colour Analysis

What is colour analysis?

Seasonal colour analysis is a system for identifying the colours that best complement an individual's natural colouring, enhancing their appearance by making them look vibrant, balanced, and harmonious. It’s based on the idea that everyone’s natural colouring (skin tone, eye colour, and hair colour) aligns with certain colours found in nature. Seasonal colour analysis classifies people into "seasons"—Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter—each with distinct colour palettes.

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Key Aspects of Seasonal Colour Analysis

The method is grounded in three main characteristics:

1. Temperature: Determines if someone’s undertones are warm (yellow undertones) or cool (blue undertones).

2. Value: Describes whether a person’s colouring is light or dark (the relative lightness or darkness of features like hair, eyes and skintone).

3. Chroma/Intensity: Refers to the intensity or clarity of colours that suit someone—either soft and muted or bright and vibrant.

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​​16 Seasons Overview

 

The 16-season system divides each of the original 4 seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) into four more precise subtypes. Each subtype is based on its dominant tonal quality, leading to more nuanced colour palettes.

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Spring

• True Spring: Warm, clear colours (e.g., coral, warm peach, clear greens).

• Light Spring: Soft, warm, and light colours (e.g., pastel yellow, pale coral, light aqua).

• Bright Spring: Bright, warm colours that are vivid and high-contrast (e.g., turquoise, lime green, hot pink).

• Warm Spring: Similar to True Spring but leans even more toward warmth in each shade

Summer

• True Summer: Cool and soft, pastel-like colours (e.g., rose, lavender, soft blue).

• Light Summer: Cool, very light colours (e.g., powder blue, soft pink, pastel green).

• Muted Summer: Muted, soft colours with a hint of warmth (e.g., soft teal, dusty rose, slate gray).

• Cool Summer: Intensely cool, clear tones that are more muted than True Winter (e.g., soft navy, periwinkle, cool pink).

Autumn

• True Autumn: Warm, rich, earthy colours (e.g., olive, rust, pumpkin orange).

• Muted Autumn: Soft, muted, and warm (e.g., sage, dusty brown, warm beige).

• Deep Autumn: Dark, warm, and intense (e.g., dark olive, burnt sienna, chocolate brown).

• Warm Autumn: A strong emphasis on warmth, with colours deeply saturated.

Winter

• True Winter: Cool, intense colours (e.g., true red, cobalt blue, black, stark white).

• Bright Winter: Bright, cool, and high-contrast colours (e.g., electric purple, icy blue, clear red).

• Deep Winter: Cool, deep colours that are dark and intense (e.g., deep plum, burgundy, navy).

• Cool Winter: Extremely cool colours that are bold and clear (e.g., deep teal, magenta, royal blue)​

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Tonal Flow Approach 

In the tonal flow analysis approach individuals can be matched to one of six tonal flow categories based on their most dominant colour characteristic. This allows for a tailored palette of colours that complement and align their features. The six tonal flow categories are:

1. Warm (yellow-based colours)

2. Cool (blue-based colours)

3. Bright (clear and high-saturation colours)

4. Muted (soft and low-saturation colours)

5. Light (pastel or pale shades)

6. Deep (dark, intense colours)

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Why Use Colour Analysis?

Seasonal and Tonal colour analysis can guide choices in clothing, makeup, hair and accessories, helping people feel more confident in colours that enhance their natural beauty. The right colors can brighten skin, minimise shadows, and make features stand out, creating a harmonious look.