Colour expert at Axalta Dami Babalola and furniture designer Stephen Gaull discuss the impact that the digital world has on our appreciation of colour in real life (IRL) and vice versa.

These days, colour trends are digested for the most part on screen rather than IRL. How does this inform how these trends are presented?

Dami Babalola: It affects the presentation, as we try to make them as realistic and detailed as possible to reflect the actual texture. This might involve taking a high-definition photo of the surface. Colours change a lot from screen to screen, so we also make sure that the colour can also be identified through the product name and accompanying imagery. The latter can tell a story and allow the reader to visualise, and not just rely on the colour on screen.

Stephen Gaull: When designs created IRL are seen online, there can be a significant impact on their colour because what we perceive on screens varies depending on the lighting, settings and calibration. As a result, colours may appear more vibrant, muted or even distorted when viewed online. This is a huge consideration for me when showcasing products in digital spaces, as the colour accuracy of the digital representation can influence customer perception and purchasing decisions.

Anyone can now create a digital moodboard using platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Does this proliferation have an impact on the choices of designers, or of people more broadly?

DB: Moodboards increase the capacity for story-telling, and present a more personal connection to colour choices. Perhaps this is reflected in the increasing popularity of custom-colour matching that we offer at Axalta. It allows our clients to be really imaginative and creative.

SG: It’s true that I consider the performance of colours for my products on digital platforms like Instagram or my website, but it doesn't lead to creative decision-making. Ultimately, my colour choices are guided by my creative passion and target audience. While social media can be powerful for sharing and promoting creative work, it can distract from a designer's original vision and style. A designer may compromise their unique perspective and innovative approach by focusing too much on what is currently trending or what will generate the most likes. Instead, staying true to their theories and strategies will lead to more authentic and innovative design solutions that stand out from the social noise.

For those in the creative industries, from graphic design to architecture, does the on-screen experience inform how they respond to colour trends?

SG: Digital devices and screens use the RGB colour space, allowing for over 16m possible colours. In contrast to print CMYK, there are only 16,000 possible colour combinations. The online space is perfect for colouring and shade to live and breathe, but we need to take time and calibrate our devices and allow the colour to shine!

As a designer, I’m a fan of sending colour swatches to customers; these IRL examples of colour help customers and collaborators see the shades for real; this speeds up decision-making and safeguards against disappointment when a product is purchased online.

DB: For the architectural world, I think rather that materiality informs colour trends more, but on-screen is how people tend to consume those trends. By materiality, I mean actual materials being incorporated into the design of the building -  wood, Corten steel, stone, steel, brick and such like. For the last few years, there has been a clear trend where designers seek to imitate these materials using powder coating. That in turn influences trends and is reflected in the colour collections we launch.

The popularity of materials with warm tones such as brick, timber and Corten has perhaps contributed to the trend of using terracotta, brown and bronze colours in powder coating. 

I’m also seeing more ceramic materials being used for building facades, leading to jewel-toned powder coatings (green, red, orange) being selected more. And recently, we have had a request to colour match a zinc cladding, which usually comes in muted colours.