum Group shows the world, gradually becoming monotone.

The study documented 7000 photographs of objects 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.

How did this happen?

At some point, white Western upper-class society deemed itself ‘above’ the love of colour

Over 100 years ago, architect Adolf Loos said we should ‘evolve’ from liking colour, into a more ‘refined’ taste.

Famous poet Goethe, went a step further stating “Savage nations, uneducated people and children have a great predilection for vivid colours”

As modern author Alok Vaid-Menon describes it; “historically colour became associated with indigenous people, with communities of colour, and with women. And so then colour became associated with anti-reason, emotion, unrestraint, unbridled ways of being.”

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that racism, misogyny and the ‘othering’ of anyone but straight white males has seeped so deeply into every thread of society, that it has affected everything, even colour.

We have been trained that whiteness is beautiful and tasteful.

I was shocked when I discovered that statues from ancient Greece and Rome were once colourfully painted.

So ‘Gladiator’ was… inaccurate? *gasp*

In an article from the New Yorker, professor of ancient arts at the University of Georgia, Mark Abbe, describes uncovering ancient sculptures as a young archaeologist;

“You look at it up close, and you realize the whole thing is covered in bits of gold leaf. Oh, my God! The visual appearance of these things was just totally different from what I’d seen in the standard textbooks—which had only black-and-white plates”

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I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and it feels like colour loss has rapidly accelerated in my lifetime.

As companies like Apple have pioneered sleek, minimalism we have suppressed character in favour of function.

Almost every major company has rebranded in the last two decades and adopted minimalist and monochromatic logos. From BMW and Mini to Warner Brothers and Mailchimp.

The most dramatic was possibly McDonald’s who in 2016, shifted from their iconic yellow and red to grey and black.

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 now grey.

The most popular paint colours are grey, beige and white.

Kimmy K sitting in a pile of fast fashion

Even our celebrities are beige. Kim Kardashian is so obsessed with neutrals, that she enforces 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 just *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.

It’s not just colour. This short essay on twitter describes the loss of ‘useless beauty’. Everyday items no longer have functionless flourishes. Their replacements are simple, efficient and cheap.

In his book ‘Filterworld - How Algorithms Flattened Culture’, Kyle Chayka describes how the internet has dulled down our daily lives.

As algorithms decide what’s popular and accelerate trends, spaces become more and more similar. You could be in a coffee shop in Texas or Tiwan, and the menu is the only way to tell the difference.

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Street art by David Speed - painted with neon pink paint

Colour has changed my life. Specifically, the colour pink. I became obsessed with the brightest pink pigments I could find and started painting with them regularly. I was scared to begin with, I knew that historically, pink has been dismissed.

In the 19^th century, during the Industrial Revolution, muted and ‘serious’ tones like browns and blacks were preferred. These colours were associated with professionalism and industrial progress.

Pink began to be seen as frivolous and excessively feminine. This period marked the beginning of pink being strongly associated with women and children, particularly girls.

In the 20^th century, as modernism and abstract art emerged, pink was often sidelined in favour of more ‘intellectual’ colours like black, white, and primary colours.

Abstract expressionists and minimalist artists, such as those in the Bauhaus movement, preferred a more restrained palette, which contributed to pink being seen as less significant.

With this knowledge, I never could have predicted my success. Painting in pink is now my full-time career and has taken me all over the world.

Neon Pink Flowers - Spray paint on canvas, David Speed 2023

Colour is your human right.

Let’s not forget that colour effects our mood and cognitive function.

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.

I believe that on some level, stripping us of colour is an attempt to create more conformity. A grey toned, anxious, whitewashed society that buys what they’re told, maximising shareholder value.

To suppress colour is to suppress creative thought.

Colour is rebellion. It’s expression. It’s emotion.

Be brave. Be colourful.