Problem addressed
The ColorADD code is a unique, universal, inclusive, and non-discriminatory code that enables colourblind people to recognise colours, whenever colour is a factor of identification, orientation or choice. For each primary colour, there is a corresponding visual code. It was developed in 2010 by the Portuguese graphic designer and professor at the University of Minho, Miguel Neiva. Since its creation, Coloradd has been applied in various services, mainly in Portugal, in several areas such as clothing, textiles and shoes (labelling), pencils, textbooks publishers, transports (subway maps), city administration (e.g. Maps, Accessibility), health (Accessibility and pharmaceutical labelling), food retails (Traffic light nutrition label), Didactic Games etc.
The code is based on five base signs: two triangles (one angled upwards and the other angled downwards), diagonal line, solid square box and empty square box representing black, white and the primary colours: red, blue, yellow. The code is simple and easy to mix across the codes - the same way colours would be mixed to create a different colour.
Innovative solution
The ColorADD code is a unique, universal, inclusive, and non-discriminatory code that enables colourblind people to recognise colours, whenever colour is a factor of identification, orientation or choice. For each primary colour, there is a corresponding visual code. It was developed in 2010 by the Portuguese graphic designer and professor at the University of Minho, Miguel Neiva. Since its creation, Coloradd has been applied in various services, mainly in Portugal, in several areas such as clothing, textiles and shoes (labelling), pencils, textbooks publishers, transports (subway maps), city administration (e.g. Maps, Accessibility), health (Accessibility and pharmaceutical labelling), food retails (Traffic light nutrition label), Didactic Games etc.
The code is based on five base signs: two triangles (one angled upwards and the other angled downwards), diagonal line, solid square box and empty square box representing black, white and the primary colours: red, blue, yellow. The code is simple and easy to mix across the codes - the same way colours would be mixed to create a different colour.
The formulation of the code is based on years of design expertise and scientific research. This included working with doctors and colourblind people to understand what colour-blindness means to them.
Within the ColorAdd project, a programme for primary schools was designed. The programme is composed of a series of actions aiming at raising awareness about the limitation and inherent day-to-day constraint of colour-blindness, as well as training sessions on the ColorAdd code.
The project works with partners, locally, in Portugal and internationally, in Europe, Middle East, Asia and South America to apply the ColorADD code where possible, including in public transport, hospitals, medicines, games, clothing, sports and culture (e.g. stadiums), digital communication and across sectors.
Within the ColorADD project, a mobile application was developed to identify colours and ‘translate’ them to colourblind people through the ColorADD code. The App allows to detect colours simply by pointing the phone camera to objects or by uploading images to the App.
ColorADD follows an inclusive approach, distributing the code across services and places, it is raising awareness of colour-blindness.
The goal is, therefore, to contribute to a more inclusive and non-discriminatory society, in which every child and person has the same learning opportunities and knows how to identify and interact with diversity.
The code has been developed by the Portuguese graphic designer and Professor, Miguel Niva, who is the Founder and main driving force of ColorADD Social, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promote social integration of colourblind people, through the adoption of the ColourADD code. The dissemination of the ColorADD is made possible by the numerous partners who help spread ColorADD code across locations, services and products – either across cities (public transport, beach flags, recycling bins, stadiums, tickets, nutritional maps on food, national exams) or through partner products (e.g. crayons, games, clothes, school materials, magazines). These include some public authorities (Metropolitan Area of Porto, Municipality of Lisbon, Municipality of Lousada, Municipality of Viseu, Municipality of Espinho), universities (the Portuguese Catholic University, the University of Minho, Porto University), and private foundations (Montepio Foundation, Eugenio De Almeida Foundation).
The European funding through ESF, as part of the Portugal Social Innovation Initiative, started in 2014 and will end in 2023.
Key results and benefits
The impact delivered is estimated based on the number of entities and countries using the code, number of overall users of specific service or product.
The impact achieved in schools through workshops and preparation of school materials with ColorADD code is measured through questionnaires that are carried out with children before and after delivered activities. They evaluate the child's capacity to change mindset, learn the code, use the code and the impact of the code itself. The results are analysed by the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of University of Oporto (accredited entity and partner).
ColorAdd is also carrying out a study to assess the impact of the ColorADD School Programme and, in the long term, the reduction of school failure and early dropout, on the number of children with learning difficulties, interpersonal difficulties as well as on the reduction of situations of bullying.
More than 45 countries got in direct contact with the code and more than 250 companies and entities are currently using it.
The ColorADD code has been added to-date to 100 million clothing labels, 6 million colour pencil boxes with the code, 900 000 textbooks, the nutritional composition labels of 1 500 different food products, 950.000 security signposting, 400 libraries, 2 600,000 national exams for secondary school.
As regards the workshops carried out in schools, 52 700 students took part in the activities, 5 800 teachers, assistants and schools’ technicians were involved, 37 800 ColorADD student kits were distributed.
"Thanks for your work and I personally hope to see your system rapidly implemented in France. I have had difficulties for years and years, for instance when I read some road signs or traffic indications at the TV: red= hard traffic, green=free traffic, there is no difference to me, it is absolutely invisible." – Antoine
"I would like to use ColorADD to help my son to learn his colours (he's 3 years old)! My son is probably colourblind (no doctor wants to confirm but I recognise my father problems while confusing green/grey and red/brown and his 2 cousins are confirmed colourblind too). – C.P.
Potential for mainstreaming
The ColorADD project is transferable and scalable. It can be adopted by private companies, service providers and public institutions, whenever a colour is a factor of identification, orientation or choice. Both the code itself and the workshops can be transferred to other contexts, through licence acquisition. The license fee is adjusted to the partner’s profile. This approach ensures that the price is not a limitation to adopt the code, while at the same time contributing to funding the project's efforts.
The licensing includes: a digital support toolkit for proper implementation of the ColorADD Code, ColorADD Technical Check, required to ensure correct colour reference and application of the Code, ColorADD Technical Support including identification of needs, media and deployment content, sharing best practices, definition of integration concepts and partnership activation.
Part of the licensing fee is used to support the ColorADD Social Non-Profit Association, which promotes inclusion in first cycle schools.
Furthermore, the ColorADD APP, which can be downloaded for free, is a solution that provides independence and autonomy in the day-to-day life of the colourblind, complementing the presence of the ColorADD code in products and services.
