This is one of my favourite times of the year. Yesterday (20th March) marks the official first day of spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) and it was also the International Day of Happiness.

And if that doesn’t put a big smile on your face, today 21st March, oh my, we have the trifecta – it’s only International Colour Day!

What is International Colour Day?

The AIC (International Colour Association) has chosen 21st March to be the International Colour Day. This is because in the northern hemisphere this day marks the “spring equinox” where 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.

This is still with UNESCO to have this day officially recognised, but while we’re waiting, there’s no harm in celebrating it, right?

Want to bring the colour in?

To celebrate International Colour Day this year, I set myself a challenge: for the 20 days leading up to March 21st, I created a short daily video exploring a different colour each day. In each one, I shared insights into the psychology of that colour, how we experience it, and how it shows up in our everyday lives, from our emotions to design, nature, and even culture.

You can watch the full series over on my Instagram and just scroll through the feed to find all 21 videos, starting from Day 1.

Last year I asked some well known colour lovers including Dame Zandra Rhodes, Annie Sloan MBE and Kaffe Fassett MBE, to share their number one piece of advice for anyone who might be afraid of bringing colour into their home, their clothes and into their life. Head over to Instagram to see their pearls of wisdom.

Want to dive further into colour?

If you’d like to dive further into colour, you can download the first chapter of my book ‘The Little Book of Colour’ for free.

Wishing you a colour filled day!

Colourfully Yours,
Karen x

Updated 21st March 2025