100 Days of Posters / Day 029 of 100

Day 29: Relativity

The same colour, looking different.

Chapter
03 Colour
Level
Beginner
Time
45–60 minutes
Canvas
1080 × 1350 px

The principle

Colours change depending on their neighbours. This is simultaneous contrast, famously explored by Josef Albers in Interaction of Color. A grey square looks warm on blue and cool on orange. Understanding this lets you use context to change how a colour is perceived — and stops you being surprised when it happens by accident.

Objective. Experience how surrounding colours change our perception of a colour.

The brief

Design a poster for a colour theory talk where one identical colour appears to be two different colours.

Constraints

  • Use one colour on at least two contrasting backgrounds
  • The identical colour must be exactly the same value in both places
  • Simple geometric shapes
  • Include the talk title and details

You're done when

  • A convincing optical illusion
  • Clear, minimal composition
  • The concept is understandable

Stretch goal

Make two different colours look identical by changing their surroundings.