The hottest Color Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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FW26 Color Stats

Rough Diamonds • 15 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Color
  1. Fall/Winter 2026 is dominated by dark, muted colors like black, jet black, charcoal, and burgundy.
  2. Compared with last year, whites, beiges and bright pastels fell back while many dark tones (oxblood, slate blue, burnt orange, sage) rose into the top ranks.
  3. This appears to be a stylistic shift toward edgier, vampy looks rather than just economic caution, and it’s the biggest color change observed in these trend tracks.

The 1746 Rocque Map Of London... Now In Colour

Londonist: Time Machine • 718 implied HN points • 22 May 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Color
  1. The 1746 Rocque Map of London is the first detailed map of the city, showcasing individual alleys, courts, and more in color.
  2. John Rocque used meticulous techniques for accuracy in his map, and aimed to record street names for detailed insight into 18th-century London.
  3. Adding color to the map helps reveal the complexity of land use, highlights water channels, and brings out details that were difficult to interpret in black and white.
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What is the colour of water?

lifeboat • 786 implied HN points • 06 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Color
  1. The color of water can be a blend of various colors like bronze, blue, umber, pink, gold, and silver.
  2. Different cultures and languages may perceive and name colors differently, affecting how we see and describe the world.
  3. Words and language can both reveal and limit our understanding of the world, especially when it comes to describing the ever-changing colors of water.

Brown Bath

Into the Hedge • 39 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Color
  1. Natural dyeing from plants often results in brown hues despite the colorful nature of the raw materials - this is due to scientific reasons that are hard to pinpoint.
  2. Although there are more efficient and precise synthetic dyes available, working with natural dyes can be more enjoyable and reflective of the environment.
  3. Despite the challenges and abundance of other dye options, exploring the variety of browns from natural sources can be an exciting and rewarding process.

Algae Ink: The best plant-based ink around?

Green Graphic Design • 39 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🪑 Design Color
  1. Algae Ink is now commercially available and offers high-contrast blacks, carbon sequestration, and light-fastness.
  2. The production process of Algae Ink replaces petroleum-derived pigments with plant-based pigments, making it a more sustainable ink option.
  3. Algae Ink has environmental benefits like being carbon-negative, sequestering carbon, and potentially offering recyclability advantages over petroleum-based inks.

To own a colour

On Looking • 59 implied HN points • 10 Jun 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Color
  1. The concept of owning colors through NFTs has sparked controversy and raised questions about the value and ownership of colors in art and society.
  2. Colors are a complex interplay of history, scarcity, and cultural significance, dating back to the Middle Ages and continuing through to modern controversies like Vantablack and International Klein Blue.
  3. The discussion extends to the philosophical and cognitive realms, where the idea of selling colors as NFTs challenges the immaterial nature of colors and the relationships between types and tokens.

Liberation to Celebration: How Green Became the Color of St. Patrick's Day

JoeWrote • 29 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Color
  1. St. Patrick's Day was initially a respectful commemoration of the patron saint of Ireland, but it evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture internationally, with green becoming a key symbol.
  2. Before the 1800s, Ireland's national color was blue, but the rebellion of 1798 against British rule led to green becoming the color of Irish nationalism.
  3. The history of Ireland's struggle for independence teaches the importance of symbols like the color green as declarations of resistance against oppression and commitment to freedom.