Are colors dying? Science fears world might slip into lifeless grey

What made the world lose its colours — a question one must ask after a photograph collection experiment revealed a gradual loss of vibrant colours in the world which is moving towards bland monotones.

The change towards a colourless world didn’t happen overnight, reported the study which studied changes for the last 200 years.

The Science Museum Group Collection examined over 7,000 photographs of 21 familiar objects used by people since the 1800s. This included clocks, cameras, printing tools, navigation tools and other domestic appliances.

Putting these photographs under lens, they studied their shape, colour and texture.

They found the objects were moving towards a dominant ‘grey’ tone and the colours brown and yellow got gradually dropped at the precipice of the 19th century turning into the 20th.

However, the findings couldn’t be conclusive owing to the limited number of objects studied.

The findings resonated with the fashion and transport industry where similar trends have been noted in the past years.

Axalta, a leading paint manufacturer, released its 2025 global automotive colour popularity report and found that monochromes like black, grey and white dominated the market.

Changes in the colour of the objects over time.

The growing grey

The study contrasted the colours of a telegraph (from 1844) with an iphone (from 2010). The former had a rich brownish tint and latter a metallic greyish-black tone. The colour of the telegraph mainly came from the mahogany wood used for its construction. However, the plastic and metal used in the iPhone gave it less chromic variability.

Likewise, small tints of blue in pocket watches were dropped and hardly seen from the 1800s.

The collection found that phones in the 1960s, 70s and 80s enjoyed a wide range of colours and the ‘greying’ started to happen in the late 1980s.

As per experts, consumerism is a possible explanation to why the world started to engage in mass manufacture, selling and reselling of objects. 

A neutral design fits the demand of the hour, experts have observed.

Fashion and architecture

A shift towards neutrality can be strongly felt in the architectural and fashion world with an increasing demand for minimalistic styles, slowly drifting away from the colourful landscape of the past.

As per reports, the rapid shift towards neutral colours could be a reaction to overstimulation of modern life where people might be using bland shades to create calming environments or to project a sense of ‘quiet luxury’.

As per Very Well Mind, there is also a growing understanding between colours and mood changes.

For instance, colours in the red spectrum can evoke a wide range of emotions from warmth to hostility.

Likewise, shades of blue are often associated with a sense of calm and peace. 

As per an article in the Harvard Health Publishing, there is an association between depression and the colour 'grey' with depressed people using the colour to describe their inner emotional state.

George Ritzer’s Mcdonaldisation can also be used to explain the world’s progression to neutral colours as the social theory promotes logical and convenient building models to ensure quantity over quality, propagating less focus on tradition and ornamentation.