Happy International Colour Day!
Karen Haller
OK, so full disclaimer here, 21st March isn’t officially recognised as International Colour Day. The AIC (International Colour Association) have had quite a long ongoing process with UNESCO to have this day officially recognised, but while we’re waiting, there’s no harm in celebrating it, right?
Why March 21st?
I think you’ll agree with the AIC’s choice of day. If you in the northern hemisphere at least, because March 21st is the “spring equinox”.
What this means is equi = equal and nox = night, so around the equinox, night and day are approximately equal in length.
This symbolically represents the complementary nature of light and darkness, light and shadow as expressed in all human cultures and in nature.
It’s when we move from the darkness into the light.
Colour is always connected with light – they are inseparable. Without light there would be no colour so International Colour day also celebrates light.
Mother nature comes to life
And it’s a celebration of spring. The season when nature awakes from her winter slumber and and bursts back into full glorious colour!
It’s the time of year for new life, new beginnings, hope and optimism – to move forward into the light of positive human consciousness and positive change.
Want to bring the colour in?
To celebrate International Colour Day this year, I’m sharing some of the wonderful colour lovers I’ve had the pleasure of chatting to over the years in my On The Colour Couch series.
I asked them about their favourite colour, what it means to them, and in a couple of cases why they don’t have a favourite at all.
Many you may recognise from John Cooper, last year’s winner of BBC1 Interior Design Masters; chalk paint creator, Annie Sloane CBE; Kitty Joseph textile designer, iconic fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, textile designer Kaffe Fassett MBE, and garden designer Lee Burkhill featured on BBC1 Garden Rescue.
Head over to Instagram to see the Colour Couch guests sharing their favourite colours.
Want to dive further into colour?
You can download my free e-book, The 10 Myths that Limit You Using Colour Effectivity. This is for designer professionals or anyone who uses colour in their business.
And you can also download the first chapter of my book ‘The Little Book of Colour’ for free.
Wishing you a Happy International Colour Day!
Karenx
Originally published March 2021 | Updated March 2026
