Colour Design Training Itinerary – Doctoral Research
The colour issue: How can we transform colour education to meet the needs of 21st-century designers?
Doctoral Research | Colour Education | 21-st Century Colour | Instructional Design
Colour plays a fundamental role in how we perceive, interpret, and engage with the world—yet it remains significantly underrepresented in design education. Most design students graduate without structured training in colour, often relying on intuition or outdated theory when making chromatic decisions. Meanwhile, the demands of contemporary design practice call for a far more intentional and informed approach. My doctoral research directly addressed this disconnect, aiming to elevate colour education to meet the real needs of today’s design discipline.
The result of this work is the Colour Design Training Itinerary (CDTI), a comprehensive educational framework created to support and transform the way colour is taught and learned in design schools and professional training contexts. The CDTI is built on a constructivist approach to pedagogy, aligned with the realities of design-based learning, and designed to function across in-person, blended, and remote teaching environments.
Throughout the research, I examined more than one hundred colour courses from institutions across the globe, identified critical gaps in content, delivery, and outcomes, and engaged with educators and colour specialists from diverse backgrounds. I developed a complete curriculum structure that integrates clear learning outcomes, relevant and updated colour knowledge, effective teaching strategies, and meaningful ways to assess student learning.
This project represents more than an academic investigation—it is a call to reposition colour as a core component of creative practice and professional training. It provides educators and institutions with a robust, flexible system to guide colour teaching at all levels, from foundational courses to advanced, specialised modules. And for professionals working in design, architecture, or visual communication, the CDTI offers a roadmap to build colour competence that is strategic, evidence-based, and relevant to today’s complex design challenges.
The research development was funded by Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo – U. Chile, Fondazione Fratelli Confalonieri, and Politecnico di Milano.
Years: 2018 – 2022
See more: Research Outline
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